Hexagram 12 Pi - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Standstill
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BY NICOLE LAU
Hexagram 12 Pi - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Standstill
Pi's six lines tell the complete story of standstill - from the initial noble withdrawal in the time of obstruction, through the patient endurance and genuine inner cultivation that sustains the superior person through Pi, to the moment when the standstill begins to give way, and finally to the joyful overthrow of standstill and the return of the natural cycle.
Line 1 - Six at the Bottom: Pulling Up the Rush in Withdrawal
When ribbon grass is pulled up, the sod comes with it. Each according to his kind. Perseverance brings good fortune and success.
The first yin line withdraws in the time of Pi like ribbon grass pulled up with its roots - bringing companions of genuine inner virtue with it. The withdrawal of Pi is not the withdrawal of defeat; it is the withdrawal of genuine wisdom. The appropriate response to the time of obstruction is the patient, disciplined cultivation of genuine inner virtue - not the attempt to maintain the conduct of Tai when the time of Pi has arrived.
- Stage: The initial withdrawal - withdrawing with companions of genuine inner virtue
- Action: Withdraw; bring companions of genuine inner virtue; persevere in genuine character cultivation
- Danger: Refusing to withdraw - persisting in the conduct of Tai when Pi has arrived
- Wisdom: Perseverance in genuine inner cultivation brings good fortune in the time of standstill
When this line appears: Withdraw with companions of genuine inner virtue. Persevere in genuine character cultivation. Good fortune comes from the patient withdrawal of Pi, not from forcing the conduct of Tai.
Line 2 - Six in the Second Place: Bearing and Enduring
They bear and endure; this means good fortune for inferior people. The standstill serves to help the great man to attain success.
The paradox of Pi: the time of standstill that is misfortune for the inferior person is the time of genuine cultivation for the superior person. The inferior person bears and endures with the patience of their genuine nature - content with the small and petty. The superior person uses the time of obstruction to cultivate genuine inner virtue, to deepen genuine wisdom, and to prepare for the return of Tai. The standstill of Pi is not merely an obstacle to be endured; it is an opportunity for genuine cultivation that the busyness of Tai does not permit.
- Stage: Bearing and enduring - patient cultivation of genuine inner virtue in the time of obstruction
- Action: Bear and endure with genuine patience; use the time of obstruction to cultivate genuine inner virtue
- Danger: Impatience - attempting to force the return of Tai before the natural cycle has turned
- Wisdom: The standstill of Pi serves the great person - obstruction is the time of genuine inner cultivation
When this line appears: Bear and endure with genuine patience. Use the time of obstruction to cultivate genuine inner virtue. The standstill serves you.
Line 3 - Six in the Third Place: Bearing Shame
They bear shame.
The most difficult line of Pi. The person of Line 3 has been complicit in the forces of obstruction - co-opted by the small and petty forces of the time of Pi, accepting the honors and revenues that the forces of obstruction offer, compromising genuine inner virtue in the time of standstill. The bearing of shame is the genuine acknowledgment of this complicity. It is not the end; it is the beginning of the genuine return to genuine inner virtue.
- Stage: Bearing shame - recognizing complicity in the forces of obstruction
- Action: Acknowledge the shame honestly; return to genuine inner virtue; do not allow shame to become despair
- Danger: Denial of complicity; or despair - loss of faith in the natural cycle
- Wisdom: Bearing shame honestly is the beginning of the genuine return to genuine inner virtue
When this line appears: Acknowledge honestly any complicity in the forces of obstruction. Bear the shame without denial and without despair. This is the beginning of the return.
Line 4 - Nine in the Fourth Place: Acting on Higher Orders
He who acts at the command of the highest remains without blame. Those of like mind partake of the blessing.
The first yang line in the upper trigram - the turning point of Pi. The person of Line 4 acts not on personal initiative but at the command of the highest: at the command of the genuine inner virtue that the time of Pi has cultivated, at the command of the natural order beginning to turn from Pi back toward Tai. Those of like mind partake of the blessing - the action is communal, not solitary. The yang lines are beginning to act; the natural cycle is beginning to turn.
