Hexagram 25 Wu Wang - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Innocence
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BY NICOLE LAU
Hexagram 25 Wu Wang - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Innocence
Wu Wang’s six lines tell the complete story of genuine innocence — from the pure, spontaneous action of the first line that brings good fortune, through the unexpected calamity that tests genuine innocence, to the medicine of genuine innocence and the warning of going astray. The journey of Wu Wang is the journey from the first expression of genuine innocence to its supreme test.
Line 1 — Nine at the Bottom: Innocent Action
Innocent behavior brings good fortune.
The first line of Wu Wang describes the pure, spontaneous action of genuine innocence: innocent behavior brings good fortune. The person who acts with genuine innocence — whose action is the pure expression of genuine inner virtue without calculation, without ulterior motive, without falsehood — finds good fortune. The genuine innocence of Line 1 is the innocence of the beginning: the pure, spontaneous energy of the yang line that initiates genuine action from below, the genuine arousing force of thunder that acts without falsehood.
- Stage: The innocence of the beginning — pure spontaneous action
- Action: Act with genuine innocence; let the action be the pure expression of genuine inner virtue
- Wisdom: Good fortune — innocent behavior brings good fortune
Line 2 — Six in the Second Place: Harvesting Without Plowing
If one does not count on the harvest while plowing, nor on the use of the ground while clearing it, it furthers one to undertake something.
The second line of Wu Wang describes the innocence of genuine work: the person who plows without counting on the harvest, who clears the ground without counting on the use of the ground. The genuine innocence of Line 2 is the innocence of genuine work: the person who works without calculation, who acts without counting on the result, finds that it furthers to undertake something. The most important practical teaching of Line 2: genuine innocence does not calculate the result; it acts because the action is the pure expression of genuine inner virtue.
- Stage: The innocence of genuine work — acting without counting on the result
- Action: Work without calculating the harvest; act without counting on the result
- Wisdom: It furthers one to undertake something — genuine innocence in genuine work
Line 3 — Six in the Third Place: Unexpected Calamity
Undeserved misfortune. The cow that was tethered by someone is the wanderer's gain, the citizen's loss.
The third line of Wu Wang describes the unexpected calamity that tests genuine innocence: undeserved misfortune. The cow that was tethered by someone is the wanderer’s gain, the citizen’s loss: the person of genuine innocence who loses the cow through no fault of their own — who suffers undeserved misfortune — finds that the genuine innocence of their action does not protect them from the unexpected calamity of external circumstances. The most important teaching of Line 3: genuine innocence does not guarantee the absence of misfortune; it guarantees the absence of fault.
- Stage: The test of genuine innocence — undeserved misfortune
- Action: Accept the undeserved misfortune without losing genuine innocence
- Wisdom: Undeserved misfortune — genuine innocence does not guarantee the absence of misfortune
Line 4 — Nine in the Fourth Place: Perseverance Is Possible
He who can be persevering remains without blame.
The fourth line of Wu Wang describes the possibility of genuine perseverance: he who can be persevering remains without blame. The person who maintains genuine innocence through the test of unexpected calamity — who perseveres in genuine action without falsehood despite the undeserved misfortune of Line 3 — remains without blame. The genuine innocence of Line 4 is the innocence of genuine perseverance: the person who can persevere in genuine action without falsehood finds no blame.
- Stage: The perseverance of genuine innocence — remaining without blame
- Action: Persevere in genuine action without falsehood; maintain genuine innocence through the test
- Wisdom: No blame — he who can be persevering remains without blame
Line 5 — Nine in the Fifth Place: The Medicine of Genuine Innocence
Use no medicine in an illness incurred through no fault of your own. It will pass of itself.
The ruler’s position in Wu Wang — and the most profound teaching: use no medicine in an illness incurred through no fault of your own. It will pass of itself. The illness of Line 5 is the illness of undeserved misfortune — the calamity that has come through no fault of genuine innocence. The medicine of genuine innocence is not the medicine of calculation but the medicine of genuine trust: the genuine innocence that trusts that the illness incurred through no fault will pass of itself. The most important practical teaching of Line 5: genuine innocence does not force the cure; it trusts that the genuine inner virtue of genuine innocence will naturally restore genuine health.
- Stage: The medicine of genuine innocence — trusting that the illness will pass of itself
- Action: Use no medicine; trust that the illness incurred through no fault will pass of itself
- Wisdom: It will pass of itself — genuine innocence trusts the natural restoration of genuine health
Line 6 — Nine at the Top: The Warning of Going Astray
Innocent action brings misfortune. Nothing furthers.
The supreme warning of Wu Wang — the person whose innocent action brings misfortune. Nothing furthers: the person of Line 6 has reached the extreme of Wu Wang — the point at which even innocent action brings misfortune, because the time is not right for action. The warning of Line 6 is not the warning of falsehood but the warning of mistiming: the person who acts with genuine innocence at the wrong time — who initiates genuine action when the time calls for genuine stillness — finds that innocent action brings misfortune. Nothing furthers: the time of Line 6 is the time of genuine stillness, not genuine action.
- Stage: The warning of mistiming — innocent action at the wrong time
- Action: Recognize when the time calls for genuine stillness rather than genuine action
- Wisdom: Nothing furthers — even innocent action brings misfortune when the time is not right
The Complete Journey: A Summary
- Line 1: Innocent behavior — pure spontaneous action; good fortune
- Line 2: Harvesting without plowing — acting without counting on the result; furthers to undertake
- Line 3: Unexpected calamity — undeserved misfortune; genuine innocence without fault
- Line 4: Perseverance possible — maintaining genuine innocence through the test; no blame
- Line 5: Medicine of innocence — trusting the illness will pass of itself; natural restoration
- Line 6: Warning of mistiming — innocent action at the wrong time; nothing furthers
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 Wu Wang in Practice
- Part 4: Philosophy — Wu Wang in Confucian, Taoist, and Ethical Thought
- Part 5: Practical Applications — Acting Without Calculation, Authentic Leadership, Spontaneous Action
- Part 6: Modern Interpretations — Flow State Science, Authenticity Research, Spontaneous Action
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