Hexagram 59 - Overcoming Divisivenes

Overcoming divisiveness.

Spiritual influence nourishing all

The sage has a temple within.

Benefit from having a great purpose.

                                   Benefit from turning toward the spirit.

Structure: 

·          Wind 6 above water 3. 

·          Gently penetrating danger.

Images:  The wind disperses fog over water.  A warm wind breaks up the rigidity of ice.

People become rigid when dominated by harsh and judgmental feelings for others.  These structured and inflexible attitudes eclipse our openness to the spirit.  Preference and prejudice separate one from the other and harden into the willingness to profit from harming others. 

In this situation, every step is on dangerous ground. Self-cherishing and the pursuit of worldly concerns[1] have dispersed the influence of the spirit.  Through ill-will and selfishness, our beliefs and attitudes become rigid, which increases the separation into Us and Them.  When separation goes to the extreme, the plague of great inequality and divisiveness inflicts the world.[2]  People cannot face and resolve dangerous problems, leaving them to fester and worsen.  Within times of extreme separation, the need to come back together is great.

Both separation and reunion depend upon our intentions.  Selfishness drives people apart; holding together to benefit all brings us together.  Through perseverance and gentleness, we can overcome divisiveness.  With the spirit ever present and by adapting to situations as they arise, self-cherishing passes away.  Obeying the self separates one from the other and disperses the spirit.  Obeying the ways of the spirit nurtures the reunion of self and other. 

The wise take quick and vigorous action to undo the misunderstandings and mutual distrust.  As soon as we discern within ourselves a negative judgment or ill-will for others, we must dissolve these self-cherishing feelings by holding them within presence in a friendly, beneficial way.  The wise first break up the rigidity of self-cherishing and opposition by gently penetrating their own the inner obstacles, delusions, and misunderstandings that have caused opposition.  Then they recover knowing sameness with all by turning toward the spirit and opening to its mystery. 

When we can disperse and dissolve our willingness to harm others for self-benefit, we can discern the way to gathering together within the world.  The sage turns away from prejudice and partisanship. Spiritual forces overcome the selfishness that divides people.  Those who have practiced sameness with all have capacities to adapt to changing conditions in ways that benefit all.

Sages gently melt the blockages caused by the self.  The wise respond to the selfishness of other with moderate and just judgment linked with good will, never hatred.  They regain an unobstructed view of humanity and dissolve all misanthropy and ill-will, thus avoiding difficulties for themselves and for others.

It takes a great effort to set aside self-cherishing and ill-will.  Only through selflessness can we have the strength for this great achievement.  The wise do this by setting a goal in a great task outside themselves.  The sage sees through the delusions of self-cherishing and worldly concerns and sets a new direction toward the Way of humanity.  Sages always have a shrine and refuge within, the spirit.

We overcome disunity and dissolve rigidity by awakening to our sameness within a greater whole.   This intuition is often experienced when feelings of awe for the sacred arises.   When such strong feelings seize us, we can open to the intuition of the mystery of being and sameness of all.  Hearts unite when centered on the spirit. 

Also, cooperation in a great undertaking that sets a high goal for the common good can overcome what divides people.  In times of general dispersion, a great idea provides a focal point to recover, a stimulating vision that gives people a rallying point.  In the realization of that vision, what separates us dissolve as all unite in the joint task.  We have renewed courage to rise above our differences to achieve what will benefit all. 

Those who practice transformation of their being and cooperate with others have no danger in their hearts even though outwardly dangers may surround them.  As with any practice, mistakes are made.  We falter.  Yet any true virtuoso knows how to learn from a mistake and focuses their energy upon moving through the lessons that mistakes offer. 

The sage preserves the connection between the mystery and life, between earth and people, remedying the dispersal of people’s hearts by transforming conditions.  Only those free of selfish ulterior designs and who persevere in justice and steadfastness can dissolve the hardness of self-cherishing and hostility for others.  In this way, the upright and steadfast can reunite correctly and firmly reverse the dispersal.

 

Line 1:  Disunion should be overcome at the very onset before it goes too far.  When hidden divergences in temper make themselves felt and lead to mutual misunderstanding, we must vigorously act to penetrate and dissolve the misunderstandings and mistrust.

Line 2:  The line experiences alienation from others and becomes aware of its misanthropy and ill-will.  It dissolves these obstacles by hastening to what supports it and provides refuge, the stability of the spirit.  It turns away from preference and prejudice and toward moderate and just judgment of others, linked with good-will.  The sage remains secure even in dispersal by abiding with the spirit and achieves its purpose. 

Line 3:  In this situation, the line’s works becomes so difficult that it can no longer think of itself.  It sets aside all personal desire and disperses whatever the self gathers about it that acts as a barrier against others.  Only on the basis of great renunciation can the line find the strength needed for great achievement.  It sets a goal in a great task outside itself.

Line 4:  The line works at a task that affects the general welfare, knowing that it cannot act to narrowly benefit itself or its family, friends, or group.  Only by rising above personal and party interests can we achieve something beneficial.  The wise have the courage to forego the near to win the distant, a courage based on the wide but rare view of the interrelationships of life.

Line 5:  In times of general dispersion and separation, a great vision provides a focal point for the organization of recovery.  Just as an illness reaches its crisis in sweat, so a great and stimulating vision is a true salvation in times of deadlock.  It gives the people a rallying point, a focus that can dispel misunderstandings.

Line 6:  The line disperses its self-cherishing and distances itself from worldly concerns.  It enters the world to selflessly to rescue others by helping them get away from an existing danger or to find a way out of a danger already upon them. 

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[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 to support the powerful.  The selfish consume as much as they can and seek constant distractions for the pleasures they derive from their addictions.  

[2] World does not refer to nature but to how people live within nature.  The world – civilization, culture, history, society, science, economy, education, technology – is embedded as a subsystem within the natural system.  People create their world through the choices they make.