60 -- Restrictive Regulations -- 60

 

 

HEXAGRAM NUMBER SIXTY --

RESTRICTIVE REGULATIONS

Other titles: Limitation, Restraint, Regulations, Articulating, Receipt, Restraining, Containment

 

Judgment

Legge:Restrictive Regulations bring progress and success, but if they are severe and difficult they cannot be permanent.

Wilhelm/Baynes:Limitation. Success. Galling limitation must not be persevered in.

Blofeld:Restraint -- success! It is wrong to persist in harsh restraint.

Liu: Limitation. Success. Bitter limitation should not be continued.

Ritsema/Karcher:Articulating, Growing. Bitter Articulating not permitting Trial. [This hexagram describes your situation in terms of confused relations. It emphasizes that making limits and connections clear, particularly through speech, is the adequate way to handle it...]

Shaughnessy: Receipt. Withered moderation; one may not determine.

Cleary (1):Discipline is developmental, but painful discipline is not to be held to. [Discipline means having limits that are not to be exceeded. This hexagram represents practicing obedience in unfavorable circumstances, adaptably keeping to the Tao. The situation may be up to others, but creation of destiny is up to oneself. When discipline gets to the point of inflicting suffering, it brings on danger itself even where there was no danger; you will only suffer toil and servility which is harmful and has no benefit.]

Cleary (2): Regulation is successful, but painful regulation is not to be held to.

Wu: Regulation indicates pervasiveness. Excessive regulation should not be obstinately pursued. [Sometimes the meaning of conservation or moderation is implied. Although the idea of regulation is convincing, it should not be applied blindly without regard to conditions.]

 

The Image

Legge: Water over a lake -- the image of Restrictive Regulations. The superior man constructs methods of numbering and measurement, and examines the nature of virtuous conduct.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Water over lake: the image of Limitation. Thus the superior man creates number and measure, and examines the nature of virtue and correct conduct.

Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes water held in a dyke above a marshy lake. The Superior Man employs a system of regulations in his plans for the widespread practice of virtue.

Liu: Water above the lake symbolizes Limitation. The superior man devises number and measure, and measures conduct and virtue.

Ritsema/Karcher: Above marsh possessing stream. Articulating. A chun tzu uses paring to reckon the measures. A chun tzu uses deliberating actualizing-taoto move.

[Actualize-tao: ...ability to follow the course traced by the ongoing process of the cosmos... Linked with acquire, TE: acquiring that which makes a being become what it is meant to be.]

Cleary (1): There is water over a lake, regulated. Thus superior people determine measures and discuss various actions.

Cleary (2): … Leaders establish numbers and measures, and consider virtuous conduct.

Wu: There is water above the marsh; this is Regulation. Thus, the jun zi enacts statutes and deliberates virtues. [A study of the limits and merits will avert difficulties.]

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: Progress and attainment are seen in the equally divided dynamic and magnetic lines, with the dynamic lines in the central places. If the regulations are severe and difficult, the course of action will come to an end. We see a cheerful attitude directing the course amidst peril. The rules are correctly initiated by the ruler in the fifth place. Heaven and earth observe their regular cycles and complete the four seasons. When rulers frame their laws according to just limitations, the resources of the state suffer no injury, and the people receive no hurt.

Legge: The written Chinese character which denotes Restrictive Regulations means the regular division of a whole, such as the division of the seasons of the year into ninety-day periods clearly marked by the solstices and equinoxes. Whatever makes regular division may be denominated by a "restrictive regulation," and there enter into it the ideas of ordering and restraining. The hexagram deals with the regulations of government enacted for the guidance and control of the people. An important point is made that these regulations must be adapted to the circumstances and not made too strict and severe.

Ch'eng-tzu says on the Image: "The water which a lake or marsh will contain is limited to a certain quantity. If the water flowing in exceeds that amount, it overflows. This gives us the idea of Restrictive Regulations."

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Judgment: Restrictive Regulations are necessary for growth, but severe restriction must itself be limited.

The Superior Man differentiates his options in relation to the goals of the Work.

The Work itself is nothing if not a rigid structure imposed upon one's life -- a "restrictive regulation" of the ego's illusion of freedom of choice. Ordinary people insist that their lives are ordered by the intelligent exercise of free will, but this "freedom" is more commonly just a rationalization for the activity of autonomous complexes. No one can look objectively at the current state of the world and seriously claim that it reflects either rational order or balanced perception. Collective human experience on this planet is determined by the whims of archetypal forces expressing themselves through the unconscious psyches of six-billion people.

