One hopes to be able to tell others that one has arrived as expected. taoscopy.com
Conflict6
Conflict arises. Approach disputes with clarity and fairness. Seek resolution over victory. Compromise is key.
↓ Line 3
Relying on past wisdom and maintaining integrity through challenges leads to eventual success.
↓ Line 6
Temporary gains achieved through conflict are unstable and quickly lost.
↓ Critical Mass28
Embrace resilience during times of overwhelming pressure. Acknowledge the burden, make necessary adjustments, and seek support to prevent collapse. Balance is crucial for enduring success.
Original Readings
6 Conflict
Other titles: Conflict, The Symbol of Contention, Strife, Litigation, Quarreling, Arguing, Lawsuit, "It is important to mind one's step at the very beginning then things will have a chance to work out all right." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Stress indicates that despite sincere motivations, one still meets with opposition and obstruction. Maintain an apprehensive caution. To prosecute the contention to the bitter end will produce evil results. It is advantageous to see the Great Man. It is not advantageous to cross the great stream.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Conflict. You are sincere and are being obstructed. A cautious halt halfway brings good fortune. Going through to the end brings misfortune. It furthers one to see the great man. It does not further one to cross the great water.
Blofeld: Conflict. Confidence accompanied by obstacles! With care, affairs can be made to prosper in their middle course, but the final outcome will be disaster. It is advantageous to visit a great man, but not to cross the great river (or sea). [In general, this hexagram indicates that we have little chance of success in any conflict, dispute or lawsuit in which we are now engaged and that retreat is the best policy -- unless line one or five is a moving line, in which case the position is more hopeful. We can profit from the advice of someone truly wise, but a journey of any kind at this time would be disastrous.]
Liu: Conflict; you have sincerity even though obstructed, stop halfway -- good fortune; follow to the end -- misfortune. It is of benefit to see a great man, but not to cross the great water.
Centering significant. Completing: pitfall. Harvesting: visualizing Great People. Not Harvesting: wading the Great River. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of a dispute. It emphasizes that actively expressing your claims and objections is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to argue!] (Sic)
Shaughnessy: Lawsuit : There is a return; pitying and tranquil, it succeeds to be auspicious, but in the end is inauspicious; beneficial herewith to see the great man; not beneficial to ford the great river.
Cleary (1): Contention; there is blockage of truth. Caution and moderation lead to good results, finality leads to bad results. It is beneficial to see a great person, not beneficial to cross a great river.
Cleary (2): …Wariness within leads to good results, but ending up that way is unfortunate … etc.
Wu:Litigation indicates an obstruction of trust. If the subject is vigilant, he will have good fortune. If he is libelous to the end, he will face foreboding. It will be advantageous to see the great man. It will not be advantageous to cross the big river.
The Image
Legge: The image of water moving away from heaven forms Stress. The superior man, in accordance with this, takes good counsel about the beginning of any enterprise.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Heaven and water go their opposite ways: the image of Conflict. Thus in all his transactions the superior man carefully considers the beginning.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes sky and water in opposition. The Superior Man does not embark upon any affair until he has carefully planned the start.
Liu: Heaven and water go in different directions, symbolizing Conflict. The superior man contemplates the beginning before undertaking an enterprise.
Ritsema/Karcher: Heaven associating-with stream, contradicting movements. Arguing, a chun tzu uses arousing affairs to plan beginning.
Cleary (1): When heaven and water go in different directions, there is contention. Superior people plan in the beginning when they do things.
Cleary (2): … When leaders do things, they plan to begin with.
Wu: Heaven and water go in opposite directions; this is Litigation. Thus the jun zi plans well before taking actions.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: The coming together of Strength and Peril gives the idea of Stress. A dynamic line in the central place in the lower trigram shows how there will be good fortune if one maintains apprehensive caution; but because contention should not be taken to extremes, there will be evil if one prosecutes his contention to the bitter end. The great man sets a value on the due mean. If one attempts to cross the great stream, he finds himself in an abyss.
Legge: The upper trigram of Strength here controls the lower trigram of Peril which is trying to attack it. Or it may also be seen as someone in a perilous situation contending with strong outside forces. The image is of contention and strife. The sincere yang line in the middle of the trigram of Peril gives a character to the whole figure -- an individual so represented will be very cautious and have good fortune. But since contention is bad, even a sincere individual must fail if he pursues it to the bitter end. The fifth line represents the great man, whose agency is sure to be good. His decision in any matter of contention will be correct. The sixth line is also dynamic, but his action is likely to be too rash for a great enterprise, hence the warning about not attempting to cross the great stream.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Be careful, don't attempt much, and don't allow the situation to get out of hand.
