Regardez de près, comprenez profondément, et laissez l'humilité guider votre chemin vers le véritable équilibre.
From
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Contemplation
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Modestie
Protester en vain
On ne peut pas comprendre la véritable raison de son échec. taoscopy.com
Contemplation20
Faites une pause et observez le monde qui vous entoure. Gagnez en clarté en vous distanciant de l'implication immédiate, ce qui permet d'avoir une perspective plus large. La perspicacité vient de la capacité à voir à la fois la vue d'ensemble et les détails subtils.
↓ Line 3
L'auto-réflexion est cruciale à ce stade. En examinant sa propre vie, on peut prendre des décisions éclairées sur la nécessité d'avancer ou de se retirer.
↓ Line 5
Une personne sage réfléchit à sa propre vie et à ses actions, s'assurant de rester irréprochable. Cette conscience de soi est la marque d'un individu supérieur.
↓ Line 6
Au plus haut niveau, on contemple l'intégralité de sa vie. Cette réflexion exhaustive garantit que la personne supérieure reste exempte de faute.
↓ Modestie15
Adoptez l'humilité et l'équilibre ; laissez la modestie guider vos actions pour un progrès harmonieux.
Other titles: View, The Symbol of Steady Observation, Looking Down, Observation, Viewing, Looking Up, Observing, Admiration, To Examine, Rulers and Their Subjects, Introspection, Perception, Contemplation of the Work
Judgment
Legge: Contemplation shows us a worshipper who has purified himself, but must still present his sacrifice with that dignified sincerity which inspires reverence.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Contemplation . The ablution has been made, but not yet the offering. Full of trust they look up to him.
Blofeld: Lookingdown.[This word often means “contemplation" and I have so translated it when the context so requires.] The ablution has been performed, but not the sacrifice. Sincerity inspires respect. [This is generally understood to mean that the first step has been taken or that one has bound oneself to follow a certain course...but that the main duties are yet to be performed.]
Liu:Observation. The hand-washing ritual is completed, but the sacrifice is still to come. All done and looked upon with sincerity.
Ritsema/Karcher:Viewing: hand-washing and-also not worshipping. Possessing conformity, like a presence. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of something seen from a distance, out of immediate reach. It emphasizes that carefully observing and divining the meaning is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Looking Up. Washing the hands but not making offering; there is a return with head held high.
Cleary (1): Observing, one has washed the hands but not made the offering; there is sincerity, which is reverent.
Wu:Admiration indicates a worshipper washing his hands in preparation for the offerings, but not participating in it. He shows sincerity and awe.
The Image
Legge: The image of earth and wind moving above it form Contemplation. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, examined the different regions of the kingdom to see the ways of the people, and set forth their instructions.
Wilhelm/Baynes: The wind blows over the earth: the image of Contemplation. Thus the kings of old visited the regions of the world, contemplated the people, and gave them instruction.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes wind blowing across the earth. The ancient rulers visited the different regions to keep watch over their people and carefully instruct them.
Liu: The wind blowing over the earth symbolizes Observation. The ancient kings visited their territories, observed the people, and gave instruction.
Ritsema/Karcher: Wind moving above earth. Viewing. The Earlier Kings used inspecting on-all-sides, viewing the commoners to set-up teaching.
Cleary (1): Wind is over the earth, observing. Thus did the kings of yore set up education after examination of the region and observation of the people.
Cleary (2): Wind travels over the earth – observing.Kings of yore examined the regions and observed the people to set up education. [In Buddhist terms, the ancient Buddhas examined the “regions” of possible experience and observed the people in various states of being, then set up various teachings to accommodate them, just as the wind travels over the earth reaching everywhere.]
Wu: The wind pervades above the earth; this is Admiration. Thus the ancient kings inspected various regions of the country, observed the sentiments of the people, and laid down their instructions.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge:Observation from above -- from the trigram of Flexibility surmounting the trigram of Docility. The ruler is in his correct central position, and thus exhibits his lessons to all below. He has purified himself, but not yet sacrificed. All beneath look to him and are transformed. When we contemplate the spirit-like way of heaven, we see how the four seasons proceed without error. The sages, in accordance with this spirit-like way, laid down their instructions, and all under heaven yield submission to them.
Legge: The Chinese character from which this hexagram is named is used in the sense of both seeing and being seen. The theme is the sovereign and his people -- how he shows himself to them, and how they in turn perceive him. The two dynamic lines at the top belong to the ruler, and the four magnetic lines below represent his subjects. In the Judgment the ruler is portrayed as a worshipper at the commencement of a sacrifice. He is the great Manifester in line five.