The Work then, is a restrictive regulation of these autonomous forces -- it is a limitation, a containment of the expression of instinct and desire. We are reminded of the alchemical vessel which is hermetically sealed to prevent its contents from escaping before they have been transmuted into gold. If the alchemist miscalculates his "methods of numbering and measurement" the vessel becomes a kind of bomb: the seal breaks, the contents explode, and the Work is ruined. This is what is meant by "if the regulations are severe and difficult, the course of action will come to an end." If we restrict the contents of the vessel beyond their capacity for confinement the psyche boils over in some degree of rebellion. This is no minor thing -- depending on the circumstances, severe psychotic reactions can be created in this manner.

On the other hand, the ego thinks that all but the most minor restrictions are severe and difficult, and it is constantly on the verge of rebellion. As always, it is the Self which must determine how far the restrictive regulations can be taken. From its perspective outside of spacetime it is best able to determine how much pressure the psyche can take -- frequently it is far more (or sometimes far less) than the ego thinks possible.

The Confucian commentary observes: "We see a cheerful attitude directing the course amidst peril." This refers to the lower trigram of Cheerfulness encountering the upper trigram of Peril or Danger. The restrictions of the Work are more often than not unpleasant and risky, constantly verging on some kind of an explosion. An attitude of cheerful acceptance enables one to survive these difficult trials. This is an extremely important concept, because without it one can all too easily fall into a suicidal despair. The Work can become an impossible burden unless one learns how to approach stress and hardship with an almost irreverent sense of humor. (This in itself is an essential lesson about how to purge the ego of its myopic notions of what it will and will not "accept" in life.)

There is an old Zen proverb that says: "Hell, also, is a place to live in." The message is clear: be of good cheer, because without it you are sure to fail.

The seeming inevitability of conflict among the archetypal "powers" can cause us to experience life as a hopeless, senseless impasse. But the conflict can also be discovered to be the expression of a symbolic pattern still to be intuited. It can be lived as if it were a drama, the play of life or of the gods, for the purpose of experiencing an ultimate meaning ... When one can feel with Goethe that "everything transient is but a symbol," then meaning can be found not only in creativity, joy and love but also in impasse, suffering and conflict. Then life can be lived as a work of art.
E.C. Whitmont -- The Symbolic Quest

Line-1

Legge: The first line, dynamic, shows its subject not quitting the courtyard outside his door. There will be no error.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Not going out of the door and the courtyard is without blame.

Blofeld: He goes not go forth from the outer gates and courtyards of his home -- no error!

Liu: One does not go out of the door and courtyard. No blame.

Ritsema/Karcher: Not issuing-forth-from the door chambers. Without fault.

Shaughnessy: Not going out of the door or window; there is no trouble.

Cleary (1): Not leaving home, there is no blame.

Wu: He does not go beyond the entrance hall of his house. No error.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: He knows when he has free course and when he is obstructed. Wilhelm/Baynes: One knows what is open and what is closed. Blofeld: He acts thus from his knowledge of when things can be carried through to their end and when they will be blocked. [The implication is that we should now hold back.]Ritsema/Karcher: Knowing interpenetrating clogging indeed. Cleary (2): Not leaving home is knowing passage and obstruction. Wu: He knows what can be done and what cannot be.

The Master said: "When disorder arises, it will be found that ill-advised speech was the stepping stone to it. If a ruler does not keep secret his deliberations with his minister, he will lose that minister. If a minister does not keep secret his deliberations with his ruler, he will lose his life. If important matters in the germ are not kept secret, that will be injurious to their accomplishment. Therefore the superior man is careful to maintain secrecy, and does not allow himself to speak."

Legge: Line one is dynamic in a dynamic place, and therefore has the power to move. But he is kept in check by the dynamic second line, and his fourth line correlate occupies the first position in the trigram of Peril. He therefore knows when he has free course and when he is obstructed, and in this case the course of wisdom is to keep still. He regulates himself by a consideration of the times. The Daily Lecture says that the line tells an officer not to take office rashly, but to exercise a cautious judgment in his measures.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Wilhelm/Baynes: Often a man who would like to undertake something finds himself confronted by insurmountable limitations. Then he must know where to stop. If he rightly understands this and does not go beyond the limits set for him, he accumulates an energy that enables him, when the proper time comes, to act with great force. Discretion is of prime importance in preparing the way for momentous things. …We see locked doors ahead and therefore hold back.