The Superior Man is judicious about his choices of action to ensure that the situation remains stable.
The hexagram portrays a high level of tension. Wilhelm points out that the only "favorable" line is the ruler in the fifth place, and that all of the other lines symbolize people quarreling. It should also be noted that lines one through four counsel either retreat from contention or remaining passively in place. Only line five suggests that an active struggle can have a favorable outcome, and line six portrays the sorry fate of those who insist on "demanding their rights." If we turn the hexagram upside down we have Waiting, which suggests some subtle truths about the proper way to handle stress.
He who has a taste for dispute has a taste for blows, the man of haughty speech courts destruction. Proverbs 17: 19
At deciding lawsuits I am no better than anyone else; but what is necessary is to bring about a state of affairs in which there will be no lawsuits. Confucius
Note that Ritsema/Karcher's summation of the Judgment stands in stark disagreement with the general tenor of the figure: I have never received this hexagram when that interpretation has applied.
Line 3
Legge: The third line, magnetic, shows its subject keeping in the old place assigned for her support, and firmly correct. Perilous as the position is, there will be good fortune in the end. Should she perchance engage in the king's business, she will not claim the merit of achievement.
Wilhelm/Baynes: To nourish oneself on ancient virtue induces perseverance. Danger. In the end good fortune comes. If by chance you are in the service of a king, seek not works.
Blofeld: He nourishes himself on the ancient virtues. Right determination leads to initial trouble followed by good fortune. Were he to seek public office now, he would not be able to attain it.
Liu: Depending upon ancient virtues. Continuing in this way leads to danger. In the end, good fortune. While working in public affairs, one should not seek achievement.
Ritsema/Karcher: Taking-in ancient actualizing-tao. Trial. Adversity, completing significant. Maybe adhering-to kingly affairs: without accomplishment. [Actualize-tao: ...ability to follow the course traced by the ongoing process of the cosmos... Linked with acquire, TE: acquiring that which makes a being become what it is meant to be. Adversity (LI): Danger, threatening, malevolent demon ... It indicates a spirit or ghost that seeks revenge by inflicting suffering upon the living. Pacifying or exorcizing such a spirit can have a healing effect.]
Shaughnessy: Eating old virtue; determination is dangerous. Someone follows the king's service, without completion.
Cleary (1): Living on past virtues, rectitude in danger will turn out well. If working in government, do not do anything.
Cleary (1): … If you are upright in danger, the end will be auspicious. If you pursue political affairs, nothing will be accomplished.
Wu: Living by the traditional virtue and being correct and firm will bring good fortune in the end. Should he enter into public service, he does not expect recognition of his success.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: She confines herself to the support assigned to her of old; thus following those above, she will have good fortune. Wilhelm/Baynes: To obey the one above brings good fortune. Blofeld: The good fortune will result from obedience to superiors which stems from cherishing the ancient virtues. Ritsema/Karcher: Adhering-to the above significant indeed. Cleary (2): Living on past virtues is the luck of following the high. Wu: Following those above him will be auspicious.
Legge: Here the line is magnetic in a dynamic place and thus unequal to the stress of the matter at hand. She withdraws from the arena, and even if forced into action she will stay safely in the background. "She keeps in the old place assigned for her support" literally means: "She eats her own virtue." That is, she nourishes herself on her own natural endowment and does not contend for more than that.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man lives on income received for services rendered. He recognizes that works really belonging to oneself cannot be taken away. He does not engage in perilous contests over property.
Wing: Keep a low profile. Stick to established methods and traditional virtues. Do not put yourself in a position of prominence whatever you imagine to gain in prestige. Material possessions and status mean nothing now. Only your inner worth will be of value to you.
Editor:"Ancient virtues" suggest the principles of the Work, or the archetype of the psyche as an integrated whole. Symbolically, to "engage in the king's business" is to undertake the Work on behalf of the Self. Note the similarity between this line and the third line of Hexagram number two, The Magnetic.
If you want to be a good servant within the divine plan or salvation of the world, you must never forget that you do not live and work on your own strength. All power comes from God, and all powers you manifest come to you from your highest self -- from God. Elisabeth Haich -- Initiation
A. Don't aspire beyond your proper place. Maintain a servant's humility and, though it may not be apparent now, your commitment to the Work will eventually bear fruit.