The lower trigram symbolizes earth, with the attribute of Docility; the upper trigram symbolizes wind, with the attributes of Flexibility and Penetration. Wind moving above the earth has the widest sweep, and nothing escapes its influence. The personal influence of the ruler effects much, but the ancient kings wished to add to that the power of published instructions which were specially adapted to the character and circumstances of the people.
The spirit-like way of heaven is the invisible order underlying the laws of nature. [Ed. Note: Ritsema/Karcher use the phrase: "Viewing Heaven's spirit tao... The all-wise person uses spirit tao to set-up teaching." Spirit(s), SHEN: independent spiritual powers that confer intensity on heart and mind by acting on the soul, KUEI; gods, daimons. Tao: way or path; ongoing process of being and the course it traces for each specific person or thing; keyword. The ideogram: go and head, leading and the path it creates.]
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Contemplate your motivations and discern the purity of your intent. "Put your money where your mouth is.” or "Walk your talk.”
The Superior Man evaluates and rectifies his attitudes.
The "ancient kings” in the Image symbolize the creators of an original state of perfection -- an archetypal model toward which the superior man aspires. This idea is common to all mystical traditions, many of which depict this state in the image of an ideal or prototypical man. Here is a summary of the Gnostic conception:
Not only the body but also the "soul" is a product of the cosmic powers, which shaped the body in the image of the divine Primal (or Archetypal) Man and animated it with their own psychical forces: these are the appetites and passions of natural man, each of which stems from and corresponds to one of the cosmic spheres [i.e., planets] and all of which together make up the astral soul of man, his "psyche." H. Jonas -- The Gnostic Religion
In the Kabbalah, the template of this archetypal man (named Adam Kadmon) exists in each of the four realms of consciousness corresponding to intuition, intellect, emotion and sensation, and "he" is perceived as androgynous in all of these worlds except the last -- the "sensation” world of our physical spacetime reality.
The Adam of these first three worlds was androgynous. The Adam of the fourth world is the Adam of the expulsion, the Adam of flesh traversing the desert of his exile, and the Adam capable of reproducing himself now that he is no longer androgynous. C. Ponce -- Kabbalah
Considering that androgyny is one of the symbols used in the Western Mystery Tradition to depict the correct union of male and female forces within the psyche, we quickly recognize that the properly matched male and female correlate lines in theI Ching are a Chinese depiction of the identical concept. Note that the messages of the following three quotations are in complete accord with the goal of the Work as outlined in theI Ching:
Somewhere there is an Adam within each of us in need of restoration, in exile from the Garden. The aim of Kabbalism is the restoration of the divine man in the medium of mortal man. We are the laboratory and we are the workers who work in that space. C. Ponce --Kabbalah
Within our six-foot body we must strive for the form which existed before the laying down of heaven and earth. The Secret of the Golden Flower
The destiny of man is to build the Heavenly Jerusalem on Earth. In other words, to civilize a planet. It is the aim of the occultist, in consort with all men of good will, to bring about this heavenly fact into earthly reality. And the only way it will come about is by every man doing the right thing at the right time for twenty-four hours a day. Gareth Knight -- The Work of a Modern Occult Fraternity
The ancient kings in hexagram number-20 base their laws upon their recognition of diversity among the various forces which make up the kingdom of the psyche. Their divine regulations therefore represent the proper ecology existing between heaven and earth, yin and yang, male and female, Logos and Eros. In this regard, theI Ching's version of the Archetypal Man might be seen as hexagram number-63, Completion, in which the polarity of each of the lines is in perfect correlation. (See the editor's commentary on Hexagram number 11 for further insights into this idea.)
The theme of the hexagram is Contemplationof your situation to see if your attitude meets the archetypal standards of the Work. The worshipper in the Judgment has purified himself for sacrifice but has not yet carried it out. Wilhelm uses the word "ablution” in his translation of the Judgment. An ablution is a ritual cleansing associated with a religious rite:
Ablution: In alchemy ... the adept worker achieves [success] only by purifying his soul of all that commonly agitates it. Washing, then, symbolizes the purification not so much of objective and external evil as of subjective and inner evils ... The principle involved in this alchemic process is that implied in the maxim "Deny thyself." J. E. Cirlot --Dictionary of Symbols
It is important to note that the sacrifice has yet to be performed: preparation is meaningless until it is acted upon. Psychologically, this refers to intellectual "gnosis" which still needs to be grounded in behavior.