Siu: At the outset, the man appreciates his own limitations and exercises judicious discretion in not pressing beyond them. He does not exert his authority rashly.

Wing: Although you would like to take certain measures in the current pursuit of your aims, when you see obstacles ahead you must stop. Such Limitations should be recognized and accepted. Stay within the limits and collect your strength quietly.

Editor: If this is the only changing line, the hexagram becomes number twenty-nine, Danger. Obviously, "discretion is the better part of valor" -- one should stay put and not act.

Never set your foot on the path of the wicked, do not walk the way that the evil go.
Avoid it, do not take it, turn your back on it, pass it by.
Proverbs 4: 14

A. Sit tight and accept the limitations of the situation.

Line-2

Legge: The second line, dynamic, shows its subject not quitting the courtyard inside his gate. There will be evil.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Not going out of the door and courtyard brings misfortune.

Blofeld: He goes not forth from the inner gates and courtyards of his home -- misfortune!

Liu: One does not go out the gate and courtyard. Misfortune. [Generally, this line bodes good fortune for action and misfortune for inaction.]

Ritsema/Karcher: Not issuing-forth-from the gate chambers. Pitfall.

Shaughnessy: Not going out of gate or courtyard; inauspicious.

Cleary (1): Not going outside bodes ill. [Holding fast to petty regulations is a great loss.]

Wu: He does not go beyond his courtyard. Foreboding.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: He loses the time for action to an extreme degree. Wilhelm/ Baynes: One misses the crucial moment. Blofeld: Misfortune because he neglects to take advantage of an opportunity now presenting itself. [The implication is that it would be wrong to hold back now.] Ritsema/Karcher: Letting-go the season end indeed. Cleary (2): One misses the timing in the extreme. Wu: He misses an opportunity.

Legge: Line two is dynamic in a magnetic place and without the help of a proper correlate. He keeps still when he ought to be up and doing. There will be evil.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: The time for immediate action has come. The opportunity should be seized quickly and energetically. The man does not act, and bad luck ensues.

Wing: Opportunity and potential are on their way. If you hesitate when the time is right, you will miss your chance entirely. Such bad timing is a result of excessive limitation.

Editor: Line one depicts one restricting himself when it is proper to do so -- line two symbolizes the opposite case: He restricts himself when the times call for action. A fearful, over-cautious or perhaps merely ignorant attitude prevents him from taking the necessary initiative. Sometimes one receives both lines: a seeming contradiction, unless seen as a subtle differentiation of choice. I.e., The first line negates the immediate question, but the second warns us that action of a different character is necessary.

There is a tide in the affairs of men,

Which, taken at the flood, leads on to

fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life

Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

Shakespeare -- Julius Caesar

A. You inhibit yourself unnecessarily -- take advantage of your opportunities. The time calls for action, but you aren't acting.

B. Seek wider horizons.

Line-3

Legge: The third line, magnetic, shows its subject with no appearance of observing the proper regulations, in which case we shall see her lamenting. But there will be no one to blame but herself.

Wilhelm/Baynes: He who knows no limitation will have cause to lament. No blame.

Blofeld: Sighing over an apparent lack of restraint -- no error!

Liu: One does not limit oneself and has cause for lamenting. No blame.

Ritsema/Karcher: Not the Articulating like, by-consequence the lamenting like. Without fault.

Shaughnessy: If one is not moderate-like, then one will be sighing-like; there is no trouble.

Cleary (1): If one is not disciplined, one will lament. It is no fault of others.

Cleary (2): Without regulation there will be lament, but you cannot blame anyone.

Wu: If he does not achieve any regulation, he will lament later. No one is to blame.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: Who should there be to blame? Wilhelm/Baynes: Lament over neglect of limitation -- who is to blame for this? Blofeld: Who would find fault with that? [It is salutary to regret lack of restraint in ourselves or others.] Ritsema/Karcher: Furthermore whose fault indeed? Cleary (2): Whose fault is the lament that comes from lack of regulation? Wu: He laments for being not able to conserve. Who else is to blame?

Legge: Line three should be dynamic, but is magnetic, and neither central nor correct. She has no proper correlate, and is the topmost line in the trigram of Complacent Satisfaction. She refuses the restrictive regulations and will discover her mistake after it is too late. She knows by her lamentations that she only has herself to blame.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: The man does not follow promulgated laws in his own activities. His actions lead to regret.

