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Above; Mountain
stillness
Below; Thunder and awakening
The form of this
hexagram is readily seen as a picture of a mouth wide
open to receive sustenance. The lower three lines
represent nourishment of oneself and the upper trigram
represents the nourishment of others. More particularly
this means nourishment in a spiritual sense.
Yi indicates that
perseverance brings good fortune. Pay heed to those
who nourish others and observe how they seek to nourish
themselves.
Take and give the
right kind of nourishment and good fortune is assured.
Observe the needs of others, both those who nourish
themselves and those whom you would wish to nourish.
But not neglect your own nourishment. As heaven and
earth nourish all things so the wise man nourishes
men of talent and virtue and through them reaches
out to all the people. He nourishes them both physically
and spiritually.
There is a reference here to the words of Meng-Tse
(371 – 288 B.C.); ‘one who nourishes his
smaller self becomes a small man. One who nourishes
his greater self becomes a great man. The man who
only eats and drinks is counted mean by others, for
he nourishes what is little to the neglect of what
is great.”
Below the mountain
the thunder rolls; the image of nourishing. The Superior
Man is careful of everything that he says and he observes
due moderation in his eating and drinking.
Line 1
You let your magic
tortoise go. Your mouth hangs open. Misfortune.
The Tortoise was
regarded as a magic animal because it appeared to
live on air and required no earthly substance. The
shells of tortoises were used for divination. The
man with his mouth agape may be taken as symbolizing
either personal greed or envy of others. He has a
abandoned his self-reliance for empty discontent and
jealousy of those who find themselves in better circumstances
than himself.
Line 2
Turning from the
path to seek nourishment in the high hills.
Persisting in such
ways brings misfortune. Here the man has sought sustenance
from those in high places, living on the charity of
others. In this, he behaves unworthily, succeeding
only in bringing misfortune upon himself.
Line 3
Nourishment that
nourishes not brings great misfortune. Avoid such
ways for ten years for there is no favourable destination.
Wandering from
gratification to gratification brings no satisfaction.
Ten years is a complete cycle of time and signifies
forever. Seeking nourishment in this way is like taking
no nourishment at all. The Lord Buddha gave up sustenance
on the advice of his teachers, and soon came to regret
such an empty method of self discipline.
Line 4
Good fortune comes
from seeking nourishment in the high hills. Staring
about with hungry eyes like a tiger brings no reproach.
At first this seems
to contradict the second line, but we have now reached
the upper trigram and the line no longer refers to
a man bent on seeking his own advantage but to one
who searches about him for others to help him attain
his high ideal.
Line 5
Turning away from
the path. Perseverance brings good fortune. But success
does not lie in crossing the great water.
Here is a man conscious
that his own nourishment is not complete. To continue
his nourishment of others he must seek help in developing
his own strength. Now is not the time for him to embark
on any great undertaking for he still is dependent
upon the assistance of others.
Line 6
The fountain of
nourishment. Watching for dangers brings good fortune.
Now is the time
to cross the great water. This describes one who has
become at last a great sage, with a profound influence
upon spiritual sustenance of others. Such a man who
takes note of all the pitfalls that surround and remains
conscious of the responsibilities can undertake the
most difficult labours.
© 1979 Neil
Powell
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