I CHING

59

Huan / Dispersion (Dissolution)

Wind blowing over water disperses it, dissolving it into foam

and mist. This suggests that when a man's vital energy is

dammed up within him (indicated as a danger by the attribute

of the lower trigram), gentleness serves to break up and

dissolve the blockage.

This hexagram has a double meaning:

To disperse the obstacles for the union or the

misunderstandings and;

To avoid to be dispersed or separated by obstacles,

illusions and prejudices.

THE JUDGMENT

DISPERSION. Success.

The king approaches his temple.

It furthers one to cross the great water.

Perseverance furthers.

The text of this hexagram resembles that of Ts'ui, GATHERING

TOGETHER (45). In the latter, the subject is the bringing together of

elements that have been separated, as water collects in lakes upon the

earth. Here the subject is the dispersing and dissolving of divisive

egotism. DISPERSION shows the way, so to speak, that leads to

gathering together. This explains the similarity of the two texts.

Religious forces are needed to overcome the egotism that divides men.

The common celebration of the great sacrificial feasts and sacred rites,

which gave expression simultaneously to the interrelation and social

articulation of the family and state, was the means employed by the great

ruler to unite men.
The sacred music and the splendor of the ceremonies

aroused a strong tide of emotion that was shared by all hearts in unison,

and that awakened a consciousness of the common origin of all

creatures.

In this way disunity was overcome and rigidity dissolved. A

further means to the same end is co-operation in great general

undertakings that set a high goal for the will of the people; in the

common concentration on this goal, all barriers dissolve, just as, when a

boat is crossing a great stream, all hands must unite in a joint task.

But only a man free of all selfish ulterior considerations, and who

perseveres in justice and steadfastness, is capable of so dissolving the

hardness of egotism.

It is referred here what has been dispersed and what is convenient to

join again. What separates (dispersion forces) represents everything

that makes a difference and does not allow integration. What separates

implies those points the different fractions or factors don't have in

common. The king, in this case, represents the highest value and, also,

represents the sense of unit. The ancestral temple means what is before

everything, the essence of things, which all have in common and

identifies to all the elements that have been dispersed.

Therefore, the king who approaches to his temple means to look for the

unit. This implies a great will and a cooperation sense, hence it will be

convenient to cross the great river, that is to say, and it is convenient to

carry out the effort. To cross the great river also means to undertake a

common project that establishes a new stage, one after another.

In another analysis level, the sentence mentions to find the answer of

something that in fact is in oneself and not outside. For that reason, the

king means to assume a meditation and elevation attitude. The

ancestral temple is the unconscious thing that keeps the answer. To

come closer to the ancestral temple means introspective attitude; for

that reason to cross the great river would mean to move to the

conscious, daily plane.

THE IMAGE

The wind drives over the water:

The image of DISPERSION.

Thus the kings of old sacrificed to the Lord

And built temples.

In the autumn and winter, water begins to freeze into ice. When the warm

breezes of spring come, the rigidity is dissolved, and the elements that

have been dispersed in ice floes are reunited. It is the same with the

minds of the people. Through hardness and selfishness the heart grows

rigid, and this rigidity leads to separation from all others. Egotism and

cupidity isolate men. Therefore the hearts of men must be seized by a

devout emotion. They must be shaken by a religious awe in the face of

eternity --stirred with an intuition of the one creator of all living beings,

and united through the strong feeling of fellowship experienced in the

ritual of divine worship.

The old kings symbolize the man's essence, his connection with the

cosmic energy, his innate tendency to look for his origin in the universal

entirety. In fact, the sacrifices to God represent the search for the unit in

which the objective is not always achieved.

The sacrifice to the Lord implies to give what should be given by a

superior cause. They also mean to leave the individual interests for a

general, supreme interest.

To build temples refers to leave a sign, to create a connection point to

summon the parts that have been dispersed ahead.

THE LINES

Six at the beginning means:

He brings help with the strength of a horse.

Good fortune.

It is important that disunion should be overcome at the outset, before it

has become complete --that the clouds should be dispersed before they

have brought storm and rain. At such times when hidden divergences in

temper make themselves felt and lead to mutual misunderstandings we

must take quick and vigorous action to dissolve the misunderstandings

and mutual distrust.

This one is located at the beginning of Dispersion and he tries to

prevent the dissension. To help with the strength of a horse means to go

quickly to fix the problem, and to do it with energy.

