Other titles: Exhaustion, The Symbol of Repression and Confinement, Adversity, Weariness, Confining, Entangled, Hardship, Depression, Tiresome Restriction, Dried Up, "Actions speak louder than words." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Oppression means that successful progress is still possible. The perseverance of the truly great man brings good fortune without error; but if he relies on words, no one will believe them.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Oppression . Success. Perseverance. The great man brings about good fortune. No blame. When one has something to say, it is not believed.
Blofeld:Adversity leading to success thanks to persistence in a righteous course; good fortune for the truly great and freedom from error! Though words be spoken, they will not inspire confidence. [`Great' refers to high moral qualities. This hexagram is of evil omen for most people, but success can be won through tremendous persistence in doing what is right.]
Liu: Oppression. Success. Persistence. Good fortune for the great man. No blame. If one indicates with words only, no one will believe.
Ritsema/Karcher:Confining, Growing. Trial: Great People significant. Without fault. Possessing words not trustworthy. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of restriction and distress. It emphasizes that turning inward through accepting enclosure is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Entangled: Receipt; determination for the great man is auspicious; there is no trouble. There are words that are not trustworthy.
Cleary (1): Exhaustion develops the righteous. Great people are fortunate and blameless. If one complains, one will not be trusted.
Cleary (2): Exhausted but coming through successfully, upright great people are fortunate and impeccable. Mere words are not believed.
Wu: Hardship indicates pervasion and perseverance. There will be good fortune for the great men. No error. But their words do not make impressions on people.
The Image
Legge: An abyss beneath the marsh that drains its water -- the image ofOppression. Thus the superior man will sacrifice his life to attain his purpose.
Wilhelm/Baynes: There is no water in the lake: the image of Exhaustion. Thus the superior man stakes his life on following his will.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a marsh in which no water (appears). The Superior Man risks his life to carry out his will.
Liu: The lake with no water symbolizesOppression.The superior man would give up his life to achieve his purpose.
Ritsema/Karcher: Marsh without stream. Confining. A chun tzu uses involving fate to release purpose.
Cleary (1): A lake with no water is exhausted. Therefore superior people use life to the full and achieve their aim. [When people lack purpose their path is at an end. Therefore they use life to the full to achieve their aim… Using life to the full means to get to the end of conditioned life; achieving one’s aim means to achieve the primordial life… Using the temporal to restore the primordial, ending false life and establishing real life, producing being in the midst of nothingness, seeking life within death, getting through an exhausting impasse, is like a lake without water again being filled with water.]
Cleary (2): …Developed people accomplish their will by living out their destiny. [Developed people only live out their destiny; they do not willingly try to avoid following and accepting it. Being strong and balanced, they are able to be joyful even in danger; this is the will that is up to oneself. Developed people intend to accomplish their will and do not vacillate just because they run into problems.]
Wu: The marsh has no water; this is Hardship. Thus the jun zi is prepared to dedicate his life to fulfill his commitments. [A marsh devoid of water is like a man deprived of his intellectual pursuits. This is unacceptable to a jun zi. He would rather fight to the end than surrender to idiocy.]
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In Oppressionwe see the dynamic lines covered and obscured by the magnetic. We see the attribute of Perilousness in the lower trigram going on to Cheerfulness in the upper. Who but the superior man is still able to advance although straitened by circumstances? The central position of the dynamic lines explains the good fortune of the great man who is firm and correct. As regards speech making, to be fond of argument or persuasion is the way to be reduced to extremity.
Legge: The written Chinese character of Oppression presents us with the picture of a tree within an enclosure. "A plant," according to Williams, "fading for want of room." "A tree," according to T'ai Tung, "not allowed to spread its branches." The image conveys the idea of being straitened and distressed, and the hexagram indicates how skilful management may relieve it.
The two central places in the figure are occupied by dynamic lines, but line two is confined between one and three, which are magnetic; and line five (the ruler), as well as four (his minister), are covered by the magnetic sixth line. These conditions indicate the repression of good men by adversity. The K'ang-hsi editors imply that "actions and not words" are what are required in the case.
