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 4
Legge: The fourth line, dynamic, shows its subject unequal to the contention. He returns to the study of Heaven's ordinances, changes his wish to contend, and rests in being firm and correct. There will be good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: One cannot engage in conflict. One turns back and submits to fate, changes one's attitude, and finds peace in perseverance. Good fortune.
Blofeld: Since the conflict cannot be resolved, it is best to retreat and submit to heaven's will. Peaceful determination brings good fortune.
Liu: One cannot continue the conflict. Returning and changing one's attitude brings peace and good fortune.
Shaughnessy: Not succeeding at the lawsuit; returning and attending to the command, it changes to peace; determination is auspicious.
Cleary (1): Not pressing one’s contention, one abides by the decree of fate: Changing to rest in rectitude leads to good fortune.
Cleary (2): Contending unvictorious, return to destiny, change to rest in rectitude; then the outlook is good.
Wu: He is not to win the litigation. If his mind returns to reasoning and changes for the good, he will find comfort in being correct. It will be auspicious.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: He does not fail in doing what is right. Wilhelm/Baynes: Thus nothing is lost. Blofeld: Provided we submit to heaven's will, peaceful determination will enable us to win through. Ritsema/Karcher: Not letting-go indeed. Cleary (2): Means not getting lost. Wu: Because there will be no error.
Legge: Line four is dynamic in a magnetic place which is not central -- he has a mind to contend in a position from which he cannot hope to win. Above him is the strong ruler with whom it is hopeless to strive, and below him is his weak ally in the first place from whom no help can be expected. Hence he takes the course indicated, which leads to good fortune. The returning to the study of Heaven's ordinances and changing the wish to contend are not two things, but one. The ordinances are what is right in principle, and since the wish to contend was wrong in principle, it is now abandoned.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man thinks that belligerency toward his weaker opponents will succeed. But lacking righteousness, he fails in his endeavors. Returning from the path of strife to one of inner harmony with the eternal law, he finds peace and good fortune.
Wing: You might see where you could improve your position by engaging in Conflict with a weaker element. The fact is, though, that you cannot gain inner satisfaction from such strategies. Returning to a sense of dignity and inner worth coupled with an acceptance of your fate will bring you peace of mind and good fortune.
Editor: Psychologically interpreted, the image suggests a situation in which the ego is not yet ready to encounter certain forces involved in the Work. The lesson is to return to an attitude of receptivity to instruction: “Heaven's ordinances.”
It is proper for a man to overlook all the things of the world, for according to those who understand, everything is vain and empty and not worth taking vengeance for. Maimonides
A. Tame your impulse to act and learn from your restricted situation. "All things come to him who waits."
B. You can't do anything now, so don't even try.
Line 5
Legge: The fifth line, dynamic, shows its subject contending -- and with great good fortune.
Wilhelm/Baynes: To contend before him brings supreme good fortune.
Blofeld: Conflict followed by supreme good fortune.
Liu: Conflict. To submit the conflict to a great man brings great good fortune.
Ritsema/Karcher: Arguing. Spring significant.
Shaughnessy: Lawsuit; prime auspiciousness.
Cleary (1): Contend; it will be very auspicious.
Wu: There is great fortune in Litigation.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge: This is shown by his holding the due mean and being in the correct place. Wilhelm/Baynes: Because he is central and correct. Blofeld: This is indicated by the fitting position of the central line. Ritsema/Karcher: Using centering correcting indeed. Cleary (2): Contention is very auspicious when it is balanced and correct. Wu: Because of its central and correct position.
Legge: Line five has every circumstance in his favor.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Siu: The man acts in moderation. By being in the right place he is on the road to good fortune. A just and powerful arbiter may be invited to mediate. Circumstances are in his favor.
Wing: Bring your Conflict before a powerful and just authority. If you are in the right, the situation will end in good fortune and success.
Editor: Because this is the ruler of the hexagram, it is portrayed as a wise judge who settles the matter of contention justly. If it is the only changing line, the new hexagram becomes number 64, Unfinished Business, with its corresponding line depicting a moral victory. One sometimes receives this figure in situations involving third-party arbitration.
If he attains the virtue of the long sword, one man can beat ten men. Just as one man can beat ten, so a hundred can beat a thousand, and a thousand can beat ten thousand. Miyamoto Musashi -- A Book of Five Rings
A. An affirmation or victory of some sort is indicated.
Other Titles: Youthful Folly, The Symbol of Covering, Immaturity, Uncultivated Growth, Youth, Acquiring Experience, Youthful Ignorance, Enveloping, Folly, Darkness "Often the I Ching uses this hexagram to show us that we should not be asking this question." -- D.F. Hook
Judgment
Legge: Inexperience means progress and success. I do not seek the inexperienced youth, but he seeks me. When he shows the sincerity proper for divination, I instruct him. If he asks two or three times, that is troublesome, and I do not instruct the troublesome. Firm correctness brings advantage.
Wilhelm/Baynes:Youthful Folly has success. It is not I who seek the young fool; the young fool seeks me. At the first oracle I inform him. If he asks two or three times, it is importunity. If he importunes, I give him no information. Perseverance furthers.
