Continuing this series of posts, I'd like to examine the text and image of Hexagram 28.
Here is the judgment text of 28:
Wilhelm-Baynes: "Preponderance of the Great. The ridgepole sags to the breaking point. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. Success."
Hilary: "Great Exceeding, the ridgepole warps. Fruitful to have a direction to go. Creating success."
Legge: "Critical Mass depicts a weak beam. Under such conditions it is advantageous to move in any direction whatever. Success is indicated."
And here is the image text:
WB: "The lake rises above the trees: the image of Preponderance of the Great. Thus the superior man, when he stands alone, is unconcerned, and if he has to renounce the world, he is undaunted."
Hilary: "The lake submerges the tree. Great Exceeding. A noble one stands alone without fear, Withdraws from the time without sadness."
Legge: "The image of trees beneath a marsh forms Critical Mass. The superior man, in accordance with this, fearlessly stands alone, and stays retired from the world without regret."
To me, it almost seems here as if judgment and image are contradictory. The judgment says: go somewhere. Move in a direction. The image says: it's ok to stand unconcerned, renounce or retire from the world, withdraw from the time. What gives?
The image texts are an interesting comparison to say, that of 47... where, in WB's translation, it suggests "Thus the superior man stakes his life on following his will."
Could it be that the 'any direction' in which one moves in 28 is something which happens outside of human control, and the best that can happen is that the person stands undaunted?
Here is the judgment text of 28:
Wilhelm-Baynes: "Preponderance of the Great. The ridgepole sags to the breaking point. It furthers one to have somewhere to go. Success."
Hilary: "Great Exceeding, the ridgepole warps. Fruitful to have a direction to go. Creating success."
Legge: "Critical Mass depicts a weak beam. Under such conditions it is advantageous to move in any direction whatever. Success is indicated."
And here is the image text:
WB: "The lake rises above the trees: the image of Preponderance of the Great. Thus the superior man, when he stands alone, is unconcerned, and if he has to renounce the world, he is undaunted."
Hilary: "The lake submerges the tree. Great Exceeding. A noble one stands alone without fear, Withdraws from the time without sadness."
Legge: "The image of trees beneath a marsh forms Critical Mass. The superior man, in accordance with this, fearlessly stands alone, and stays retired from the world without regret."
To me, it almost seems here as if judgment and image are contradictory. The judgment says: go somewhere. Move in a direction. The image says: it's ok to stand unconcerned, renounce or retire from the world, withdraw from the time. What gives?
The image texts are an interesting comparison to say, that of 47... where, in WB's translation, it suggests "Thus the superior man stakes his life on following his will."
Could it be that the 'any direction' in which one moves in 28 is something which happens outside of human control, and the best that can happen is that the person stands undaunted?