Xie: Eliminate difficulties, solve problems; solution; deliverance, freedom, liberation; analyze, explain, understand; dispel sorrow; unravel, disjoin, untie, disperse, dissolve, release.
Structure:
· Above thunder 2, below danger 3.
· Upper trigram moves up and away from the lower trigram, danger. Movement brings deliverance.
· Danger incites movement. Movement leads out of danger.
Image: Thunder (electricity) has penetrated rain
clouds. The thunderstorm breaks and
releases the tensions building up to the storm.
All of nature breathes freely again, an image of moving out of danger.
Situation: Just as a thunderstorm releases atmospheric
tension, and its rain makes all the buds burst open, so a time of deliverance
from burdensome pressure liberates and stimulates life.
Time: The hexagram describes the time when those
who follow the path free themselves from worldly concerns[1]
and the suffering caused by selfishness and averseness.
The undeveloped have the childish perspective that others
and the world[2]
exist to benefit them. Persisting in
this perception, they react to experience by grabbing what they want, pushing
away what they do not want, getting angry when frustrated and confused, and
ignoring how they selfishly harm others. They expect the world and others to give
them their way.
Once we learn to perceive obstacles as projections of our
selfishness and aversion for others, we can no longer bear the suffering we
cause others by our negative reactions to whatever arises in experience. We sense a better way to live but feel trapped,
compulsively acting out whatever our self-cherishing wants. Once on the path, our confidence strengthens
when we practice the way to undo suffering by developing capacities to hold our
selfishness and hostility within presence without acting on them and then choose
to respond to experience in ways that benefit all.
We free ourselves from our willingness to harm others for
self benefit by changing our attitudes about this path of suffering. Overcoming the harm we do to others and the
Earth is a primary life lesson. As long
as we resist turning away from what harms, we will continue inflict the harms
of our selfishness and averseness not only upon ourselves but to others and all
life. Until we comprehend how our
mistaken and ignorant beliefs and attitudes cause suffering, we live in suffering
and darkness.
Yet once we comprehend how our attitudes, beliefs and
actions create suffering and have the resolve to stop the suffering we cause,
then we can solve the life lesson. By changing
our attitudes, beliefs, and actions, we find release from our difficulties.
The path is gradual
and long. It took millions of years
for our selfish and aversive tendencies to evolve, so it should come as no
great surprise that it takes concerted effort over many years and probably
generations to develop the inner strength to withstand and overcome their
authority. Yet we continue to
evolve. As Uchiyama wrote, “The future
is simply a direction. What is critical
is to face that direction and act.”
At different
points on this journey, at first briefly, we find that we can remain present
with arising experience and resist the distractions of fear and wanting. Gradually our tolerance of uncomfortable
reactive emotions stabilizes along with the ability to stay with the breath. At first, we experience only momentary
respite before the patterned behavior regains control. These tastes of freedom motivate us to devote
ourselves wholeheartedly to the task of deliverance, developing so much inner
strength that it acts as a force against our selfishness and willingness to
harm. In this way the wise persist in
freeing themselves.
Once delivered from worldly concerns, the wise rest and
enjoy the release from tension. It is not the time to advance further than
necessary but rather a time to rest and to allow the situation to heal and
unfold naturally. The wise quietly
nurture their being’s human freedom by resting in the highest good, yet they remain
vigilant so they do not fall back into self-cherishing.
Deliverance does not mean our selfishness and aversion for
others have disappeared, only that we have learned to master them. The wise stay alert to avoid reactivating
their attraction to worldly concerns in an unguarded moment. If they should arise, then the sage remains present
to negative tendencies, patiently bearing them and not following what they
want.
If we use force to try to eliminate or repress our
selfishness and aversion for others, they will regain control as we have used
the same weapons they have used against us:
violence, entitlement, intimidation, lies, humiliation, and anger. If we try to stop errant thoughts, they only grow
stronger.
As their stability and capacity develops, the wise can
further advance. They foster their capacity to extend their benefits to others
and into the world. From this position,
we can realize all virtues: caring for
others, respect for limits, wisdom, and justice.
The Ways of Tao are the same within all dimensions: heaven, earth, and humanity. Thus, we learn that deliverance from the selfish and haters in the world follows the same path of how we delivered ourselves from the dangerous negative reactions by turning away from them and toward what benefits all. While we cannot get rid the selfish and aversive, we can escape their domination by not succumbing to their willingness to harm others and by moving toward what benefits all.
