Reading
Judgment
Inner Truth. Pigs and fishes. Good fortune!
It is favorable to cross the great water.
Perseverance furthers.
Pigs and fishes are the least spiritual and therefore hardest to influence of animals. The force of inner truth must have reached a high degree before its influence extends also to such beings. When one faces such stubborn, hard-to-influence people, the whole secret of success rests on finding the right way to gain access to them. One must first inwardly free oneself wholly from one's preconceptions. One must let the psyche of the other work on one quite unprejudiced; then one comes inwardly near to them, understands them, and gains power over them, so that the force of one's own person gains influence on the other through the opened gate. If one in this way finds no hindrances insurmountable, one may also undertake the most dangerous things, like the crossing of the great water, and it will succeed. Only it is important that one understand on what the force of inner truth rests. It is not identical with mere intimacy or secret mutual clinging. Such intimate mutual clinging can also take place among robbers. Also in this case it means of course a force. But it does not lead to good fortune, because it is not unconquerable. All joining together on the foundation of community of interests goes only up to a certain point. Where the community of interests ceases, the mutual clinging also ceases, and the most intimate friendship often turns into hatred. Only where the foundation is the right, the constancy, does the connection remain so firm that it overcomes all.
Image
Above the lake is the wind:
the image of Inner Truth.
Thus the noble one discusses penal matters
in order to hold back executions.
The wind stirs the water because it is able to penetrate into its interstices. So the noble one seeks, where they have to judge the faults of people, to penetrate understandingly into their interior and thereby to gain a loving assessment of the circumstances. The whole antique jurisprudence of the Chinese was guided by this principle. Highest understanding, which knows how to forgive, was held to be highest justice. Such jurisprudence was not without success; for the moral impression was to be so strong that a misuse of such mildness was not to be feared. For it sprang not from weakness but from superior clarity.
Commentary
Over the lake blows the wind and stirs the surface of the water. Thus visible effects of the invisible show themselves. The hexagram consists of firm lines above and below, while in the middle it is free. This points to the freedom of the heart from preconceptions, so that it is capable of receiving truth. The two subordinate hexagrams reversely have a firm line in the middle. This points to the force of inner truth in its effects.
The attributes of the subordinate hexagrams are: above, gentleness, yieldingness toward those below; below, joyfulness in obedience toward those above. Such conditions create the foundation of a mutual trust that makes successes possible.
The character Fu (truth) is actually the image of a bird's foot over a young one. It contains the idea of brooding. The egg is hollow. The force of the light must work enliveningly from without. But there must after all already be a seed of life within, so that life can be awakened. Far-reaching speculations can be attached to these thoughts.
Changing Lines
Line 1
A nine at the beginning means:
Being ready brings good fortune.
If there are ulterior motives, it is disturbing.
Commentary
The main thing for the force of inner truth is that one be firm in oneself and ready. Out of this inner attitude arises the right conduct toward the outer world. If, on the other hand, one wanted to cultivate secret relations of a particular kind, this would rob one of inner self-sufficiency, and the more one felt oneself secured in the consciousness of finding one's backing in others, the more one would come into unrest and concerns as to whether these secret connections really are now truly tenable. Through this one loses inner peace and the force of inner truth.
Line 2
A nine in the second place means:
A calling crane in the shade.
Its young answers it.
I have a good goblet. I want to share it with you.
Commentary
Here is the talk of the involuntary influence of the inner being on like-attuned people. The crane does not need to show itself on a high hill. Even if it lets its call sound quite in concealment, its young hears its voice and knows it and gives it answer. Where a cheerful mood is, there too a comrade appears who shares a goblet of wine with one.
Thus the echo shows itself that is awakened by sympathy in the human being. Where a mood truly and purely expresses itself, where a deed is the clear expression of disposition, there they work mysteriously into the distance, at first on those who are inwardly receptive. But these circles broaden. The root of all effect lies in one's own interior. When this expresses itself quite truly and strongly in word and deed, then the effect is great. The effect is only the mirror-image of what proceeds from one's own breast. Any intention of effect would only destroy this effect.
Confucius says of this: "The noble one dwells in their room. If they utter their words well, they find agreement from a distance of more than a thousand miles. How much more from near by. If the noble one dwells in their room and does not utter their words well, they find contradiction from a distance of more than a thousand miles. How much more from near by! The words go forth from one's own person and work on people. The works arise in the near and become visible in the distance. Words and works are the noble one's door-hinge and crossbow-spring. As this hinge and spring move, they bring honor or disgrace. Through words and works the noble one moves heaven and earth. Must one not then be careful?"
Line 3
A six in the third place means:
He finds a comrade;
now he beats the drum, now he stops.
Now he sobs, now he sings.
Commentary
Here the source of strength is not in one's own ego, but in the relation to other people. However close one may stand with them, if our center of gravity rests on them, one cannot avoid being thrown about between joy and sorrow. Rejoicing to heaven, grieving to death, that is the fate of those who depend on the inner agreement with other people whom they love. Here only the law is expressed, that this is so. Whether this state is felt as troublesome or as the highest happiness of love remains to the subjective judgment of the one affected.
Line 4
A six in the fourth place means:
The moon that is almost full.
The team-horse is lost.
No blame.
Commentary
In order to increase the force of inner truth, one must turn toward the higher, from which one can receive illumination, as the moon from the sun. But a certain humility is necessary here, such as the moon has that is not quite full. If the moon steps forth as full moon directly opposite the sun, it also begins at once to wane again. As one must be humble and reverent before the source of illumination, so one must on the other hand renounce human partisanships. Only when one goes one's way like a horse that runs straight ahead without squinting at its yoke-fellow does one keep the inner freedom that leads forward.
Line 5
A nine in the fifth place means:
He possesses truth that links together.
No blame.
Commentary
Here is depicted the lord who through the force of his being holds all together. Only when his character strength is so comprehensive that he can influence all who belong to his rule is he such as he must be. The suggestive force must go out from the ruler. It will firmly tie together and unite all his own. Without this central force, all outer unification is only a lie that shatters at the decisive moment.
Line 6
A nine at the top means:
Cockcrow that reaches the sky.
Perseverance brings misfortune.
Commentary
The cock is reliable. It calls when morning comes. But it cannot itself fly to the sky. It only crows. So faith should be awakened through mere words. That succeeds now and then. But if one carries it on continually, this is evil.