Hexagram ䷹ Dui 兌 part 2
Communication and Joy
LiZe Dui JunZi Yi PengYouJiangXi
麗澤 兌 君子以朋友講習
Marshes feeding each other is the image of the Dui hexagram. Learn from this - discuss, practice, and share with like-minded friends.
The Core of Dui
Since publishing my previous article on the Dui hexagram, I have still been thinking about the wisdom within Dui. I will postpone my next article on the Kun 困 hexagram (the next hexagram in the Dui hexagram family), in order to share some more insights on Dui for you first.
In Yijing symbolism, the hexagram Dui has two key meanings in Chinese: 說 and 悅. 說 is made with the left radical Yan 言 (speak, talk, and language) and the right radical Dui 兑 (the same as the name of the hexagram ䷹). When 說 is pronounced “Shuo,” it means speak, talk, discuss, language, and thoughts, and when 說 is pronounced “Yue,” it has the same meaning of the other Chinese character Yue 悅, which is made with left radial Xin 心 (heart) and right radical Dui (the name of the hexagram ䷹). Yue means pleased, joyful, happy, satisfied, and contented. As you can see, applying Dui hexagram wisdom in our daily lives is to learn how to communicate and how to find joy. In order to grasp this more fully, let us delve more deeply into the symbolism of the Dui hexagram.
From my previous article, you know that the Dui hexagram ䷹ is made of two ☱ Dui trigrams. Since I first started teaching the Yijing to Western students in 1996, I have preferred to translate Dui as “Marsh,” instead of “Lake,” which is the most commonly used English translation. Why is this? Allow me to tell you:
1. In Chinese, the symbolic name for the trigram Dui is Ze 澤 (marsh) and not Hu 湖 (lake).
2. The image of the Dui trigram ☱ contains two Yang lines at bottom with one Yin line on top, which indicates that strong body of water hidden beneath the surface so that we can not determine the depth of the water beneath with a glance. When we compare this image with an actual marsh or lake in nature, we clearly see that a marsh is the truer representation of the trigram.
3. The Dui trigram also stands for fullness without overflowing, a quality which also matches a marsh better than it does a lake.
Please take a look hexagram Dui’s DaXiang sentence at the beginning of this article again. The first two words, LiZe, show us the pattern of two marshes connecting and feeding each other. This demonstrates the key Daoist principles of communication, cultivation, and healing principle, as stated in chapter 77 of the DaoDeJing:
TianZhiDao SunYouYuErBuBuZu 天之道 損有餘而補不足
The way of universe is to use surplus to support deficiency
I will discuss this concept during the remainder of the article.
The Way of Communication
Some of you may familiar with the DaoDeJing citation above as I often begin lectures about the healing principle, especially when using external Qi-healing methods, with this quote. When two marshes connect to each other, the one with more water naturally feeds the one with less water. The Dui hexagram depicts the balancing way of nature, with the surplus taking care of the insufficiency, just as LaoZi declared. While working with a client, when we learn to channel the strong Qi from the universe, this universal Qi naturally flows to places of low energy or areas of weakness within the client’s body. In this type of healing work, the practitioner does not focus on how to “put” universal Qi into someone’s body, nor on how to “fix” any weakness or deficiency therein, it is nature who does the work, sending the healing Qi where it is most needed.
I also often emphasize that the symbolic meaning of hexagram Dui (speak, communicate) directly illustrates the principle of cultivation in our daily life. If, when we speak with others, we practice residing in our inherent strength and tapping into a sense of nature’s abundance, filled with water and brimming with life, as a marsh is, our support and care naturally flows to others, which is turn helps to create a joyful connection. If, when we listen to others, we are open and receiving, acting as a marsh in need of some water, we keep our hearts and minds open and can more easily discover the benefits available for us to take in. In Chinese, we have a saying: HuaBuNengShuoTaiMan 話不能說太滿, which literally means “don’t speak out too fully.” In other words, when we communicate learning from a marsh that feeds into instead of overflowing onto, we refrain from dominating the conversation, from forcing ourselves or our points of view onto others.
While there are no two marshes in nature that are exactly the same, if they are in proximity, they will feed into the other. If we learn to apply the wisdom of Dui in our daily lives, we learn to respect other people’s differences, even if their opinions feel completely opposite from our own, and can live in peace and harmony with one another. As Confucius states in The Analects, JunZiHeErBuTong 君子和而不同 - A true friendship is when ladies and gentlemen communicate their differing views harmoniously.
The Way of Joy
I always feel a great sense of joy within each time I visit a marsh, regardless of its size. I revel in the beauty of a landscape that is in constant change and the rich abundance of the wildlife. I will always remember one trip I took to the Florida Everglades about 15 years ago. I wanted to visit a scenic area and saw the a mosquito indicator at the trail head was low, so off I went. I was told that when the mosquito index is “extremely high,” it is basically impossible to hike through the area. However, it wasn’t long until I found myself walking through a thick swarm of mosquitos, thicker than I could ever imagine. It was as though the sky was raining a heavy downpour of mosquitos! How could I proceed without being eaten alive? I immediately took off my t-shirt and swung it around my head and upper body using my Kungfu defense techniques as I ran through the swarm. It was such a fun and unexpected adventure (even though I did get a few bites)! Each marsh has its own unique quality of openness and fluctuation and can quickly transform its shape as it adapts to changes of the surroundings and climate. This quality of a marsh holds the key to the symbolism of joy within the Dui hexagram and trigram. Learning to find the joy in the ever changing fluctuations in life is the wisdom of Dui.
Another symbolic meaning of Dui is the autumn season. During the autumn, we see rapidly changing colors and scenery of the nature surrounding us. After the leaves fall away, our view opens up. In addition to the spiritual joy we receive from the natural beauty of the autumn season, we also experience the physical joy of the harvest, especially when sharing the abundance of food with our family and friends. In fact, the wisdom of the Dui hexagram reveals to us that the true source of joy is our own openness and generosity.
How do we find our joy through our generosity? Let’s look at the Dui hexagram image again. Yes, the marshes are feeding each other! This gives me a clear message about detaching from what we have, of letting things go (to read more about detachment you may like to read my article Bo ䷖ 剝 - Peel Off, The Way of Enlightenment) and opening your mind to receive the offerings of others. LaoZi speaks to this in chapter 9 of DaoDeJing, “ChiErYingZhi BuRuQiYi 持而盈之 不如其已 – Do not hold on to things until the point of overwhelm/overflow, it is better to let them go.”
Ending Words
Letting go is the way of receiving! In order to have mutually supportive and fulfilling relationships, we can learn from the qualities of the marsh. We let go of our reactions and our arrogance so that we are able to take in another person’s perspective (and their humanity), communicate peacefully, and gain the gift of joyful connection.
Thank you Master Wu!