Kan the abysmal, water is over
Ken keeping still, mountain.
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The hexagram pictures a dangerous abyss lying before us and a steep, inaccessible mountain rising behind us. We\'re surrounded by obstacles; at the same time, since the mountain has the attribute of keeping still, there is implicit a hint as to how we can extricate ourselves. The hexagram represents obstructions that appear in the course of time but that can and should be overcome. Therefore all the instruction given is directed to overcoming them.
The judgement
OBSTRUCTION. The south-west furthers.
The north-east does not further.
It furthers one to see the great man.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
The south-west is the region of retreat, the north-east that of advance. Here an individual is confronted by obstacles that cannot be overcome directly. In such a situation it is wise to pause in view of the danger and to retreat. However, this is merely a preparation for overcoming the obstructions. One must join forces with friends of like mind and put himself under the leadership of a man equal to the situation: then one will succeed in removing the obstacles. This requires the will to persevere just when one apparently must do something that leads away from his goal. This unswerving inner purpose brings good fortune in the end. An obstruction that lasts only for a time is useful for self- development. This is the value of adversity.
The image
Water on the mountain:
The image of OBSTRUCTION.
Thus the superior man turns his attention to himself
And moulds his character.
Difficulties and obstructions throw a man back on himself. While the inferior man seeks to put the blame on other persons, bewailing his fate, the superior man seeks the error within himself, and through this introspection the external obstacle becomes for him an occasion for inner enrichment and education.
