above K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER below KêN KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN
The hexagram pictures a dangerous abyss lying before us and a steep, inaccessible mountain rising behind us. We are surrounded by obstacles; at the same time, since the mountain has the attribute of keeping still, there is implicit a hint as to how we can extricate ourselves. The hexagram represents obstructions that appear in the course of time but that can and should be overcome. Therefore all the instruction given is directed to overcoming them.
THE JUDGMENT
OBSTRUCTION. The southwest furthers. The northeast does not further. It furthers one to see the great person. Perseverance brings good fortune.
The southwest is the region of retreat, the northeast that of advance. Here an individual is confronted by obstacles that cannot be overcome directly. In such a situation it is wise to pause in view of the danger and to retreat. However, this is merely a preparation for overcoming the obstructions. One must join forces with friends of like mind and put oneself under the leadership of a person equal to the situation: then one will succeed in removing the obstacles. This requires the will to persevere just when one apparently must do something that leads away from one’s goal. This unswerving inner purpose brings good fortune in the end. An obstruction that lasts only for a time is useful for self-development. This is the value of adversity. THE IMAGE
Water on the mountain: The image of OBSTRUCTION. Thus the superior one turns one’s attention to oneself And molds one’s character.
Difficulties and obstructions throw one back upon oneself. While the inferior person seeks to put the blame on others, bewailing one’s fate, the superior one seeks the error within, and through this introspection the external obstacle becomes for one an occasion for inner enrichment and education.
THE LINES
Six at the beginning means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming meets with praise.
When one encounters an obstruction, the important thing is to reflect on how best to deal with it. When threatened with danger, one should not strive blindly to go ahead, for this only leads to complications. The correct thing is, on the contrary, to retreat for the time being, not in order to give up the struggle but to await the right moment for action.
Six in the second place means: The King’s servant is beset by obstruction upon obstruction, But it is not one’s own fault.
Ordinarily it is best to go around an obstacle and try to overcome it along the line of least resistance. But there is one instance in which one must go out to meet the trouble, even though difficulty piles upon difficulty: this is when the path of duty leads directly to it-in other words, when one cannot act of one’s own volition but is duty bound to go and seek out danger in the service of a higher cause. Then one may do it without compunction, because it is not through any fault of one’s own that one is putting oneself in this difficult situation.
Nine in the third place means: Going leads to obstructions; Hence one comes back.
While the preceding line shows the official compelled by duty to follow the way of danger, this line shows the person who must act as father of a family or as head of one’s kin. If one were to plunge recklessly into danger, it would be a useless act, because those entrusted to one’s care cannot get along by themselves. But if one withdraws and turns back to one’s own, they welcome one with great joy.
Six in the fourth place means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming leads to union.
This too describes a situation that cannot be managed single-handedly. In such a case the direct way is not the shortest. If one were to forge ahead on one’s own strength and without the necessary preparations, one would not find the support one needs and would realize too late that one has been mistaken in one’s calculations, inasmuch as the conditions on which one hoped one could rely would prove to be inadequate. In this case it is better, therefore, to hold back for the time being and to gather together trustworthy companions who can be counted upon for help in overcoming the obstructions.
° Nine in the fifth place means: In the midst of the greatest obstructions, Friends come.
Here we see one who is called to help in an emergency. One should not seek to evade the obstructions, no matter how dangerously they pile up before one. But because one is really called to the task, the power of one’s spirit is strong enough to attract helpers whom one can effectively organize, so that through the well-directed co-operation of all participants the obstruction is overcome.
Six at the top means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming leads to great good fortune. It furthers one to see the great one.
This refers to a person who has already left the world and its tumult behind. When the time of obstructions arrives, it might seem that the simplest thing for one to do would be to turn one’s back upon the world and take refuge in the beyond. But this road is barred to one. One must not seek one’s own salvation and abandon the world to its adversity. Duty calls one back once more into the turmoil of life. Precisely because of one’s experience and inner freedom, one is able to create something both great and complete that brings good fortune. And it is favorable to see the great person in alliance with whom one can achieve the work of rescue.