Perilousness is the attribute of the lower trigram, and Cheerfulness that of the upper. The superior man, no matter how straitened, remains master of himself, and pursues his principled intent. The idea of speech making is found in the upper trigram, one of the attributes of which is the mouth, or speech, as well as Pleased Satisfaction. The pleading of the oppressed party still tries to make others pleased with him.
Literally translated, the first sentence of the Image reads: "A marsh with no water is Oppression." Chu Hsi says: "The water descending and leaking away, the marsh above will become dry."
Anthony: Our belief in the ruling power as beneficial is shaken by doubt. This lack of steadfastness is a problem because it obstructs acceptance and its corrective power. We often receive this hexagram when we feel tired. The oppressiveness of doubt exhausts our inner resources.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: With enough will, success can be won. "Actions speak louder than words.” (i.e., The answer lies beyond the realm of reason and logic -- intuition furthers.)
The Superior Man stakes everything he's got on his will to succeed.
In Oppressionwe have the image of a dry lake bed. Anyone who has ever seen alkali flats in the desert can easily understand this metaphor for Oppression -- almost nothing can live in such an environment. The following hexagram, The Well, is an upside-down image of Oppression depicting the opposite case of an unending source of nourishment flowing from deep beneath the surface of the earth. (A comparison of these two figures will reveal a great deal about the meaning of each.)
To be under Oppression then, is to be cut off from all sustenance -- although there is water down below, it is presently inaccessible, and there is no nourishing flow of inner forces to the surface. This is a common, inevitable and potentially defeating experience for anyone doing serious inner work:
People who try to practice the Tao can all keep steadfast when they are in easy circumstances, but many of them waver in determination when they are in difficult or perilous situations. They may change their minds because of the pressures of making a living, or they may slack in determination due to illness; their spirits may flag because of old age, or they may stop work because of obstruction by some obsession. All these are cases in which people do not exert the mind of Tao and are hindered by exhaustion, so they ultimately do not attain the Tao. T. Cleary – The Taoist I Ching
Obviously, this is a dangerous situation, and we are told how to cope with it in the Confucian commentary, where it is observed that the lower trigram of Peril goes on to the upper trigram of Cheerfulness. These two trigrams are found in reversed sequence in hexagram number sixty, Restrictive Regulations, where a cheerful attitude is described as absolutely essential for the furtherance of the Work. The observations made there also apply here, and we see the superior man thereby enabled to advance under conditions that would utterly defeat lesser individuals.
This Cheerfulness cannot be underestimated. When it comes naturally and isn't forced, it is a gift of grace. Suddenly one is enabled to face the most incredible hardships with a light heart. It isn't that you no longer care -- you still do the best you can to further the Work, but you do it with bemused detachment.
The one thing the Jewish mystics never lost sight of was the suffering experienced in the arena of the profane. They did not retreat from this suffering, but sought instead to find meaning in it by living it. This is the core of mysticism. The temple in which the sacred marriage takes place is the world. C. Ponce -- Kabbalah
Lines 2 and 5 specifically mention sacrifice: an important concept in theI Ching. Sacrifice is mentioned in lines 17:6, 45:2, 46:2, 46:4, 47:2, 47:5, 63:5, and in the Judgment of hexagram 20. Note that in each case sincerity is specifically cited as essential to success.
Sincere 1: marked by genuineness: as a: free of dissimulation: not hypocritical: REAL, TRUE, HONEST...
Very often, the “sincerity” of our sacrifices involves following the dictates of the Work whether we fully understand them or not. Much that takes place in the Work is incomprehensible to ego consciousness; for example, changes often occur within the psyche which we only experience as strange dreams. Yet somehow, perhaps months later, we suddenly realize that we no longer act in a certain way or have lost interest in something that used to be of compelling importance. Our sacrifices are necessary for these changes to take place, even if they don't immediately make sense to us.