Wisdom is achieved very slowly. This is because intellectual knowledge, easily acquired, must be transformed into `emotional,' or subconscious, knowledge. Once transformed, the imprint is permanent. Behavioral practice is the necessary catalyst of this reaction. Without action, the concept will wither and fade. Theoretical knowledge without practical application is not enough ... Intellectually the answers have always been there, but this need to actualize by experience, to make the subconscious imprint permanent by `emotionalizing' and practicing the concept, is the key. Brian L. Weiss, MD -- Many Lives, Many Masters
Without changing lines, Contemplation is an oracular invitation for you to consider your situation and especially your motivations in regard to it. One way of doing this is to reduce everything to a brief written statement, including your best conscious conclusions. Then ask for a comment from the oracle -- often it will become apparent that you have been undergoing a kind of examination.
SUGGESTIONS FOR MEDITATION
The ancient kings are mentioned in the Images of both this figure and number twenty-one, Discernment, immediately following. What are the differences between Contemplation and Discernment, as depicted in these images? How does the concept of sacrifice relate to this, as mentioned in the Judgment? Compare the Judgment of this hexagram with hexagrams and lines 17:6, 45:2, 46:2, 46:4, 47:2, 47:5 and 63:5 for further insights on this extremely important tenet of the Work.
Line 3
Legge : La troisième ligne, magnétique, montre quelqu'un qui examine le cours de sa propre vie, pour avancer ou reculer en conséquence.
Wilhelm/Baynes : La contemplation de ma vie décide du choix entre avancer et reculer.
Blofeld : En contemplant nos propres vies, nous apprenons à avancer ou reculer selon les circonstances.
Liu : L'observation des circonstances de nos vies détermine s'il faut avancer ou reculer.
Ritsema/Karcher : Observer ma naissance, avancer, se retirer.
Shaughnessy : Regarder ma vie avancer et reculer.
Cleary (1) : Observer la croissance personnelle, promouvoir et repousser.
Cleary (2) : ... avancer et se retirer.
Wu : Il examine sa propre vie pour déterminer s'il faut avancer ou reculer.
COMMENTAIRE
Confucius/Legge : Elle ne se trompera pas dans le chemin à suivre. Wilhelm/ Baynes : Le bon chemin n'est pas perdu. Blofeld : C'est la façon de rester sur le bon chemin. Ritsema/Karcher : Ne pas encore lâcher le tao en effet. Cleary (2) : On n'a pas perdu le chemin. Wu : Il n'a pas abandonné le principe.
Legge : La troisième ligne magnétique au sommet du trigramme inférieur de la Réceptivité appartient à quelqu'un d'une docilité extrême. Elle souhaite agir uniquement selon l'exigence du temps et des circonstances, et avancera ou reculera en conséquence.
NOTES ET PARAPHRASES
Siu : L'homme contemple les effets de ses actions en relation avec les exigences des temps plutôt que de se livrer à des spéculations oisives. Ce n'est que de cette manière qu'il est capable de formuler des lignes directrices utiles pour le comportement.
Wing : Pour prendre les bonnes décisions dans votre vie, vous devez acquérir une connaissance objective de vous-même. Cela ne se fait pas en explorant vos propres rêves, attitudes et opinions. Ceux-ci sont inutiles dans l'auto-examen. Au lieu de cela, contemplez votre effet sur le monde qui vous entoure. Là, vous vous trouverez.
Éditeur : Les illusions de "libre arbitre" mises à part, il est probablement exact de dire que la plupart des expériences de vie ne sont pas sous notre contrôle. Si cela est vrai, alors notre seul choix significatif est de déterminer comment le Tao s'écoule et ensuite de nous mettre en harmonie avec lui. Le commentaire confucéen de Ritsema/Karcher nous le rappelle : “Ne pas encore lâcher le tao en effet.” L'oracle vous demande de prendre une décision basée sur votre propre perspicacité. Vous pouvez le considérer comme un test.
