#41 損 Decrease – Give, Invest, Less is Better

 

#41損 Decrease – Give, Invest & Less is Better

损      山泽损         艮上兑下

This hexagram has a Mountain trigram on top of the Lake trigram.  The lowly lake loses itself to add to the height of the Mountain. Or we can see it the other way the Mountain losing its area to the Lake. This hexagram represents a decrease, reduction, or loss. Moral teaching is about decreasing one’s benefits to give to and help others.  This reminds me of John the Baptist of the Bible saying about Jesus in John 3:30  “He must increase, but I must decrease. ”

Description:

1. 有孚:  It has integrity
2. 元吉: Great fortune
3. 无咎: No fault
4. 可贞:  Good for perseverance in righteousness
5. 利有攸往: beneficial to start a new project to go somewhere
6. 曷之用，二簋可用享: Using what? Two simple bamboo bowls for sacrifice.

Textual Commentary:

彖曰：损，损下益上，其道上行。 损而有孚，元吉，无咎， 可贞，利有攸往。 曷之用？  二簋可用享； 二簋应有时。 损刚益柔有时，损益盈虚，与时偕行。

The decrease is about taking from the bottom to add to the top, supporting the right way to move upwards. Decrease contains integrity. It is a great fortune. There is no fault. It is good to persevere in righteousness and beneficial for going somewhere.  Using what resources? Two simple bamboo bowls for sacrifices. The timing of the sacrifice is important. Take from the strong to support the soft has its timing. Taking from the gains to fill the lack must go with time.

Pictorial Commentary: 象曰：山下有泽，损；君子以惩忿窒欲

“A Lake below the Mountain,” tells us it is decreasing. Wise men control his anger and restrain his desire.

Moral Teachings:

1. Think about others and not just about ourselves.
2. Success comes from taking from the strong to support the weak. To take from the have to give to the have-not. This creates a happy situation where no one has any lack.
3. The taking and giving must follow the needs and timing of the situations. It must be done at the right time.
4. Wise men know that the natural tendency for men to desire more and more. Men will get angry when they can’t have more and get jealous of others when they have more. Hence, he knows how to control his anger and restrain his desires.
5. This hexagram does not demand the have not to give. It is asking the have to give out of his abundance to the others. We are not to hoard our wealth and our ability. Give and serve others.

Stage 1 Begin Nine: Complete our work and quickly go to help others in need. There is no fault. Think about the loss of others. 初九：已事遄往，无咎，酌损之。
The pictorial commentary explains quickly going to help others because we share the same higher calling. 象曰：已事遄往，尚合志也。

We complete our work to quickly help others that share the same ambitions as us. It is important to take note that we complete our work first and then we go to help others. We can then full-heartedly give our support to those in need. Interrupting our work halfway to help others may cause us to be divided in our attention or demand a payback because we sacrificed. We also don’t just help anyone. It is helping those things we think are important and also we are capable of doing. I-Ching does not demand us to help when we can’t. e.g. saving the drowning when we can’t even swim is not right.  We are not called to help everyone but only those we have the passion and the ability to.

Stage 2 Second Nine: Beneficial for perseverance in righteousness. Taking a new journey is dangerous. Without sacrificing oneself yet enriching the other. 九二：利贞，征凶，弗损益之。
The pictorial commentary explains that the Second-Nine line is beneficial for righteousness because its position is central and he wants to be fore-right in character.象曰：九二利贞，中以为志也。

When we practice the ways of righteousness we will have success in life and will have capabilities and wealth. However, our capabilities are in specific areas. Hence, doing something that we are not familiar with will be dangerous. It does not mean we cannot do new things. It is just a warning that we need to take extra care in doing new things. With our accumulated wealth and capabilities we can enrich others in need without putting our own selves in danger. It is a good thing to do.