"With sacrifice shall you nourish the gods; and may the gods nourish you. Thus nourishing one another, you will obtain the Highest Good. "The gods, nourished by sacrifice, will bestow on you the enjoyments you desire." He is verily a thief who enjoys the things that they give without offering to them anything in return. The Bhagavad-Gita
Each of Cleary’s Taoist (1) and Buddhist (2) commentaries provides valuable insights into how much courage is required to follow the dictates of the Work at its more advanced levels. Take comfort that others before you have persevered and survived: “Developed people accomplish their will by living out their destiny.”
Line 1
Legge: The first line, magnetic, shows its subject with bare buttocks straitened under the stump of a tree. She enters a dark valley, and for three years has no prospect of deliverance.
Wilhelm/Baynes: One sits oppressed under a bare tree and strays into a gloomy valley. For three years one sees nothing.
Blofeld: With dried branches entangling the lower part of his body, he enters a gloomy valley. For three years he encounters no one. [Whoever receives this line must resign himself to failure.]
Liu: His bottom is oppressed by the bare tree. He enters a dark valley. For three years, he sees no one. [This line indicates fear, sadness or mourning.]
Ritsema/Karcher: The sacrum Confined, tending-towards stump wood. Entering tending-towards a shady gully. Three year's- time not encountering.
Shaughnessy: The lips are entangled in a columnar tree: Entering into a dark valley, for three years he is not drawn out; inauspicious.
Cleary (1): Sitting exhausted on a tree stump, gone into a dark ravine, not to be seen for three years.
Wu: He sits on tree roots. He enters a lonely valley. He does not see the outside world for three years. [It is all in his mind. (He) is preoccupied with the thoughts of hardship before it actually happens.]
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: So benighted is she, and without clear vision. Wilhelm/Baynes: One is gloomy and not clear. Blofeld: What is said about entering a gloomy valley indicates darkness that will not be dispelled. Ritsema/Karcher: Shady, not bright indeed. Cleary (2): It is obscure and unclear. Wu: His mind is not open.
Legge: The poor subject of line one sitting on a mere stump, which affords her no shelter, is indeed badly off. The line is at the bottom of the trigram of Peril, and her correlate fourth line is unable to render help. So stupid is line one that by her own action she increases her distress. "Three years" is used for a long time.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: At the outset, the man lacks clear vision and is badly off. He is overwhelmed and has no immediate prospects of deliverance.
Wing: You are in danger of falling into a trap created by an adverse situation. The trap is of your own making and comes about because of discouragement. Discouragement creates a pattern for failure that will continue if not halted now.
Anthony: As long as we are influenced by doubt, we are blocked from seeing the solution. We must firmly resist doubt and hopelessness to restore open-mindedness. The way out will show itself at the right time.
Editor: Despite Blofeld's note on this line, it does not necessarily always intimate complete failure. In the most neutral sense, it's an image of stalemate, though there is a definite suggestion that this is due to one's own failing in something. Self-pity is hinted at, as well as lack of clarity. Some kind of illusion prevails. There is a possibility that things aren't as bad as they seem, or your attitude is making them worse than they need to be. The line can sometimes indicate that you have misunderstood a previous hexagram.
There are two wrongs the soul commits. The first is its descent; the second, the evil done after arrival here below. The first is punished by the very conditions of its descent. Punishment for the second is passage once more into other bodies, there to remain at greater or less length according to the judgment of its deserts.
(The word "judgment" indicates that this takes place as a result of divine law.) If, however, its perversity goes beyond all measure, the soul incurs an even more severe penalty administered by avenging daimons. Plotinus -- The Enneads
A. You are oppressed and confined by ignorance; perhaps the aridity of "reason."
B. A self-created impasse.
Line 2
Legge: The second line, dynamic, shows its subject straitened amidst his wine and viands. There come to him anon the red knee-covers of the ruler. It will be well for him to maintain his sincerity as in sacrificing. Active operations on his part will lead to evil, but he will be free from blame.