Line 6
Legge: The sixth line, dynamic, shows how its subject may have the leather belt conferred on him by the sovereign, and thrice it shall be taken from him in a morning.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Even if by chance a leather belt is bestowed on one, by the end of a morning it will have been snatched away three times.
Blofeld: If a girdle of honor were bestowed upon him, he would be forced to strip it off thrice within one day.
Liu: Even if he receives an ornamental belt, it will be snatched away three times in one morning.
Ritsema/Karcher: Maybe bestowing's pouched belt. Completing dawn three-times depriving it.
Shaughnessy: Someone awards him a leather belt, by the end of the morning thrice strips it.
Cleary (1): Even if one is given a badge of honor, it will be taken away thrice before the day is out.
Wu: He may have been presented with a leather belt. He flaunts it three times in one day.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He receives a reward through his contention, but still he is not deserving of respect. Wilhelm/Baynes: To attain distinction through conflict is, after all, nothing to command respect. Blofeld: Garments of honor obtained through strife do little credit to the wearer. [Note: In divination, garments of honor may be taken to symbolize any of the prizes obtained through a successful dispute.] Ritsema/Karcher: Using Arguing acquiesces-in submitting. Truly not standing respectfully indeed. Cleary (2): Not worthy of honor. Wu: Nothing worthy of respect.
Legge: Line six is dynamic and able to contend successfully, but is there to be no end of striving? Persistence in it is sure to end in defeat and disgrace. The contender here might receive a reward from the king for his success, but if he received it thrice in a morning, thrice it would be taken away from him again.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man gains repeated rewards from exhaustive conflicts. But the happiness does not last. The respect is undeserved, and the attacks continue without end.
Wing: If you engage now in forceful Conflict, it is possible you will emerge victorious. However, you will have created a situation of unending contest. Again and again, your position will be challenged. Such triumphs are ultimately meaningless.
Editor: This images a situation in which one may win the battle but lose the war -- a meaningless victory. The line is sometimes received when you are importuning the oracle for information it will not divulge: saying, in effect, "Even if your question were answered, you wouldn't be able to understand it."
For everyone fights for his own falsity and calls it truth ... These, because they can receive nothing of light from heaven, and can therefore inwardly see nothing within themselves, are for the most part ... such as believe nothing but what they see with their eyes and touch with their hands. Hence all the fallacies of the senses to them are truths; and it is from these that they dispute. Swedenborg -- Heaven and Hell
A. An illusory gain is a net loss. It's impossible to win in a no-win situation.
B. You would rather be right than charitable.
C. You are trying too hard -- stop now.
28 Critical Mass
Other titles: Preponderance of the Great, The Symbol of Great Passing, Excess, Great Excess, The Passing of Greatness, Great Surpassing, Great Gains, Experience, Greater than Great, Greatness in Excess, Dominance by the Mighty, The Passing of Greatness, Excess of the Great, Law of Karma
Judgment
Legge:Critical Mass depicts a weak beam. Under such conditions it is advantageous to move in any direction whatever. Success is indicated.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Preponderance of the Great. The ridgepole sags to the breaking point. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. Success.
Blofeld:Excess! The ridgepole sags. It is favorable to have some goal (or destination) in view. Success! [A glance at the hexagram will show that it is too heavy in the middle and too weak at the ends. A number of firm lines is generally auspicious, but there can be too much of a good thing!]
Liu: Great Excess. The ridgepole is crooked. It benefits to go anywhere. Success.
Ritsema/Karcher:Great Exceeding, the ridgepole sagging. Harvesting; possessing directed going. Growing. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of your connection to a ruling principle. It emphasizes that pushing the guiding idea beyond ordinary limits and accepting the results is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Great Surpassing: The ridgepole bows upward; beneficial to have someplace to go; receipt.
Cleary (1): When the great is excessive, the ridgepole bends. It is good to go somewhere; that is developmental. [When the ridgepole snaps, the whole house falls down. In the same way, practitioners of the Tao who promote yang too much, who do not know when enough is enough, who can be great but cannot be small, suffer damage to their spiritual house.]
Cleary (2): When greatness passes, the ridgepole bends. It is beneficial to have somewhere to go, for you will succeed.
Wu:Excess of the Great indicates a beam that warps. It will be advantageous to have undertakings. It will be pervasive.