Wing: Your extravagant behavior and lack of restraint have led you into a state of difficulty. If you are now feeling regret over this and not busy placing the blame elsewhere, you will avoid further mistakes.

Editor: Wilhelm says: "No blame," and Blofeld says: "No error." These renderings seem misleading, since Legge's admonition: "But there will be no one to blame but herself" is more in harmony with the line's meaning. Wilhelm's commentary paradoxically acknowledges this: "But one has oneself to blame for this result." The line is often given in the conditional sense: "If you don't observe the proper regulations, you'll be sorry."

A healthy mind is a castle that cannot be invaded without the will of its master; but if [evil spirits] are allowed to enter, they excite the passions of men and women, they create cravings in them, they produce bad thoughts which act injuriously upon the brain; they sharpen the animal intellect and suffocate the moral sense. Evil spirits obsess only those human beings in whom the animal nature is preponderating. Minds that are illuminated by the spirit of truth cannot be possessed; only those who are habitually guided by their own lower impulses may become subjected to their influence.
Paracelsus -- De Ente Spirituali

A. An image of self-caused misfortune.

B. You'll regret it if you exceed the mean.

Line-4

Legge: The fourth line, magnetic, shows its subject quietly and naturally attentive to all regulations. There will be progress and success.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Contented limitation. Success.

Blofeld: Peaceful restraint -- success!

Liu: Peaceful limitation. Success.

Ritsema/Karcher: Quiet Articulating Growing.

Shaughnessy: Placid moderation; receipt.

Cleary (1): Peaceful discipline is developmental.

Cleary (2): Peaceful regulation is successful.

Wu: He achieves regulation with ease. Pervasive.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: Progress and success is due to the difference which accepts the ways of the ruler above. Wilhelm/Baynes: Accepting the way of the one above. Blofeld: Success is indicated by the firm line immediately above this one. Ritsema/ Karcher: Receiving tao above indeed. Cleary (2): Taking up the higher path. Wu: He supports his superior.

Legge: Line four is magnetic, as it ought to be, and she has respect for the authority of the dynamic ruler in line five above her -- hence the good symbolism and auspice.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: The man understands the nature of regulations and accommodates accordingly. He does not waste energy in useless struggles, but directs it effectively to solving the problem at hand.

Wing: Allow your Limitations to become natural extensions of your behavior.

Accommodate and adapt yourself to the fixed conditions in the situation. Don't carry on battles over "the principle of the thing." Deal with the matter at hand and you will meet with success.

Editor: The idea here is to work within the limitations of the situation at hand. By doing this, one acts according to the will of the Self: ("...accepts the ways of the ruler above").

When nothing is possible without His will, then what is the use of planning? Is it not better to depend on Him and do as He wills? ... When his will bids circumstances and environment change, then accept the change, not before.
Swami Saradananda

A. Accept the restrictions of the Work.

Line-5

Legge: Line five, dynamic, shows its subject sweetly and acceptably enacting his regulations. There will be good fortune. The onward progress with them will afford ground for admiration.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Sweet limitation brings good fortune. Going brings esteem.

Blofeld: Voluntary restraint -- good fortune! Advancing now wins praise. [Presumably this means that we have rightly exercised restraint and that the time has now come for us to continue our advance.]

Liu: Sweet limitation. Good fortune. Undertakings bring honor.

Ritsema/Karcher: Sweet Articulating significant. Going possesses honor.

Shaughnessy: Sweet moderation; auspicious; in going there will be elevation.

Cleary (1): Contented discipline is good: If you go on, there will be exaltation.

Cleary (2): Contented regulation is auspicious. To go on will result in exaltation.

Wu: There is optimal regulation. Auspicious. Wherever he goes, he will succeed.

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: The good fortune is due to the line occupying the place of authority and being in the center. Wilhelm/Baynes: The good fortune comes from remaining central in one's own place. Blofeld: This is indicated by the central position of this ruling line. Ritsema/Karcher: Residing-in the situation: centering indeed. Cleary (2): The position one is in is balanced. Wu: His central position.

Legge: Line five is dynamic and in his correct place. He has no proper correlate, and so regulates himself. But he is the lord of the hexagram, and his influence is everywhere beneficially felt.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: Before exacting obedience from others, the man in a high position first applies the restrictions to himself. His beneficial influence is widely felt.