Good fortune means that one can avoid further problems by taking early

care.

Nine in the second place means:

At the dissolution

He hurries to that which supports him.

Remorse disappears.

When an individual discovers within himself the beginnings of alienation

from others, of misanthropy and ill humor, he must set about dissolving

these obstructions. He must rouse himself inwardly, hasten to that which

supports him. Such support is never found in hatred, but always in a

moderate and just judgment of men, linked with good will. If he regains

this unobstructed outlook on humanity, while at the same time all

saturnine ill humor is dissolved, all occasion for remorse disappears.

Here reference is made to the fact of trying not to be isolated when the

Dispersion is coming.

To hurry towards a support implies that one should keep in mind what

the protection factor really is. To hurry towards a support means that

one cannot solve the problem alone.

To hurry towards a support before the dispersion means to do as much

as possible for not being prey of the dispersive forces.

Six in the third place means:

He dissolves his self. No remorse.

Under certain circumstances, a man's work may become so difficult that

he can no longer think of himself. He must set aside all personal desires

and disperse whatever the self gathers about it to serve as a barrier

against others. Only on the basis of great renunciation can he obtain the

strength for great achievements. By setting his goal in a great task

outside himself, he can attain this standpoint.

To dissolve him means to leave aside all individual posture that would

cause a separation. This means to sacrifice the inner desires to secure

the external situation, to carry out the duty.

To dissolve the selfishness means to open up; for that reason, the zeal

goes towards the external thing, that is to say, towards the conquest.

Six in the fourth place means:

He dissolves his bond with his group.

Supreme good fortune.

Dispersion leads in turn to accumulation.

This is something that ordinary men do not think of.

When we are working at a task that affects the general welfare, we must

leave all private friendships out of account. Only by rising above party

interests can we achieve something decisive. He who has the courage

thus to forego what is near wins what is afar. But in order to comprehend

this standpoint, one must have a wide view of the interrelationships of

life, such as only unusual men attain.

To dissolve the bond with the group means to leave old positions

behind. The group ("clique" in other translations) represents the nucleus

of ownership, the nearest circle. The group is what congregates, what

protects one and keeps one safe. The group symbolizes the set of

rules, of customs which remain.

Therefore, to dissolve the bond with the group means to be projected

towards a great structural change. It means to break up with certain

rules, to look for a new direction in agreement with the own evolution.

Dispersion leads in turn to accumulation, it takes to the loss

experienced in the transition from the old way of life to the new one. This

is a real loss, which only will be counterbalanced when the new way

gets settled.

This can be done only by a clarified man, which can see beyond what

mass can see. Such change turns into personalities whose interior

feeling do not get satisfied by the norms or the established ways and

they notice that it is necessary to go beyond the formal thing.

Nine in the fifth place means::

His loud cries are as dissolving as sweat.

Dissolution! A king abides without blame.

In times of general dispersion and separation, a great idea provides a

focal point for the organization of recovery. Just as an illness reaches its

crisis in a dissolving sweat, so a great stimulating idea is a true salvation

in times of general deadlock. It gives the people a rallying point --a man

in a ruling position who can dispel misunderstandings.

The king can mean a personality that occupies an outstanding position

and that it tries to be the center of the unit. The king also means, the

common project.

His loud cries are as dissolving as sweat means to make all the

possible, although the fatigue prevails; it also means to disperse one's

own wealth to promote the cause. Therefore, it also means to

demonstrate the value of the thing, to make it notice, to inform about its

quality.

To abide without blame means that he gets recognized, that his efforts

are not in vain.

Nine at the top means:

He dissolves his blood.

Departing, keeping at a distance, going out,

Is without blame.

The idea of the dissolving of a man's blood means the dispersion of that

which might lead to bloodshed and wounds, i.e., avoidance of danger. But

here the thought is not that a man avoids difficulties for himself alone,

but rather that he rescues his kin, helps them to get away before danger

comes, or to keep at a distance from an existing danger, or to find a way

out of a danger that is already upon them. In this way he does what is

right.

Here reference is made to eliminate everything that can cause serious

confrontations. It means to become safe, not to commit in extremely

risky matters, not to be exposed.

A similar text can be founded in Hsiao Ch'u, THE TAMING POWER OF

THE SMALL (9), fourth yin.