La réflexion sur soi ou--ce qui revient au même--l'élan vers l'individuation rassemble ce qui est épars et multiforme, et l'exalte à la forme originelle de l'Un, l'Homme Primordial. De cette manière, notre existence en tant qu'êtres séparés, notre ancienne nature égoïque, est abolie, le cercle de la conscience est élargi, et parce que les paradoxes ont été rendus conscients, les sources de conflit sont asséchées. Jung -- Symbolisme de la transformation dans la messe
A. Examinez vos options dans l'affaire en question. Quelles seront les conséquences du choix que vous envisagez en termes des objectifs du Travail ?
Line 5
Legge : La cinquième ligne, dynamique, montre son sujet contemplant le cours de sa propre vie. Un homme supérieur, il ne tombera ainsi dans aucune erreur.
Wilhelm/Baynes : Contemplation de ma vie. L'homme supérieur est sans reproche.
Blofeld : L'Homme Supérieur ne fait pas de mal en surveillant nos vies. [Il n'est pas mal d'être curieux des affaires des autres si notre motif est de leur être plus utile.]
Liu : Observation de nous-mêmes. Pas de reproche pour l'homme supérieur.
Ritsema/Karcher : Voir ma naissance. Un chun tzu : sans faute.
Shaughnessy : Regarder ma vie ; pour le gentleman, il n'y a pas de problème.
Cleary (1) : Observer la croissance personnelle, une personne supérieure est irréprochable.
Cleary (2) : … Les personnes développées sont impeccables.
Wu : Il examine sa propre vie. Le jun zi est sans reproche.
COMMENTAIRE
Confucius/Legge : Il devrait à cette fin contempler la condition du peuple. Wilhelm/Baynes : "Contemplation de ma vie", c'est-à-dire contemplation du peuple. Blofeld : Dans ce passage, "nos vies" signifie les vies du peuple. Ritsema/Karcher : Voir les gens du commun en effet. Cleary (2) : Ce qui est approprié pour un grand leader est l'équilibre dans l'action. Wu : Il s'occupe en fait de son peuple.
Legge : La ligne cinq est dynamique, et à la place du dirigeant. Il est un homme supérieur, mais cela ne le dispense pas du devoir de contemplation ou d'examen de soi.
NOTES ET PARAPHRASES
Siu : L'homme en position de pouvoir étudie l'impact de sa vie sur le bien-être des autres. S'il se conduit de telle manière que la condition du peuple est toujours bonne, il ne tombera pas dans l'erreur.
Wing : Vous comprendrez ce que l'avenir vous réserve en contemplant l'effet de votre vie sur les autres. Si votre influence et votre exemple sont bons, alors vous êtes sans reproche. Cela, vous le trouverez, est sa propre récompense.
Éditeur : Remarquez que le commentaire confucéen assimile la contemplation du cours de la vie du dirigeant à la contemplation de la condition du peuple. Psychologiquement, "le peuple” représente les divers composants de la psyché, et la ligne est une injonction à comparer notre situation actuelle avec l'image idéale du Travail évoquée dans le Jugement. En d'autres termes, l'oracle ne répondra pas à votre question tant que vous n'aurez pas fait un effort sincère pour analyser votre situation. Souvent, cela entraînera une perspective différente, et annulera soit la question initiale, soit en évoquera une entièrement nouvelle.
Les mouvements semblables à la partie divine en nous sont les pensées et les révolutions de l'univers ; ceux-ci, donc, chaque homme devrait les suivre, et en corrigeant ces circuits dans la tête qui étaient dérangés à la naissance, en apprenant à connaître les harmonies et les révolutions du monde, il devrait amener la partie intelligente, selon sa nature originelle, à la ressemblance de ce que l'intelligence discerne, et ainsi gagner l'accomplissement de la meilleure vie fixée par les dieux devant l'humanité tant pour le temps présent que pour le temps à venir. Platon -- Le Timée
A. Différenciez vos pensées et vos sentiments et comparez votre situation avec l'idéal vers lequel vous aspirez.
Line 6
Legge : La sixième ligne, dynamique, montre son sujet contemplant son caractère pour voir s'il est vraiment celui d'un homme supérieur. Il ne tombera pas dans l'erreur.
Wilhelm/Baynes : Contemplation de sa vie. L'homme supérieur est sans reproche.
Blofeld : Ce ne sera pas non plus une erreur pour l'homme supérieur de contempler sa propre vie.
Liu : Observation de la vie des autres. Pas de reproche pour l'homme supérieur. [C'est un temps de mécontentement.]
Ritsema/Karcher : Observer sa naissance. Un chun tzu : sans faute.
Shaughnessy : Regarder sa vie ; pour le gentleman, il n'y a pas de problème.