Wilhelm/Baynes: One is oppressed while at meat and drink. The man with the scarlet knee bands is just coming. It furthers one to offer sacrifice. To set forth brings misfortune. No blame. [This pictures a state of inner oppression. Externally, all is well, one has meat and drink. But one is exhausted by the commonplaces of life, and there seems to be no way of escape. Then help comes from a high place… Here a disagreeable situation must be overcome by patience of spirit.]
Blofeld: Difficulties arise through indulgence in food and drink. A vermillion sash-wearer (man of very high rank) appears; it is advisable to utilize this opportunity to offer sacrifice. Advancing brings misfortune, though no error is involved.
Liu: Oppressed by food and drink. The man in the red ceremonial robe comes. It is beneficial to sacrifice. It leads to misfortune to set forth. No blame.
Shaughnessy: Entangled in wine and food: the scarlet kneepads having just arrived, it is beneficial to use an aromatic grass sacrifice; to be upright is inauspicious; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1): Hard up for wine and food; then comes the regal robe. It is beneficial to make ceremonial offerings. To go on an expedition brings misfortune. No blame.
Cleary (2): Exhausted, but with food and drink. When the regal robe comes, it is beneficial to make a ceremonial offering. An expedition leads to misfortune, but there is no blame.
Wu: He is enslaved by wine and food. He just received a red vestment. It is good for making offerings. He will encounter ill fortune in having undertakings, but no error.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: Although straitened, his position is central, and there will be ground for congratulation. Wilhelm/Baynes: The middle brings blessing. Blofeld: The difficulties arising from our gluttony may nevertheless be productive of blessings. Ritsema/Karcher: Center possessing reward indeed. Cleary (2): There is celebration within. Wu: The central position has things worthy of celebration.
Legge: The three dynamic lines in the figure (two, four and five) are all superior men, and their being straitened is not in themselves, but in their circumstances which prevent self-development. Hence line two is straitened while he fares sumptuously. His correlate in the fifth place, though not quite proper, is the ruler who comes to his help. (The red knee covers distinguish the ruler from those of the nobles, which are scarlet.) Let line two cultivate his sincerity and do the work of the hexagram as if he were sacrificing to spiritual beings, and then, if he keeps quiet, all will be well.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man is apparently well off but is actually inwardly depressed. He is unable to solve the ordinary problems of life and develop his basic principles. He is rescued by the prince, who is looking for able helpers. However, he must first be patient until the unseen obstacles are overcome by prayers and sacrifices.
Wing: An Adversity facing you now comes about from boredom. Indulgences and pleasures may come too easily for you. Try giving yourself to a worthwhile cause. There is redemption in such altruistic actions.
Editor: The core idea here is that a sacrifice of some kind is necessary to relieve your oppression. Sacrifice is a universal principle deeply rooted in the unconscious psyche. The general idea behind it is the offering of something valuable to obtain something more valuable, which may not be immediately obvious; it is an act of faith and acknowledgment of subservience to higher guidance. In terms of the Work, this is the ego's sacrifice of its autonomy to the Self. Here the situation is the seeming contradiction of being oppressed while surrounded by plenty, so the sacrifice could involve not partaking of what is readily available. Compare with 45:2, which is created if this is the only changing line.
Sacrifice, "making sacred" (from the Latin sacrum facere) psychologically entails a surrender of ego libido to the service and intents of the transpersonal entelechy ... Transformation rests on sacrifice, on making "holy" by giving up and rendering to the transpersonal, "sacred" powers what one "has" while remaining what one essentially "is." One submits to change, death and loss of some aspects of one's being, abilities or possessions, while refusing to "curse God, and die" (Job 2:9), in other words, refusing to let go of one's trust in life and one's central core of integrity and Self. E.C. Whitmont -- The Alchemy of Healing
A. Starving amid plenty, one has almost made a connection with the source of truth. Give up your illusions and wait.
B. What you seek is all around you, and the connection is immanent. Have the will to sacrifice an option to relieve your oppression.