Line 1: Deliverance has come. The line has overcome its conditioning and
the selfish. Once problems are solved,
it is best to remain calm and rest to heal and preserve recovery.
The yielding line in a strong place corresponds with the
strong 4th line in a weak place.
They balance their strengths and weaknesses and cooperate to overcome difficulties. All goes well as the 1st line uses
the wisdom of the 4th line to complete itself.
Line 2: The line has balanced strength and the
capacity to act effectively at the right time.
It remains firm and flexible, precise and single-minded. It keeps to the center and restrains its selfishness
and willingness to harm others.
The selfish and powerful always look for ways to manipulate others
for self-benefit. The wise do not
succumb to such an influence.
Our selfishness and averseness turns what we experience into
self and other, which encourages us to indulge in the worldly concerns of
pleasure, willingness to harm others, wealth and dominance. To free itself, the line devotes itself
wholeheartedly to the task of deliverance and develops so much inner strength
from its correctness that it acts as a weapon against what harms.
The wise remain alert for their harmful reactions, which
would confuse and weaken their resolve to stay present with what arises. They use discernment to see and cut through
the negative beliefs and attitudes about others and hasten to support and
strengthen their resolve to carry out a firm and balanced course of action with
an open and loving heart.
Line 3: The line has come out of needy
circumstances into comfort and freedom from want. If it indulges in feelings of superiority for
escaping its problems and self-importance, it reactivates its selfishness and
averseness. Carelessness in guarding
against temptations leads to disgrace and loss of virtue.
Those who act insolently toward those with more power and
harshly toward the less powerful isolate themselves and invite attack.
The weak line fails in fulfilling a position it has
usurped. It does not have the strength
to carry such a heavy burden and attracts those who take advantage of its
weakness. Persisting in this state leads
to disgrace.
The ignorant line acts arbitrarily, vainly imagining that it
has enlightened qualities. The weak
cannot achieve the great on their own and need to seek out the guidance of the
wise.
Line 4: In a time of standstill, the line indulges in
worldly concerns, which weakens the resolve to stay on the path. However, when the time of deliverance draws
near with its call to deeds, the line willingly frees itself from such
temptations.
If the line remains associated with selfishness and
hostility toward others, the wise will not approach. Even though the line might
share the views of the wise and with whom it could rely upon and together
accomplish something significant, the wise mistrust the line and stay away. Once the line distances itself from these
harmful behaviors and moves toward advancing what benefits all, it opens itself
to wise influences.
The 4th and 2nd line belong together
because of their kindred nature. They
jointly render loyal help to the 5th line, the leader. To do this, the line must first exclude the
interfering 3rd line to which the line has no relationship of
holding together, an inappropriate relationship.
Line 5: External measures cannot drive off our
selfishness and hostility for others. We
need an inner resolve to get rid of them.
The line breaks with what harms others within the its mind. The harmful attitudes and beliefs then withdraws
on their own, and we can discern solutions to difficulties and make
progress.
The yielding line fulfills its responsibilities because it
has strong support from enlightened others.
The line delivers itself from what harms and empties the mind to seek
the spirit.
Line 6: A powerful malevolent obstacle hinders
deliverance. It withstands inner forces
as it is hardened in its selfishness and hostility. The sage contains the means for deliverance
from what harms within its own being.
The sage bides its time then acts and is free from its negative thoughts
and feelings. The sage acts and moves
through the obstacle as it has made ready the means.
A harmful attitude or belief injures life. The obstacle has been dislodged from its
hiding place, but it still dominates the line and creates harm. This stubborn dark obstacle is shot from
below; thus, deliverance from the last obstacle is achieved.
The top line is at the culmination of deliverance. The way to find deliverance has been found by
seeking spiritual help, which develops the practice. Thus, the line learns how to solve problems
in ways that benefit all.
[1] Worldly concerns are the ways in which the selfish willingly harm others for self-benefit and then ignore the suffering they cause. Selfish individuals seek power and domination over others and willingly use violence to do so. The selfish accumulate wealth through the unlimited exploitation and ultimate destruction of people, other life forms, and the Earth. The selfish believe themselves superior to others and express their self-cherishing through patriarchy, discrimination, and subjugation, willing to use violence to protect their rung within the hierarchy and support the powerful. The selfish consume as much as they can and seek constant distractions for the pleasures they derive from their addictions, enriching the exploiters.
[2] World does not refer to nature but to how people live within nature. The world – civilization, culture, history, society, beliefs, worldly influences – is embedded as a subsystem within the natural system.
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