Wing: In influencing others you must become an example. When Limitations and restrictions are necessary, take them upon yourself first. In this way you are certain that they are acceptable while you win the praise and emulation of others. Good fortune.

Editor: If we don't impose restrictions on ourselves, we are not likely to influence others to do so: "Handsome is as handsome does." In many contexts, the line can suggest a situation in which one may advance only by clearly differentiating its inherent limitations.

But animals which live in pure nature never overdo anything, neither sex nor food nor anything else, because their patterns of behavior always impose the right measure and the moment to stop. The moment to start and the moment to stop is all built into their behavioral system, which is why Jung always said that animals were much more pious and religious than man because they really obey their inner order and really follow the meaning of what they are meant to be, never going beyond that.
M.L. Von Franz -- Alchemical Active Imagination

A. Equitable discipline advances the Work.

B. By recognizing innate difficulties within the situation one is enabled to proceed pragmatically.

C. Maintain realistic expectations in the matter at hand.

Line-6

Legge: The sixth line, magnetic, shows its subject enacting regulations severe and difficult. Even with firmness and correctness there will be evil. But though there will be cause for repentance, it will by and by disappear.

Wilhelm/Baynes: Galling limitation. Perseverance brings misfortune. Remorse disappears.

Blofeld: Painful restraint -- persistence brings misfortune! However, regret will cease later.

Liu: Bitter limitation. Continuing brings misfortune. Remorse vanishes.

Ritsema/Karcher: Bitter articulating, Trial: pitfall. Repenting extinguished.

Shaughnessy: Withered moderation ; determination is inauspicious; regret is gone.

Cleary (1): Painful discipline bodes ill if persisted in, but regret vanishes.

Cleary (2): Painful regulation bodes ill if persisted in. By repenting, it is eliminated.

Wu: There is excessive regulation. It will be foreboding to pursue it obstinately. Regret will disappear. [In this extreme position, he has no business to do stringent regulation. Whatever he does will be excessive and therefore foreboding. The fact that he remembers the virtue of regulation will mitigate his regret for overdoing it.]

 

COMMENTARY

Confucius/Legge: The course indicated by the hexagram has come to an end. Wilhelm/Baynes: Its way comes to an end. Blofeld: Misfortune in the sense that the road we are following peters out. [This implies that we should stop following our present course and that, by doing so, we shall eliminate the cause of our present worry or regret.] Ritsema/Karcher: One's tao exhausted indeed. Cleary (2): That path comes to an impasse. Wu: Excessive regulation is foreboding, because it goes nowhere.

Legge: Line six is magnetic, in its proper place. She must be supposed to possess an exaggerated desire for enacting regulations. They will be too severe, and the effect will be evil. But as Confucius says in the Analects 3:3, it is not so great a fault as to be easy and remiss. It may be remedied, and cause for repentance will disappear.

 

NOTES AND PARAPHRASES

Siu: The man exhibits an exaggerated desire for restrictive regulations. This will not be endured for long by the people. However, ruthless severity may, at times, be the only protection against temptation and irresolution and may eliminate later cause for repentance.

Wing: Excessive restrictions demanded of others will eventually meet with resentment. Nothing worthwhile can be accomplished in this way. However, for your own benefit, you may require severe restraints for a time to aid in your self-development and to help you avoid regretful mistakes.

Editor: In terms of the Work, this is an extremely tricky line demanding subtle interpretation. The first two sentences are a rephrasing of the Judgment; the last sentence is a disclaimer telling us that excessive regulations are acceptable after all. This juxtaposition of contradictory ideas suggests a test situation: it is left entirely up to the querent where to draw the line. In the absence of contrary data it is usually safe to side with Confucius as described in Legge's commentary. On the other hand, it must also be recognized that extreme restriction is not the middle way, hence can only be useful as a strategic temporary measure, not as a way of life.

Sacrifice is necessary. If nothing is sacrificed nothing is obtained. And it is necessary to sacrifice something precious at the moment, to sacrifice for a long time and to sacrifice a great deal. But still, not forever. This must be understood because often it is not understood. Sacrifice is necessary only while the process of crystallization is going on. When crystallization is achieved, renunciations, privations, and sacrifices are no longer necessary.
Gurdjieff

A. You are limiting yourself, but it is OK.

B. Too much structure inhibits growth.

C. When discipline becomes oppression, the Work suffers.

April 10, 2001, 12/16/08