Hexagram 14 Da You - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Great Possession
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BY NICOLE LAU
Hexagram 14 Da You - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Great Possession
Da You's six lines tell the complete story of genuine great possession — from the humble beginning that is free of harm, through the great wagon of abundance that can carry all things, the prince's offering to heaven, the humble ruler who is without arrogance, to the supreme good fortune of the person who is blessed by heaven itself. This is the journey of Da You.
Line 1 — Nine at the Bottom: No Relationship with What Is Harmful
No relationship with what is harmful. There is no blame in this. If one remains conscious of difficulty, one remains without blame.
The first line of Da You describes the beginning of great possession — the humble beginning that is free of harm. The person at the beginning of great possession has not yet accumulated the great abundance of Da You, but they are free of the harmful relationships and harmful entanglements that corrupt great possession. If one remains conscious of difficulty — if one does not become complacent in the early stages of great possession — one remains without blame.
- Stage: The humble beginning — free of harm, free of harmful relationships
- Action: Remain conscious of difficulty; do not become complacent in the early stages of great possession
- Danger: Complacency — losing the consciousness of difficulty in the early stages of great possession
- Wisdom: No blame — the humble beginning that is free of harm is the foundation of genuine great possession
When this line appears: You are at the beginning of great possession. Remain conscious of difficulty. The humble beginning that is free of harm is the foundation of the genuine great possession to come.
Line 2 — Nine in the Second Place: The Great Wagon
A big wagon for loading. One may undertake something. No blame.
The second line of Da You describes the great wagon of abundance — the person who has the genuine capacity to carry great possession without being overwhelmed by it. The great wagon is the image of the person whose genuine inner virtue is strong enough to bear the weight of great possession: the person who can carry the abundance of Da You without being corrupted by it. One may undertake something: the great wagon is ready; the time is right for the great undertaking.
- Stage: The great capacity — the genuine inner virtue strong enough to bear the weight of great possession
- Action: Undertake the great project; the great wagon is ready to carry the abundance of Da You
- Danger: Underestimating the weight of great possession — attempting to carry more than the genuine inner virtue can bear
- Wisdom: No blame — the great wagon of genuine inner virtue is the foundation of the great undertaking
When this line appears: You have the genuine capacity to carry great possession. The great wagon is ready. Undertake the great project — no blame.
Line 3 — Nine in the Third Place: The Prince Offers It to the Son of Heaven
A prince offers it to the Son of Heaven. A petty person cannot do this.
The third line of Da You describes the offering of great possession to the highest authority — the prince who offers the abundance of Da You to the Son of Heaven, the ruler who holds the great possession in trust for the genuine common good. A petty person cannot do this: the offering of great possession to the highest authority requires the genuine inner virtue of the person who holds the great possession lightly — who understands that genuine great possession is not personal property but a trust held for the genuine good of all.
- Stage: The offering — the genuine inner virtue that holds great possession in trust for the common good
- Action: Offer the great possession to the highest authority; hold it in trust for the genuine common good
- Danger: The petty person's approach — treating great possession as personal property rather than a trust for the common good
- Wisdom: The prince who offers to the Son of Heaven — the genuine inner virtue that holds great possession lightly
When this line appears: Hold the great possession in trust for the genuine common good. Offer it to the highest authority — the genuine inner virtue that is the foundation of all genuine great possession. A petty person cannot do this.
Line 4 — Nine in the Fourth Place: Making a Difference Between Oneself and One's Neighbor
He makes a difference between himself and his neighbor. No blame.
The fourth line of Da You describes the wisdom of genuine discernment in the time of great possession — the person who makes a genuine difference between themselves and their neighbor, who does not allow the great possession of Da You to be dissipated through indiscriminate sharing or corrupted through inappropriate relationships. No blame: the genuine discernment of Line 4 is not selfishness but the precise intelligence of the person who understands that genuine great possession requires genuine stewardship.