Cleary (1) : Observer la croissance, la personne supérieure est irréprochable.
Cleary (2) : … Les personnes développées sont impeccables.
Wu : Il regarde pensivement la vie des gens. Le jun zi est sans reproche.
COMMENTAIRE
Confucius/Legge : Il ne peut pas encore laisser son esprit être en repos. Wilhelm/Baynes : La volonté n'est pas encore apaisée. Blofeld : Il contemple sa propre vie lorsqu'il est troublé quant à la voie à suivre. Ritsema/Karcher : But pas encore égalisé en effet. Cleary (2) : L'esprit n'est pas encore en paix. Wu : Ses aspirations ne sont pas toutes réalisées.
Legge : Il y a une légère différence dans la sixième ligne par rapport à la cinquième qui ne peut guère être exprimée dans une traduction. En modifiant la ponctuation, cependant, la signification différente peut être mise en évidence. La ligne six est dynamique et devrait être considérée en dehors du travail de l'hexagramme, mais il est encore possédé par son esprit et est conduit à l'auto-examen.
NOTES ET PARAPHRASES
Siu : Le sage, qui vit en dehors de la routine du monde, contemple son propre caractère, non pas comme une manifestation égoïste isolée, mais en relation avec les lois de la vie. Il juge que l'absence de reproche est le plus grand bien.
Wing : Vous êtes quelque peu au-delà de la situation et capable de contempler votre vie sans implication égoïste. Vous découvrirez ici que l'absence d'erreur et de reproche est le plus grand bien. La contemplation sans ego est la clé.
Éditeur : Interprété psychologiquement, la cinquième ligne représente un ego contemplant son psychisme multifacette ; ici, la sixième ligne s'est élevée au-dessus de ce point de vue pour contempler la nature de la réalité entière avec laquelle elle souhaite s'unir. La ligne cinq nous demande de regarder à l'intérieur pour voir si les motivations du psychisme sont en accord avec les objectifs du Travail ; la ligne six nous demande d'examiner notre compréhension du processus d'individuation lui-même pour voir si elle est correcte.
Notez que Liu traduit cela comme contemplant "la vie des autres" et Wu "la vie des gens" – dans ces versions, l'objet de la contemplation est placé en dehors du psychisme de l'observateur. En différenciant la ligne 5 de la ligne 6, cette interprétation de leur légère divergence a le plus de sens. Parfois, il y a une implication que vous pourriez mal comprendre quelque chose concernant le Travail.
Le Soi, étant individuel et unique, se manifeste dans le processus d'individuation de l'individu. Mais le Soi est aussi universel et éternel, et sous cet aspect, il se manifeste dans un processus que nous ne pouvons appeler que l'individuation de l'humanité. C'est un processus collectif qui prend la forme d'une extension et d'une différenciation graduelles de la conscience au fil des millénaires. Le drame a commencé dans les brumes grises de l'antiquité et se poursuit à travers les siècles dans un avenir lointain. A. Jaffe -- Le Mythe du Sens
A. Vos motivations sont-elles claires ? Obtenez une vue d'ensemble.
B. Différenciez votre véritable relation avec la question en jeu.
Other titles: Modesty, The Symbol of Humility, Moderation, Humbling, Respectful/Humble, Yielding/Retiring. 1. Obtaining this hexagram implies that modesty is needed in our attitude, meaning, to allow ourself to be led without resistance. – C.K. Anthony. 2. A Humble or modest person is thought of as having an “empty or unoccupied” mind, meaning a mind without prejudice. – Chung Wu. 3. Only superior people who practice Tao know where to stop, disregard what they have and appear to have nothing. – T. Cleary.
Judgment
Legge:Temperance indicates successful progress. Temperancebrings a good issue to the superior man's undertakings.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Modesty creates success. The superior man carries things through.
Blofeld:Modesty brings success. The Superior Man is able to carry affairs through to completion.
Liu: Modesty: success. The superior man can continue to work to the end.
Ritsema/Karcher: Humbling, Growing. A chun tzu possesses completing. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of the necessity to cut through pride and complication. It emphasizes that keeping your words unpretentious is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Modesty: Receipt; the gentleman has an end.
Cleary (1):Humility is developmental. The superior person has a conclusion.
Cleary (2):Humility gets through. A leader has a conclusion.
Wu:Humility is pervasive. The jun zi will have grace in death.