C. You can afford to sacrifice something now in the faith that you'll get something better later on.
Other titles: According With, Acquiring Followers, Adapting, Adjusting, To Accord With, To Accompany, Concordance, Conformance to The Work, "Learn to serve in order to rule. Quit the old ways." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Following indicates successful progress and no error through firm correctness.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Following has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. No blame.
Blofeld:Following. Sublime success! Righteous persistence brings reward -- no error! [This sublime success comes, of course, only to those who follow what is right, namely the will of heaven or of those whose own will embodies it.]
Liu:Following. Great success. It is of benefit to continue. No blame.
Ritsema/Karcher: Following. Spring Growing Harvesting Trial.
Without fault. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of being impelled or drawn into moving forward. It emphasizes that yielding to the impulse by accepting guidance is the adequate way to handle it. To be in accord with the time, you are told to: follow!]
Shaughnessy:Following: Prime receipt; beneficial to determine; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1):Following is greatly developmental: it is beneficial if correct; then there is no fault.
Cleary (2): Following is very successful, etc.
Wu: Following is primordial, pervasive, prosperous, and persevering. There will be no blame.
The Image
Legge: Thunder in the marsh: the image of Following. The superior man, in accordance with this, at nightfall enters his house and rests.
Wilhelm/Baynes: Thunder in the middle of the lake: the image of Following. Thus the superior man at nightfall goes indoors for rest and recuperation.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes thunder rumbling within a swamp! When darkness falls, the Superior Man goes within and rests peacefully. [The component trigrams can be read as thunder and marsh, but also as movement and joy. In the Book of Change, joy is frequently associated with willing obedience to and glad acceptance of what is right.]
Liu: Thunder in the lake symbolizesFollowing. In the evening, the superior man rests and relaxes in his home.
Ritsema/Karcher: Marsh center possessing thunder. Following. A chun tzu uses turning-to darkening to enter a reposing pause.
Cleary (1): There is thunder in the lake, Following. Thus do superior people go inside and rest when the sun goes down.
Cleary (2): … Leaders go in and rest at sundown.
Wu: Thunder in the marsh is the symbol of Following. Thus the jun zi retires toward the twilight of the day.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: In Followingthe dynamic trigram places itself under the magnetic. We see in them the attributes of Movement and Pleasure. Through firm correctness all under heaven will be found following at such a time.
Legge: Following comes after Enthusiasm, the symbol of harmony and satisfaction. When these conditions prevail men are sure to follow. The hexagram includes the ideas of both following others and being followed by others.(Emphasis mine, Ed.) The good auspice is due to this flexibility, but in either instance the following must be guided by a reference to what is correct. The lower trigram of Movement represents the eldest son, and the upper trigram of Pleasure represents the youngest daughter. The strong places itself under the weak -- esteeming others higher than himself, and giving the idea of following. The union of Movement with Pleasure suggests the same idea.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Following means advancement through willpower.
The Superior Man rests on his inner virtue.
In Following, the trigram of Movement "follows" the trigram of Cheerfulness: independent action subordinates itself and allows itself to be led by cheerful obedience. In terms of the Work, this symbolizes our willingness to "follow" or adhere to its principles. Psychologically interpreted, Followingmeans the compliant subordination of ego-autonomy to the Great Work of psychic integration.
Blofeld points out that the trigram of Joy, or Cheerfulness is often associated with "willing obedience to and glad acceptance of what is right." Hence the cheerful following of the intent of the Self. He explains the role of the superior man in the Image as: "It is not hard to see the connection between following and resting peacefully; for, once we have given our allegiance to others [the Self], we no longer have to worry about what should be done."
At seventy ... Confucius allowed his mind to follow whatever it desired, yet everything he did was naturally right of itself. His actions no longer needed a conscious guide. He was acting without effort. This represents the last stage in the development of the sage. Fung Yu-Lan -- A Short History of Chinese Philosophy
When received without changing lines this hexagram often takes the meaning of: "To accord with" -- in such instances the answer is an affirmation to your query.