- Stage: Genuine discernment — the wisdom of making genuine distinctions in the time of great possession
- Action: Make genuine distinctions; do not allow great possession to be dissipated through indiscriminate sharing
- Danger: Indiscriminate sharing — dissipating the great possession of Da You through the failure of genuine discernment
- Wisdom: No blame — genuine discernment is the stewardship of genuine great possession
When this line appears: Exercise genuine discernment in the time of great possession. Make genuine distinctions. The stewardship of genuine great possession requires the wisdom of genuine discernment.
Line 5 — Six in the Fifth Place: He Whose Truth Is Accessible Yet Dignified Has Good Fortune
He whose truth is accessible yet dignified has good fortune.
The single yin line of Da You — the ruler's position, the structural center of the hexagram — describes the genuine inner virtue of the ruler of great possession: accessible yet dignified, genuine yet authoritative, open yet discerning. The ruler of Da You does not grasp the great possession but holds it lightly — accessible to all who approach with genuine inner virtue, dignified in the genuine authority of the person whose truth is genuine. Good fortune: the ruler whose truth is accessible yet dignified finds the supreme good fortune of Da You.
- Stage: The ruler's virtue — accessible yet dignified, genuine yet authoritative
- Action: Hold the great possession lightly; be accessible to all who approach with genuine inner virtue; maintain genuine dignity
- Danger: Arrogance — losing the accessibility of genuine inner virtue in the pride of great possession
- Wisdom: Good fortune — the ruler whose truth is accessible yet dignified finds the supreme good fortune of Da You
When this line appears: Hold the great possession lightly. Be accessible yet dignified — genuine yet authoritative. The supreme good fortune of Da You comes to the ruler whose truth is accessible yet dignified.
Line 6 — Nine at the Top: He Is Blessed by Heaven
He is blessed by heaven. Good fortune. Nothing that does not further.
The supreme line of Da You — the person who is blessed by heaven itself. The blessing of heaven is the natural consequence of the genuine inner virtue that has been cultivated through all six lines of Da You: the humble beginning free of harm, the great wagon of genuine capacity, the prince's offering to the Son of Heaven, the genuine discernment of stewardship, the accessible yet dignified truth of the ruler. The person who has navigated Da You with genuine inner virtue finds the supreme good fortune of heaven's blessing: good fortune, nothing that does not further.
- Stage: The supreme good fortune — the blessing of heaven that is the natural consequence of genuine inner virtue
- Action: Receive the blessing of heaven with genuine gratitude; maintain the genuine inner virtue that has attracted the blessing
- Danger: Losing the genuine inner virtue in the pride of heaven's blessing — forgetting that the blessing is the consequence of genuine virtue, not the cause
- Wisdom: Good fortune, nothing that does not further — the supreme good fortune of the person who is blessed by heaven
When this line appears: You are blessed by heaven. Receive the blessing with genuine gratitude. Maintain the genuine inner virtue that has attracted the blessing. Good fortune — nothing that does not further.
The Complete Journey: A Summary
- Line 1: No relationship with what is harmful — the humble beginning; remain conscious of difficulty
- Line 2: The great wagon — the genuine capacity to carry great possession; undertake the great project
- Line 3: The prince's offering — hold great possession in trust for the common good
- Line 4: Making a difference — genuine discernment and stewardship of great possession
- Line 5: Accessible yet dignified — the ruler's genuine inner virtue; good fortune
- Line 6: Blessed by heaven — the supreme good fortune of genuine inner virtue
The consistent theme: genuine great possession is not seized but received; not grasped but held lightly; not possessed for personal advantage but held in trust for the genuine common good. The person who navigates Da You with genuine inner virtue finds the supreme good fortune of heaven's blessing.
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 Da You in Practice
- Part 4: Philosophy — Da You in Confucian, Taoist, and Political Thought
- Part 5: Practical Applications — Wealth, Leadership, Generosity, Stewardship
- Part 6: Modern Interpretations — Positive Psychology, Abundance Mindset, Contemporary Relevance
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