Hexagram 37 - Way of Humanity

Way of humanity

Benefit from obeying and yielding to the spirit.

 

 Structure: 

·          Wind 6 above, influence.  Fire 7   below, clarity.  Fire within reaches outside. A blazing fire causes a wind.

·          The influence that emanates from inner clarity. 

The Way of humanity embodies the laws of Tao that govern human beings, both in relationship to the spirit and with each other. It is the path of love that creatively responds to the experiences of life in ways that benefit all.  Sages shape the energies of Creation through the human virtues of caring for all, morality, justice, and wisdom, harnessing and shaping the creative energies of the spirit so that it manifests within the world.  The sage finds happiness by obeying the commands of the spirit to end self-cherishing and to benefit all.  Suffering ends when we have the lived experience that the self and other are the same and one with the sacred mystery.

A great influence comes from knowing the ways of the spirit, which allows sages to fulfill their life’s purpose.  Knowing depends upon persistently yielding to the spirit and serving the moment. Sages harmonize with events and proceed along the proper course, their actions benefiting all. 

Limits

All life has natural limits beyond which the quality of life and our relationship with others degrade; thus, living within these natural and moral limits protects us from danger.  The urge for more and feelings of dissatisfaction with our experience may never cease.  The sage disciplines itself by limiting its needs, clarifying its feelings and thoughts, and cultivating its devotion to the spirit.

Sages live contentedly within the natural limits that they have voluntarily accepted and know their well-being depends upon the well-being of others.  

When society lives beyond its natural limits, threatening the collapse of conditions necessary for life, the wise act to restore the balances among people and all life and with the Earth.  We need the discipline of limits to avoid treating life and Earth carelessly.  An undisciplined life leads to regret when we abandon what is important and valuable in life, confusing the high and low and failing to live up to our duties to all life and the Earth. 

The wise set limits of behavior within which members have complete freedom of movement, a wide range of possibilities within which they can freely choose.   Yet in doubtful instances, too great severity preserves the conditions needed for life while too great weakness leads to degradation the web of life and great suffering.  Any rules that restrict our behavior cannot avoid causing resentment, but if founded on established, natural and moral principles, others will accept such rules as necessary and their duty. 

Overcoming Self-Cherishing and Hostility

The wise firmly guard against the inner rising of self-cherishing and hostility for others and immediately interrupt these harmful feelings and thoughts.   When we intervene early, we can most easily return to the path, before our willingness to harm others for self-benefit weakens our resolve and grows strong enough to harm.

The spiritual practices to overcome self-cherishing and hostility for others include moral discipline selflessness, gentleness, and finding ways to benefit all.  Once ingrained in character, these practices will naturally shape our interactions and nurture healthy relationships.  Those who want to serve others first master themselves.

Immoderate actions abandon discipline and confuse natural and moral principles. Yielding to our self-cherishing and hostility for others agitates being. Following the spirit transforms us into guardians of what benefits all. The wise constantly disengage themselves from what harms.  When feelings and thoughts rest within the highest good, they support the wise in meeting experience in a balanced way.  The wise use knowing the spirit to live the spiritual path.

Our influence upon others depends upon what we have done for ourselves.  By having made the effort to investigate themselves, reduce their selfishness and hostility and increase their virtuous actions, sages govern themselves inwardly and work on the difficulties of the world gently and appropriately, aligning themselves with the Ways of nature and humanity. 

Interbeing

The Way of humanity calls for affection among friends, duty among partners, and moral behavior within all our interactions. Natural affection makes moral behavior easy, and wise groups have affection for each other.  Groups that influence their members through fear work only for the moment and necessarily arouse resistance. Because sages do nothing to make others fear them, others trust them.

The Way of humanity guides us to live gently with others, to understand and nurture them. The Way first teaches us inward development and self-discipline to develop mastery.  The developed sage manifests wisdom by teaching others through example the established and enduring Way, shaping the necessary conditions for us to live with each other on Earth in ways that benefit all. 

