If the handle is altered, the ting cannot be lifted up and used, and, sad to say, the delicious food in it, such as pheasant fat, cannot be eaten by anyone. We should do every task for its own sake as time and place demand and not with an eye to the result. We must calmly weigh the conditions of the time and by satisfied with small gains, because for the time being a great success cannot be attained. That said, I have used the I Ching and found it very informative and accurate in its assessment of the questions I asked of it.

However, there are two prerequisites for a satisfactory political or social organization of mankind. The image also refers to the world of plants, which lift water out of the earth by means of their fibers. Therefore it may safely be saidthat the seasoned wisdom of thousands of years has gone into themaking of the I Ching. This clarity and severity have the effect of instilling respect; it is not that the penalties are ends in themselves. A luminous thing giving out light must have within itself something that perseveres; otherwise it will in time burn itself out.If evil is branded, it thinks of weapons, and if we do it the favor of fighting against it blow for blow, we lose in the end because thus we ourselves get entangled in hatred and passion.

It is only by remaining conscious of the dangers growing out of the responsibility we have assumed that we can avoid making mistakes. At first it may be disappointing to renounce comforts that might have been obtained, yet one finds peace of mind in a true relationship with the friend who courts him.And if he succeeds in assigning the right place to life and to fate, thus bringing the two into harmony, he puts his fate on a firm footing. If he is watchful at all times, even before danger is present, he is armed when danger approaches and need not be afraid. At that time King Wên introduced his illustrious helpers to the god of his native mountain, and they received their places in the halls of the ancestors by the side of the ruler. Slipcase in G/G+ condition, showing some wear around edges and corners, title plate in clean, red text bold. Its popularity resurfaced during the 1960s counterculture period, and was referenced and promoted by popular figures such as Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, and Jorge Luis Borges.

It has exerted a living influence in China for 3,000 years, and interest in it rapidly spreads in the West. The I Ching does not offer itself with proofs and results; it does not vaunt itself, nor is it easy to approach. Since he is not striving for any special advantages for himself but is working unselfishly to bring about general unity, his work is crowned with success, and everything becomes as it should be. He finds no help among the people whose duty it would be to aid in the work of rescue (ministers wore purple knee bands). To plunge blindly ahead is wrong, because it is precisely at the beginning that an unexpected setback can have the most disastrous results.One must become firm in one’s mind, control oneself—yellow is the color of the mean, and the cow is the symbol of docility—and refrain from doing anything for the time being, because any premature offensive will bring evil results. A tigerskin, with its highly visible black stripes on a yellow ground, shows its distinct pattern from afar.

Here, in immediate proximity to the strong, light–giving principle at the top, the nature of the dark force undergoes a change.In such times of shock, presence of mind is all too easily lost: the individual overlooks all opportunities for action and mutely lets fate take its course. For here we are dealing not with a passing mood, as in the nine in the third place, but with a real change of heart. For it may cause the other person to come to his senses, so that the alliance that has been sought and so painfully missed is after all achieved.