The Image
Legge: A mountain hidden within the earth -- the image of Temperance. The superior man, in accordance with this, diminishes his excesses to augment his insufficiencies, thus creating a just balance.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Within the earth, a mountain: the image of Modesty. Thus the superior man reduces that which is too much, and augments that which is too little. He weighs things and makes them equal.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a mountain in the centre of the earth. The Superior Man takes from where there is too much in order to augment what is too little. He weighs things and apportions them fairly. [The component trigrams symbolize a mountain surrounded by flat earth, thus suggesting too much in one place and too little in others.]
Liu: The mountain within the earth symbolizes modesty. The superior man reduces the excess and increases the lacking; he weighs and then equalizes all things.
Ritsema/Karcher: Earth center possessing mountain. Humbling. A chun tzu uses reducing the numerous to augment the few. A chun tzu uses evaluating beings to even spreading-out.
Cleary (1): There are mountains in the earth; modesty. Thus does the superior person decrease the abundant and add to the scarce, assessing things and dealing impartially.
Cleary (2): … Leaders assess people and give impartially, by taking from the abundant and adding to the scarce.
Wu: There is a mountain inside earth; this is Humility. Thus the jun zi takes excess from the more to enrich the less and measures goods to ensure fair distribution. [To prepare oneself to accept what is fair among all his fellow men is the essence of humility.]
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: It is the way of heaven to dispense its blessings downwards, and the way of earth to radiate its influence upwards. Both heaven and earth diminish the full to augment the lowly. Spiritual beings inflict calamity on the proud and bless the meek, and men resent ostentation and love temperance. Temperanceenlightens an honorable office, and neither will men ignore it in lowly positions. Thus does the superior man attain his ends. [Emphasis editor's -- Ritsema/Karcher translate "spiritual beings" [Kuei Shen] as: "The whole range of imaginal beings both inside and outside the individual; spiritual powers, gods, demons, ghosts, powers, fetishes.”]
Legge: An essay on temperance rightly follows that on abundant possessions. The third line, dynamic among five magnetic lines, in the topmost place of the trigram of Keeping Still, is the ruler of the hexagram. He is the representative of Temperance -- strong, but self-effacing. The idea is that temperance is the way to permanent success.
The Confucian commentary deals generally with the subject of temperance, showing how it is valued by heaven and earth, by spirits and by men. The descent of the heavenly influences, and the low position of the earth are both symbolic of temperance. The heavenly influences are seen in the daily fluctuations of the sun and moon, and the fertility of the earth correspondingly waxes and wanes with the seasons.
The Daily Lecture says:"The five yin lines above and below symbolize the earth; the one yang line in the center is the mountain in the midst of the earth. The many yin lines represent men's desires; the one yang line represents the heavenly principle. The superior man, looking at this symbolism, diminishes the multitude of human desires within him, and increases the single shoot of the heavenly principle; so does he become grandly just, and can deal with all things evenly according to the nature of each. In whatever circumstances or place he is, he will do what is right.”
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment:Temperance means maintaining a dynamic/magnetic balance of forces to attain success.
The Superior Man maintains equilibrium in all that he does.
The most common translation of the title for this hexagram is Modesty, but I have chosen Temperance as a title more expressive of the ideas in the Image and Confucian commentary. The words “modesty” and “humility” often carry a connotation of weakness in western usage, and “temperance,” meaning to temper or regulate, is more expressive of the dynamic strength of will required to restrain and modulate the drive to dominate every situation.
The Image shows a mountain hidden beneath the earth--the quiet, invincible power of sheer will is hidden from view, yet it influences everything. Who observing such a level surface would know that the bulk of Mt. Everest was buried beneath it? Temperance means that one's power is hidden, that the fluctuations of heaven and earth are kept in such dynamic/magnetic balance as to be invisible to ordinary vision. The temperate person is strong enough to bear the weight of the world when that is necessary for the Work.
Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic Roman Emperor, was arguably the most powerful man of his time, yet his temperance and modesty showed him to fulfill the ideal of the superior man. Only the truly strong can be truly modest.
And let this truth be present to thee in the excitement of anger, that to be moved by passion is not manly, but that mildness and gentleness, as they are more agreeable to human nature, so also are they more manly; and he who possesses these qualities possesses strength, nerves and courage, and not the man who is subject to fits of passion and discontent. For in the same degree in which a man's mind is nearer to freedom from all passion, in the same degree also is it nearer to strength. Marcus Aurelius