Inner Truth

Wind above

Lake below

Translated from Richard Wilhelm's German (1924)

Introduction

Over the lake the wind blows, setting the water's surface in motion. So the invisible shows visible effects. Above and below, the hexagram is made up of firm lines, while in the middle it is free. This points to the freedom of the heart from preconceptions, so that it is able to take in the truth. The two trigrams, conversely, each have a firm line in the middle. This points to the power of inner truth in its effects.

The attributes of the trigrams are: above, gentleness, a yielding attitude toward those below; below, joyousness in obedience to those above. Such conditions create the basis for a mutual trust that makes success possible.

The Chinese character Fu (truth) actually depicts a bird's foot above a young one. It contains the idea of brooding. The egg is hollow. The power of the light must work from outside to bring it to life. But there must already be a germ of life within, so that life can be awakened. These thoughts lend themselves to far-reaching speculation.

The Judgment

Inner truth. Pigs and fish. Good fortune. It is favorable to cross the great water. Persistence is favorable.

Pigs and fish are the least intelligent of animals and therefore the hardest to influence. The power of inner truth must have reached a high degree before its influence extends even to such creatures. When one is faced with such intractable people, who are hard to influence, the whole secret of success lies in finding the right way to get through to them. One must first free oneself inwardly and completely from one's preconceptions. One must, so to speak, let the other person's psyche work on oneself with a completely open mind; then one draws close to the other inwardly, understands them and gains power over them, so that the strength of one's own person gains influence over the other through the opened gate. When in this way one finds no obstacle insurmountable, one may even undertake the most dangerous things – crossing the great water, for instance – and it will succeed. But it is important to understand what the power of inner truth rests on. It is not the same as mere intimacy or secret solidarity. Such close solidarity can also exist among raiders. Even in this case it is, of course, a power. But it does not lead to good fortune, because it is not invincible. Any alliance based on common interests goes only so far. Where the common interests end, the solidarity ends too, and the closest friendship often turns into hatred. Only where the foundation is what is right, constancy, does the bond remain so firm that it overcomes everything.

The Image

Wind blows over the lake: the image of inner truth. So the noble one deliberates on criminal cases to delay executions.

The wind stirs the water because it is able to penetrate its interstices. So the noble one, when they have to judge people's mistakes, seeks to penetrate with understanding into the inner life of the people concerned, and in this way to arrive at a loving assessment of the circumstances. The whole administration of justice in ancient China was guided by this principle. The highest understanding, the kind that knows how to forgive, was held to be the highest justice. Justice of this kind was not without success, for the moral impression was meant to be so strong that there was no need to fear any abuse of such leniency. For its source was not weakness but superior clarity.

The Lines

First line, nine

Readiness brings good fortune. If ulterior motives are present, that is unsettling.

What matters most for the power of inner truth is that one is firmly settled within oneself and ready. From this inner attitude springs the right conduct toward the outside world. If, on the other hand, one were to cultivate secret relationships of a special kind, this would rob one of one's inner independence, and the more secure one felt in the awareness of having support in others, the more one would fall into unease and worry about whether these secret ties really hold. In this way one loses one's inner peace and the power of inner truth.

Second line, nine

In the shade, a crane is calling. Its young one answers it. I have a good cup. I will share it with you.

Here the subject is the involuntary influence of one's inner nature on people who are attuned to it. The crane does not need to show itself on a high hill. Even if it lets its call ring out wholly unseen, its young one hears its voice, knows it and answers it. Where there is a joyous mood, a companion also turns up and shares a cup of wine with one.

This is how the echo that sympathy awakens in people shows itself. Where a mood expresses itself truly and purely, where a deed is the clear expression of one's convictions, they work mysteriously at a distance, first on those who are inwardly ready to receive them. But these circles widen. The root of all effect lies within oneself. When this expresses itself in word and deed with complete truth and strength, the effect is great. The effect is only the reflection of what comes forth from one's own heart. Any intention of producing an effect would only destroy that effect.

Confucius says of this: "The noble one stays in their room. If they utter their words well, they meet with agreement from more than a thousand miles away. How much more from close by! If the noble one stays in their room and does not utter their words well, they meet with contradiction from more than a thousand miles away. How much more still from close by! Words go out from one's own person and act on people. Works arise close by and become visible far away. Words and works are, for the noble one, the door hinge and the crossbow's trigger spring. The movement of this hinge and this spring brings honor or disgrace. By words and works the noble one moves heaven and earth. Must one not be careful, then?"

Third line, six

They find a companion; one moment they drum, the next they stop. One moment they sob, the next they sing.

Here the source of strength lies not in one's own self but in one's relationship to other people. However close one may stand to them, if our center of gravity rests on them, one cannot avoid being tossed back and forth between joy and sorrow. Exulting to the skies, grieved to death, that is the fate of those who depend on inner accord with other people whom they love. All that is stated here is the law that things are this way. Whether this state is experienced as a burden or as the highest happiness of love remains a matter for the subjective judgment of the person concerned.

Fourth line, six

The moon, nearly full. The team horse is lost. No fault.

To increase the power of inner truth, one must turn to what is higher, from which one can receive illumination as the moon receives it from the sun. But this calls for a certain humility, such as the moon has while it is not quite full. When the moon is full and faces the sun directly, it at once begins to wane again. Just as one must be humble and reverent toward the source of illumination, so on the other hand one must renounce human factions. Only when one goes one's way like a horse that runs straight ahead without glancing sideways at the other horse in its team does one keep the inner freedom that carries one forward.

Fifth line, nine

They possess truth that binds together. No fault.

Here is a portrait of the lord who holds everything together through the power of his being. Only when his strength of character is so all-embracing that he can influence everyone who belongs to his rule is he as he must be. The power of suggestion must go out from the ruler. It will bind all who are his firmly together and unite them. Without this central force, all outward unity is only a lie that breaks apart at the decisive moment.

Top line, nine

A rooster's crow that reaches heaven. Persistence brings misfortune.

The rooster is dependable. It calls when morning comes. But it cannot fly to heaven itself. It only crows. So mere words are meant to awaken faith. Now and then this may well meet with success. But if one keeps at it constantly, that is harmful.

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