Blofeld: Immaturity. Good fortune! I am not one to seek out uncultivated youths, but if such a youth seeks me out, I shall at first read and explain the omens. Yet should he ask me many times, just because of his importunity, I shall not explain anything more. The omen indicates a need for proper direction. [This hexagram suggests stubbornness (the upper trigram) issuing from the softness of the womb (the lower trigram). While it sometimes happens that youthful rashness succeeds where sober counsels fail, it is nevertheless the duty of the mature man to cultivate the minds of the young and to respond, within reason, to their requests for guidance. As an omen, this hexagram may be taken to imply a case in which a certain amount of rashness may lead to success, but in which older people are not absolved from the duty of guiding the young. There is also a suggestion that the Book of Change itself, though fully responsive to those who make the right approach, will not brook importunity in the form of trivial questions or of seeking to reverse its judgments by further questioning. Whether the omen may be taken to mean that we should go ahead with some rash scheme or that it is time for us to restrain someone's youthful rashness will depend upon the nature of the enquiry, the people concerned in it and the particular moving lines involved in the response.]
Liu: It is not I who seek him, the youth seeks me. The first time he asks, I answer; but if he asks again and again, it is annoyance: no answer. Benefit for continuance.
Ritsema/Karcher: Enveloping, Growing. In-no-way me seeking youthful Enveloping. Youthful Enveloping seeking me. The initial oracle-consulting notifying. Twice, three-times: obscuring. Obscuring, by-consequence not notifying. Harvesting Trial. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of concealment and clouded awareness. It emphasizes that actively accepting this concealment in order to nurture growth is the adequate way to handle it...]
Shaughnessy: Folly: Receipt; it is not we who seek youthful folly; youthful folly seeks us. The initial milfoil divination is auspicious, but if two or three times drawn out, being drawn out then it is not auspicious; beneficial to determine.
Cleary(1): In darkness is development. It is not that I seek naïve innocence; naïve innocence seeks me. The first augury informs; the second and third defile. Defilement does not inform. It is beneficial to be correct.
Cleary(2):Darkness. Getting through. It is not that I seek the ignorant; the ignorant seek me. The first pick informs, the second and third muddle. That which is muddled does not inform. Benefit is a matter of correctness.
Wu:Ignorance is pervasive. It is not that I ask the ignorant lad to come for instruction. It is that the ignorant lad comes to request my instruction. As in divination, he will be instructed the first time. If he asks the same question for the second and third times, he is disrespectful. Having been judged disrespectful, he will not be instructed again. It will be advantageous to be persevering.
The Image
Legge: A spring issuing from the mountain -- the image of Inexperience. The superior man, in accordance with this, nourishes his virtue and strives for resoluteness of conduct.
Wilhelm/Baynes: A spring wells up at the foot of the mountain: the image of Youth. Thus the superior man fosters his character by thoroughness in all that he does.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes a watery hole at the foot of a mountain amidst uncultivated growth. The Superior Man by determined good conduct nourishes his virtue. [The second sentence is deduced from the first; both are suggested by the component trigrams.]
Liu: A spring comes out at the foot of the mountain; this symbolizes Youth. The superior man will cultivate his character through decisive action.
Ritsema/Karcher: below Mountain issuing-forth spring-water. Enveloping. A chun tzu uses fruiting movement to nurture actualizing-tao. [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.]
Cleary (1): Under a mountain a spring is produced, in darkness. A superior person nurtures character with fruitful action.
Cleary (2): Under a mountain emerges a spring, in darkness. Leaders use effective action to nurture inner qualities.
Wu: A spring flows at the foot of a mountain; this is Ignorance. The jun zi resolves to taking steps to cultivate his virtue.
COMMENTARY
Confucius/Legge:Inexperience shows the trigram of the Mountain above that of the Abyss. The perilous impasse suggested by these figures evokes the idea of inexperience. Progress and success are suggested because the action and development of the hexagram conform to the requirements of the time. When inexperience seeks wisdom, will responds to will. The oracle responds to sincerity because it has the qualities of the dynamic line in the central second place, but the oracle does not respond to ignorant importuning. The proper duty of a sage is to nourish the correct nature of the ignorant.
Legge: Difficulty shows us plants struggling within the earth, and Inexperiencesuggests the small and undeveloped sprouts which then appear upon its surface. This is an image of youthful ignorance, and the object of the hexagram is to show how those in authority should deal with it. The Judgment takes the form of the oracle's response to the questioner.
The upper trigram represents a frowning mountain which blocks the progress of the traveler. The lower trigram symbolizes a stream of water in a dangerous canyon, such as might be found at the foot of a mountain. The combination of these symbols suggests the perilous nature of ignorant inexperience.
The subject of line two represents the oracle, who demands sincerity from the unenlightened. It is his duty to evoke the innate "correct nature" hidden within the questioner, to bring this quality out and develop it. In regard to the Image, Chu Hsi says that "the water of a spring is sure to move on and gradually advance." This may serve as a symbol of the general process and progress of education.