Sages test their understanding of the Way by how they choose to respond to whatever arises in experience in ways that care for all life and the Earth.  The deeper their wisdom, the more successful their actions.  The wise assume responsibility for any harmful consequences of their actions and learn from their mistakes.

Problems within a group result from selfishness and failure to understand our interdependence, which leads people to treat each other harmfully.  Sages yield to the sacred within everyone one and moment. They have faith in the process of the tao and manifest their understanding of the Way through their virtues.[1]  Harmony within a group of any size depends upon the character of the members.  When individuals cultivate their virtues so that they work through the force of inner truth, all goes well with the group.  Each must assume this responsibility. 

The wise do not yield to the self-cherishing of others but only follow the spirit, the source of its blessings.  Neither do they indulge their preferences and biases.  Self-cherishing and preferential treatment to one’s own group overshadows the duty to benefit all.  Finally, the wise do not seek in others what they can provide for themselves.  Sages constantly and sincerely first make the demands upon themselves of what they want to see in the world, which naturally influences others to want the same.

Those who persevere in their loyalty and devotion to the Way beneficially shape their response to whatever arises.  Sages virtuously serve others through faithfulness to duty, loyalty to partners, and deference to the wise.  Their gentleness and love extends from beginning to end.  Sages living the Way of humanity truly possess a great spiritual treasure.  The selfless sage lives the Way of humanity.

 

Line 1:  The sage disciplines itself by limiting its needs, clarifying its feelings and thoughts, and cultivating its devotion to the spirit. It guards against yielding to self-cherishing and hostile feelings and thoughts.  In these ways, the line’s resolve to live the Way of humanity does not waver.

Line 2:  The line stays grounded within the spirit as it tends to its great and important duties: nourishing and cultivating the conditions that benefit all and devotion to the sacred.  The line’s persistence brings blessings to life.

The yielding line in a yielding position seeks nothing by force but quietly confines itself to its duties at hand.  It serves the inner spirit through gentleness and devotion.  The selfless line seeks nothing for itself.

Line 3:  The strong, unbalanced line has responsibility for order within the group. Indulging the self ends in shame and remorse.  Such immoderate actions abandon discipline and confuse ethical principles.  Groups that do not adhere to behavior limits have cause for regret.

To preserve harmonious relationships, a group needs the proper limit between severity and indulgence.  Too severe discipline leads to remorse.  The wise set limits of behavior within which members have complete freedom of movement.  Yet in doubtful instances, too great severity preserves the integrity of the group while too great weakness leads to disgrace and the loss of integrity.

Line 4:  By constantly yielding to the spiritual path and serving the sacred within experience, the devoted sage lives the Way of humanity. It fulfills its responsibilities to ensure that all benefit and share in the great blessings of life, bringing to life the great treasures of the spiritual path.

Line 5:  The sage has consummated the Way of humanity.  It now has the responsibility to care for all beings and to bring forth the spirit within the world.  The line does nothing to make itself feared because love governs all of its interactions. 

Line 6:  The sage lives the Way of humanity, which influence others to do the same.  Because it has cultivated its virtue, the sage knows how to shape conditions for the spirit to manifest within the world, benefiting all.  It has become selfless and, thus, completes the spiritual path. 

The strong, stable line does not follow others but only the spirit, the source of its blessings.  Because the line’s outward expressions conform with the spirit, it creates the conditions for constancy and beneficially influencing others. 

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[1] Virtues shape our behavior, aligning us with the spirit.  The Tao brings forth the good and great, which we experience as love. The Tao causes all life to develop and flow within natural limits, regulating and organizing love, which we call beneficial conduct or morality.  The Tao transforms life so that each attains its true nature, the power of justice ensures that all life achieves its potential according to its being.  The Tao harmonizes all life within interbeing, which we call wisdom, and separates what endures from what perishes.  The completed sage uses the virtues to shape the world.