- Stage: The beginning of the return - yang lines beginning to act at the command of the highest
- Action: Act at the command of genuine inner virtue and the natural order; bring those of like mind
- Danger: Acting on personal initiative rather than at the command of the highest; acting alone
- Wisdom: Action commanded by the highest remains without blame and brings blessing to those of like mind
When this line appears: Act at the command of the highest - genuine inner virtue and the natural order. Bring those of like mind. The blessing of the beginning of the return is shared.
Line 5 - Nine in the Fifth Place: Standstill Is Giving Way
Standstill is giving way. Good fortune for the great man. What if it should fail, what if it should fail? He ties it to a cluster of mulberry shoots.
The ruler's position in the time of Pi: the standstill is ending, the natural cycle is turning, the time of Tai is approaching. The great person who has cultivated genuine inner virtue through the time of Pi finds good fortune in this moment. But the great person does not relax their vigilance - they tie the returning good fortune to the cluster of mulberry shoots, maintaining the genuine caution and genuine care of the person who knows the return of Tai is not yet fully secure.
- Stage: Standstill giving way - the natural cycle turning, Tai approaching
- Action: Maintain genuine vigilance; tie the returning good fortune to the mulberry shoots; do not relax inner cultivation
- Danger: Premature relaxation - losing vigilance in the moment when standstill is giving way
- Wisdom: Good fortune for the great person who maintains genuine vigilance in the moment of the return
When this line appears: The standstill is giving way. Good fortune is approaching. Maintain genuine vigilance - tie the returning good fortune to the mulberry shoots. Do not relax the inner cultivation of Pi.
Line 6 - Nine at the Top: The Overthrow of Standstill
The standstill comes to an end. First standstill, then good fortune.
The end of the standstill. The natural cycle has turned; the creative and receptive forces are moving toward each other again; the time of Tai has returned. First standstill, then good fortune: the good fortune of the return is the natural consequence of the patient, disciplined cultivation of genuine inner virtue in the time of Pi. The person who navigated Pi with genuine nobility finds the good fortune of the return. Maintain the genuine inner virtue that sustained you through the standstill - the lessons of Pi are the foundation of the flourishing of the return.
- Stage: The end of standstill - the natural cycle has turned, Tai has returned
- Action: Receive the good fortune of the return with genuine gratitude; maintain the genuine inner virtue cultivated in Pi
- Danger: Forgetting the lessons of Pi - losing the genuine inner virtue cultivated in the time of standstill
- Wisdom: First standstill, then good fortune - the good fortune of the return is the natural consequence of genuine inner cultivation in Pi
When this line appears: The standstill has ended. Tai is returning. Receive the good fortune with genuine gratitude. The lessons of the standstill are the foundation of the flourishing of the return.
The Complete Journey: A Summary
- Line 1: Noble withdrawal with companions - perseverance in genuine inner cultivation brings good fortune
- Line 2: Bearing and enduring - the standstill serves the great person; obstruction is the time of genuine cultivation
- Line 3: Bearing shame - acknowledging complicity; the beginning of the return to genuine inner virtue
- Line 4: Acting on higher orders - the yang lines beginning to act; those of like mind partake of the blessing
- Line 5: Standstill giving way - maintain genuine vigilance; tie the returning good fortune to the mulberry shoots
- Line 6: The overthrow of standstill - first standstill, then good fortune
The consistent theme: the time of Pi is both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is the genuine obstruction of natural flourishing; the opportunity is the genuine cultivation of genuine inner virtue that the time of obstruction makes possible. The person who navigates Pi with genuine nobility finds the good fortune of the return: first standstill, then good fortune.
What Is Next in This Series
- Part 1: The Symbol and Structure
- Part 2 (This Article): The Six Lines - Complete Line-by-Line Commentary
- Part 3: Divination Guide - How to Read Pi in Practice
- Part 4: Philosophy - Pi in Confucian, Taoist, and Political Thought
- Part 5: Practical Applications - Career, Relationships, Leadership, Personal Resilience
- Part 6: Modern Interpretations - Resilience Science, Dark Night of the Soul, Contemporary Relevance
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