NOTES AND PARAPHRASES
Judgment: Inexperience portrays the relationship between the ego and the Self as one of student to master. Communication via the oracle demands seriousness of purpose -- the Self refuses to pander to the ego's illusions.
The Superior Man furthers the Work by developing his will and intent.
Wilhelm's title for this hexagram is Youthful Folly, which tends to lend it a negative connotation that is not always strictly applicable. However, he is quick to point out that the title "should be understood to mean the immaturity of youth and its consequent lack of wisdom, rather than mere stupidity."
While the title of Inexperience avoids the negative connotation, it must be acknowledged that there is an aura of irritation in this hexagram which illustrates an uncomfortable truth about the relationship between the ego and the Self. The Self is an awesome archetype, and once one has established contact with him, he assumes a distinctly stern personality. The Self will not pander to the ego's illusions, and has no patience with anything but the unvarnished truth. Tact and patience are not among his attributes. Lao Tse describes him very accurately:
The Sage is unkind: He treats the people like sacrificial straw dogs.
Which is just the way it is. As a satellite of the Self, the ego-complex was not created just so that it could spend a lifetime indulging its fantasies. The Work must be undertaken, and the Self knows more than you do what remains to be done. Like any excellent teacher, he demands more of us than we think we have in us to give. This phenomenon of the tyrannical and often "unjust" Self has been noted in many times and places. Here is an example from Neo-Platonism:
What shall we say in regard to the question: "Why do the divinities that are invoked require the worshipper to be just, although they themselves when entreated consent to perform unjust acts?" In reply to this I am uncertain in respect to what is meant by "performing unjust acts," as the same definition may not appear right both to us and to the gods. We, on the one hand, looking to that which is least significant, consider the things that are present, the momentary life, what it is and how it originates. The beings superior to us, let me say, know for certain the whole life of the soul and all its former lives; and if they bring on a retribution from the supplication of those who invoke them, they do not increase it beyond what is just. On the contrary, they aim at the sins impressed upon the soul in former lifetimes, which men do not perceive, and so imagine that is unjust that they fall into the misfortunes which they suffer. Iamblichus -- The Egyptian Mysteries
A contemporary expression of this idea comes from consciousness researcher, John Lilly, famous for his work with dolphins and isolation tank experiments with psychedelic drugs:
Cosmic Love [e.g., the Spiritual Self] is absolutely Ruthless and Highly Indifferent: it teaches its lessons whether you like/dislike them or not. John Lilly
By definition, "the gods" (archetypes) are not human. Were it possible for them to evolve without human vessels in Spacetime, presumably we humans would not exist. It is these archetypes, in the guise of our complexes and limiting beliefs, that are being altered by the Work. Because the unconscious psyche is a multiverse, it is sometimes very difficult to differentiate just "who" is advising us, and the Self via the oracle, will occasionally test us for our ability to use intuitive common sense.
Which is to say: when the gods (or the "Self") become totally "unreasonable," we can only go along with them to the limit of our human understanding. Slavish obedience to all injunctions from the unconscious is to sell our souls outright to something that we don't understand. The renunciation of "common sense" is the renunciation of our most precious birthright.
On the other hand, to "disobey" at will is to put our souls at risk. This is one of the most painful of all dilemmas -- how far do we go in our obedience to unseen powers? Aspects of this problem have been called The Dark Night of the Soul -- an inner initiation, a trial by fire to see what we are really made of. There are times in the advanced course of the Work when one receives the strange insight that the Self actually wants us to disobey! This ordeal can only be lived through -- no one can advise you except your own sense of what is right for you at any given moment.
The most useful guideline that I have found is that the precepts of the Work (as found in the Perennial Philosophy) are consistent worldwide, and constitute a reliably moral structure for responsible choice. If the oracle seems to be telling you to do something contrary to your inner sense of right and wrong, contrary to your understanding of the precepts of the Work, then go with this intuition rather than the oracle. The Self, via the oracle, will test you in many ways to make you develop. (The ultimate goal is to become so infallibly intuitive that oracles become superfluous.)
The gods need our intelligent disobedience if they themselves are to evolve. It is in the stress between obedience and conscientious disobedience that growth takes place. In one sense, whatever choice you make, as long as it is conscious and you fully accept the consequences, is the right choice for you at that moment. We learn through our mistakes, and can never fail our lessons if we truly integrate the experience into our unfolding lives.
Confucius, one of the greatest teachers who ever lived, obviously took his teaching method from the Judgment of this hexagram:
The Master said:"I won't teach a man who is not anxious to learn, and will not explain to one who is not trying to make things clear to himself. And if I explain one- fourth and the man doesn't go back and reflect and think out the implications in the remaining three-fourths for himself, I won't bother to teach him again."
And so it is with the oracle (the Self) -- the deeper one gets involved in the Work, the more difficult the lessons become, so that one is always kept in a position of relative Inexperience. There are times, when a simple answer would suffice, that you will receive an ambiguous image, which (if you do three-fourths of the work), will lead you to a profound insight.