Stage 3 Third Six: In the company of three moving together, one will suffer loss; When one moves alone, he gets his friends. 六三：三人行，则损一人；一人行，则得其友。
The pictorial commentary explains that it is better to move alone as in a company of three there will be suspicion. 象曰：一人行，三则疑也。

Without integrity and trust in a relationship, there will be losses and losers. It is better to move alone and then you get to select your friends. You can get one that shares the same values and passions as you. This applies to people who want to start a new business. The common wisdom is to have partnerships with each partner contributing his expertise to the business. In theory, it sounds good. But in practice, it creates many relationship issues. Each one tends to think he contributed more than the fair share of profits that he gets. There is the big issue of trust and transparency. It is usually discovered too late that the beliefs and values of the partners are not quite the same. When things get bad and they want to split, they find that the partnership contract has no exit clauses! Another long legal battle awaits. The wisdom of this teaching is to start a new project alone first. You can hire the experts and you will have clear contractual relationships set up upfront. This will minimize misunderstandings and quarrels. People wanting to form partnerships should study 38睽 Separation – Synergy of Differences and 6 訟 Litigation – Conflict Resolution.

Stage 4 Fourth Six: Take away our faults (literally sickness)  and others will happily come to join us. There is no fault. 六四：损其疾，使遄有喜，无咎。
The pictorial commentary explains that just taking away or reducing our faults is already a joyful thing.象曰：损其疾，亦可喜也。

Common sense only sees one side of the picture – the adding part. We want more and more of the good things. I-Ching wisdom tells us there is the other part – the taking-away or reducing part. Taking away more and more harm and defects is also good. In fact, reducing or taking away is often better than adding. Take waste and pollution for example. Removing waste and pollution creates a better environment. The Global Warming problem is the result of over-adding and minus-ing! Apply I-Ching wisdom to the environment – taking away and having less is a good thing.

Stage 5 Fifth Six: Someone give you very expensive and useful things (literally ten good quality tortoise shells). Don’t reject the present. It is a great fortune. 六五：或益之，十朋之龟弗克违，元吉。
The pictorial commentary explains that great fortune comes from the blessings and protection of those on top (God may be implied here). 象曰：六五元吉，自上佑也。

So far, we have been talking about our giving to others. That is good. Our giving brings forth blessings from others and God too. We must be good and gracious receivers of blessings too. This teaching reminds me of the Law of Sowing and Reaping. The more you sow, the more you reap. See Law 4 of 10 Kingdom Laws for Business Success.

Stage 6 Top Nine: Enriching others without decreasing oneself. There is no fault. Persevere is good fortune. It is beneficial to start moving. Get supporters from all walks of life (literally without families). 上九：弗损益之，无咎，贞吉，利有攸往，得臣无家。
The pictorial commentary explains that there are gains without losses is a great achievement of one’s ambition. 象曰：弗损益之，大得志也。

Everybody gains without anyone losing! How is that possible? This is possible because when we give to others, it is multiplied back to us through others! By sharing and giving our capabilities and wealth, the world becomes richer and everyone becomes richer too. This is unimaginable but true. This is how the economy should work. Remove the greed and the cheats, and the economy of the world will be better. The system is not at fault, it is some of the people.

Summary:

It is good to give what we have to others in need at the right time for a good cause. We should not just hoard resources or money for ourselves. We control our anger when we have not and we restrain our desire when we continue to want more.

Wisdom from the Stage Lines:

1. Complete our work and then help those we can and care for.
2. Enrich others out of your capabilities and wealth but don’t put yourself at risk.
3. Start a new business by yourself alone first. Hire and outsource the required expertise. Don’t form partnerships at the start.
4. Less is good. Lesser waste, faults, sicknesses, and pollution are good and often better than just having more good things (with its toxins!)
5. Be a gracious receiver of blessings too. The more you give the more you receive.
6. Everyone giving and contributing results in a better and richer world when at the same time everyone also gains (more than he has given)!

Lim Liat (c) 26/5/2010