Bountiful—Teeming—Plentiful
|or| Abundance

Above all, be humble at this time. Give thanks for what has been produced by your efforts by returning something to the community you serve. Share your good fortune. Now is not the time to be alone. Rely on teamwork and people who share your vision and goals. (Bright-Fey 139)

 

Abundance is success. Kings arrive at this. Do not worry—it is good at midday.

Yang 1: Meeting the partner, though the master is equal, there is no blame. There is worth in going.

Yin 2: Abundance is enclosed—you see the north star at midday. Going, you get suspicion and resentment. If you have sincerity, it comes out. This is auspicious.

Yang 3: Abundance is screened—you see stardust at midday. Breaking the right arm, there is no blame.

Yang 4: Abundance is enclosed—you see stars at midday. Meeting a peer, the master is lucky.

Yin 5: Bring forth the excellent, and there is joy and praise. This is auspicious.

Yin 6: Enriching the abode, enclosing the house. Peek in the door—it is quiet, no one there. Not seeing anyone for three years bodes ill. (Cleary 349-358)

Fire within thunder is light and lightning—clarity of though and of perception. It is instantaneous, that is, decisive, combining intention and action. It is precisely this combination which bring about abundance in any human endeavor. One must aim toward a thing valued, and at the same time he must impart the efforts and methods necessary if that aim is to be made manifest.

This is true as we scale above the individual to the social level. For a culture, people, or nation to accrue abundance, it must direct its collection attention toward a joint objective, and the individuals must join together in their efforts to succeed—to attain the aimed-at value in such quantity that all, both high and low folk, benefit as a consequence.

The first lines of Bright-Fey’s translation and interpretation make explicit this imperative: “Above all, be humble.” This applies to everyone, as does the call for gratitude. The rich and powerful ought not think themselves above toiling in the mud shoulder-to-shoulder with the bumpkins now and again, nor should their concerns and welfare be disregarded. Likewise, the uncultured, unskilled, and uneducated should not think themselves deserving of more than they earn. Though unequal in status with those above, at least they have a place, a purpose, a function, as well as a means to feed and shelter themselves. This being the case makes all social strata equal in one way: all have the responsibility to give back and serve the community in which they are members.

This responsibility is what brings the multitudes into a singular aim.

When nobody has reason to question the worth of his contribution to society, nor reason to question his fellows contributions and how those relate to himself, then what is valued is clear as midday, the time when the sun shines highest in the sky—or rather, when values are clear as the sun at the peak of daytime, then nobody has reason to question the worthiness of his actions. Abundance naturally follows.

If only life were so easy. Unfortunately, people do not all share the same values, and a single culture is often the battlefield for competing, mutually exclusive values. And even those values which are compatible vie for the top spot in the hierarchy. This is why the right attitude and situation are necessary.

The first Yang and the fourth Yang are equals in strength and in relative position among their peers. Both are firm and resilient, but both suffer from weak Yin positions. Because of their disadvantages stances, neither can bring about his desire on his own. This is why, though normally the two Yangs would fight, they work together in order to achieve their common end. This is like attention joining action in order to aim at the target and then to hit it. For this to happen, the first Yang bows down to and follows the fourth. That is, intention follows action: one practices emulating what he admires and only after is able to identify what his values are and make more accurate his embodiment of them.

The second and fifth Yins share a similar relationship. The second is balanced and in the right position. This is an enlightened person whose aims are correct. However, this person is weak and cannot affect her vision of her own accord. She can only do so with help and in service of others. Unfortunately, the leadership is likewise weak and worse, benighted. In the body of movement, such superiors are prone to action without reflection. More often than not, this leads to disaster. And to make matters worse again, if the second Yin interjects with her wisdom, she shall be resented because of the envy and jealousy of the fifth Yin. This means that the second Yin—those folks who are clear of vision—can only wait and model good faith. Eventually, the ignorant leadership will wake up and change their ways to be in accord with the aims of their inferiors.

As for the Third Yang and its complement, the sixth Yin, they have a troubled relationship. The third Yang is at the end of clarity, and the sixth Yin is at the end of action. This is likened to abundance being screened or covered, like a veil filtering out so much daylight that, despite opportunities being as abundant as light during midday, star dust is visible as if it is midnight. An excess of attention or intention produces results like this. If one focuses solely on a fantasy of one’s aim, as opposed to attaining it, then one does not actually pursue it. This is like having a broken right arm—read: dominant arm. One cannot work efficiently or effectively if so maimed. The same applies to the person who acts without clear intention or self-reflection. Progression without direction runs the very real risk of investing in an empty dwelling. No matter how grand the décor, it serves no purpose if no one does or even wants to live there.

Instead, one ought to build a house which welcomes and accommodates more than himself. Let generosity and gratitude by his bricks and mortar. May he lay his plans with care and measure his placements well. And may his friends and family come to help him, they his equals, who he serves while receiving their help.

I Ching; The Book of Changes, with commentaries by Cheng Yi, translated by Thomas Cleary, Shambala Library, 2003.

I Ching: The Book of Changes; An authentic Taoist translation, translated by John Bright-Fey, Sweetwater Press, 2006.