The Image
Legge: The image of trees beneath a marsh forms Critical Mass. The superior man, in accordance with this, fearlessly stands alone, and stays retired from the world without regret.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The lake rises above the trees: the image of Preponderance of the Great. Thus the superior man, when he stands alone, is unconcerned, and if he has to renounce the world, he is undaunted.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a forest submerged in a great body of water. The Superior Man, though standing alone, is free from fear; he feels no discontent in withdrawing from the world. [This is suggested by the component trigrams. Water is necessary for the nourishment of the trees, but too much of it can cause serious damage.]
Liu: The lake rising over the trees symbolizes Great Excess. The superior man, when isolated, is undisturbed. If he has to retreat from society, he feels no regret.
Ritsema/Karcher: Marsh submerging wood. Great Exceeding. A chun tzu uses solitary establishing not to fear. (A chun tzu uses) retiring-from the age without melancholy.
Cleary (1): Moisture destroys wood in excess. Thus superior people stand alone without fear, and leave society without distress.
Cleary (2): Moisture destroys wood. Developed people, etc. [Only when sustained by the power to stand alone without fear and avoid society without distress can learning be firmly rooted and development have a proper basis; then it is possible to refine and support the mediocre.]
Wu: Marsh covers over wood; This is Excess of the Great. Thus the jun zi stands alone without fear and withdraws from the world without melancholy.
CONFUCIAN COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Excess is weakly supported at either end, with weakness in both the lowest and topmost lines. The dynamic lines are in excess, but two of them are in the central positions. The trigrams of Flexibility and Satisfaction indicate that there will be advantage in moving in any direction whatever -- there will be success. Great indeed is the work to be done during this extraordinary time.
Legge: Extraordinary times require extraordinary skill in their management. The figure shows two magnetic lines at top and bottom, with four dynamic lines between them -- giving the image of a great beam unable to sustain its own weight. Lines two and five are both dynamic and central however, and from this and the attributes of the component trigrams a good auspice is obtained.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: A stressful situation is best managed with a comprehensive strategy. (Or: in the chess game of life, one succeeds by planning several moves in advance.)
The Superior Man serves The Work by going his own way, regardless of public opinion.
Wilhelm titles this hexagram Preponderance of the Great. I prefer R.L. Wing's paraphrase of Critical Massas more evocative of the figure's meaning in modern terminology.
In Critical Mass four dynamic lines lurk inside of the hexagram, weakly contained at top and bottom by two magnetic lines. This energetic concentration could explode in an unpredictable release of force, and hence the Judgment tells us to move now (remember: non-action is also action) to avoid unwanted consequences. (Often the outcome is predictable – be prepared to just walk away if and when that is your best move.)
Legge’s translation of the Judgment is:
"...It is advantageous to move in any direction whatever. "
This is a different message than Wilhelm's:
"...It furthers one to have somewhere to go."
Legge’s version implies an almost hysterical flight from danger while Wilhelm's rendition suggests prior intention and planning. The latter interpretation is definitely what is meant here, as confirmed by Cleary’s Buddhist commentary:
When the transformative path is flourishing, contaminations easily arise; it is best to set up guidelines and regulations. When meditation work is advanced, ignorance is about to dissolve; it is best to exercise the mind skillfully.
Coupled with Cleary’s translation of the Image as: “Developed people stand alone without fear, avoid society without distress,” the idea is that one should follow one's best intuition and ignore popular illusions, political correctness or inner fears. (Psychologically: conventional thinking, socially conditioned reflexes, knee-jerk responses, etc.). During a time of Critical Mass, pay close attention to direction from the Self to preserve the Work. This is not the time to follow the crowd. Sometimes this can mean that you are obliged to go it alone – one of the Work’s frequent tests (Cf. line 6):
The Gulf is something that has to be leaped, and leaped alone, stripped of all hindering burdens, in faith ... It is thus one of the crisis points of spiritual progress because of the great temptation to turn back from the unknown to the apparent safety of known things, and to succumb to this temptation is to lose all the fruits of past endeavor. G. Knight -- A Practical Guide to Kabbalistic Symbolism
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION
Compare the Judgment and Image of this hexagram with those of hexagram number 32, Consistency.
Anthony: We must regain modesty through the effort to rid ourself of strong elements that cause us to press forward. The strong elements may exist in someone else, causing them to assault us with their fear, mistrust or doubt. Strong refers to impetuous movement to resolve what is ambiguous … We can meet the challenge by remaining detached and letting things go through their changes … To be truly rich is to remain modest; to be truly powerful is to remain reticent.