Hexagram 25 無妄 - WÚ WÀNG / INNOCENCE (THE UNEXPECTED)
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Trigrams#
- Above: Qián, The Creative, Heaven
- Below: Zhèn, The Arousing, Thunder
Above is Qián, heaven; below is Zhèn, movement. The lower trigram, Zhèn, is determined by the strong line it received from above, from heaven. Accordingly, when movement follows the law of heaven, man is innocent and free from guile. This is the genuine and natural state, unclouded by ulterior motives or calculating thoughts. Wherever conscious intent becomes apparent, the truth and innocence of nature are lost. Nature without the guidance of the spirit is not true nature, but degenerate nature. Beginning with the idea of the natural, the sequence of thought extends further, so that the hexagram also encompasses the concept of the unintended and the unexpected.
The Judgment#
Innocence. Supreme success. Perseverance furthers. If someone is not as he should be, he has misfortune, and it does not further him to undertake anything.
Man has received from heaven an originally good nature to guide him in all his movements. By devoting himself to this divine element within, he attains a pure innocence that does what is right with instinctive certainty, completely free from thoughts of reward or advantage. This instinctive certainty brings supreme success and furthers through perseverance. However, not everything instinctive is nature in this higher sense of the word; only that which is right and aligns with the will of heaven qualifies. Without this rectitude, a thoughtless, instinctive way of acting brings nothing but misfortune. Master Kung (Confucius) says regarding this: “He who departs from innocence, where does he go? Heaven’s will and blessing do not accompany his deeds.”
The Image#
Thunder rolls under heaven: All things attain the natural state of innocence. Thus the ancient kings, rich in virtue and in harmony with the time, fostered and nourished all beings.
When thunder - the life force - stirs again under heaven in spring, everything sprouts and grows, and all creatures receive the childlike innocence of their original being from creative nature. The great rulers of humanity act in the same way: out of the inner wealth of their being, they care for all life and culture, doing everything necessary to foster them at the proper time.
The Lines#
Nine at the beginning means:#
Innocent conduct brings good fortune.
The first, original impulses of the heart are always good. One can follow them with confidence, assured of finding good fortune and achieving one’s purpose.
Six in the second place means:#
If one does not think of reaping while plowing, nor of using the field while clearing it, then it furthers one to undertake something.
One should perform every task for its own sake, as time and place require, without side-glances at success. Then the work prospers, and whatever is undertaken succeeds.
Six in the third place means:#
Undeserved misfortune: The cow tied up by someone is the wanderer’s gain, the citizen’s loss.
Sometimes undeserved misfortune comes from without, caused by someone else - as when a passerby walks off with a tethered cow. His gain is the owner’s loss. In all actions, even innocent ones, one must adapt to the proper time; otherwise, unexpected misfortune will occur.
Nine in the fourth place means:#
He who can be persevering remains without blame.
What truly belongs to a person cannot be lost, even if one were to throw it away. Therefore, there is no need for anxiety. One must only be concerned with remaining true to one’s own nature without listening to others.
Nine in the fifth place means:#
In an illness that comes through no fault of your own, use no medicine. It will get well by itself.
If an unexpected evil comes from without by chance, one that is not rooted in one’s own nature and finds no foothold there, one should not resort to external remedies to remove it. Instead, let nature quietly take its course, and it will heal on its own.
Nine at the top means:#
Innocent action brings misfortune. Nothing furthers.
When one is in a situation where progress is no longer timely, the rule is to wait quietly and without ulterior motives. If one acts thoughtlessly to force one’s way against fate, success will not be achieved.
Reference links#
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