{"id":956,"date":"2019-07-30T11:36:13","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T09:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.no2do.com\/synopse\/?p=956"},"modified":"2025-04-18T11:28:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T09:28:59","slug":"30-the-clinging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.no2do.com\/synopse\/en\/archives\/956","title":{"rendered":"30 \u2013 the clinging"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Is it beneficial – or harmful? What is good for me? What do I really want? These questions are not as easy to answer as they may seem. Because their starting point is this I<\/em> – but who is this I<\/em> really? Can I feel myself? Can I feel what defines me – including the boundaries that make me who I am?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

This inner sense – the sense of myself – is essential. It is the basis of my ability to discern: to distinguish the clear from the unclear, what serves me from what harms me. In no2DO<\/a>, I associate Li, the fire<\/a><\/em>, with the small intestine – the organ that, according to classical Chinese medicine, separates the pure from the impure. And this ability to discern doesn’t just apply to the body – it also applies to thoughts and emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is really good for me? What do I really want? The better I know myself, the sharper my judgment becomes. And the better my ability to differentiate, the more capable I become of taking meaningful action – because I can focus my energy on what really matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But things are not always clear. Sometimes, situations keep repeating themselves, and I don’t understand why. Or I make decisions to the best of my knowledge and still don’t get the result I was hoping for. Or what I thought would be “good” for me turns out not to be. Why is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps because every act of discernment is provisional. We make decisions based on limited information, carryin<\/a>g with us memories – pleasant or painful. We do the best we can, but we never have the full picture. So we form a first impression (Li, the fire<\/em>) and step into the world, begin to act – alone or with others (Sun, the wind \/ tree<\/a><\/em>). Until the world eventually responds (Dui, the lake<\/a><\/em>) – through feedback, through mirroring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These reflections can be painful. Because, let’s face it, we often fool ourselves. We look away, sugarcoat reality, and deep down, we often know exactly where we stand. If we allow it, the world can become a mirror – not to lecture us, but to reveal our blind spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So that next time (Li, the fire<\/em>), we’re better prepared. Because we’ve tested, revised, and allowed new experiences to challenge what we previously believed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, every deep insight is the result of a long process – a persistent, repeated encounter with reality. We may cling to it, as fire clings to the object it burns. Reality becomes our personal resonance chamber, a place of reflection and comparison, where we gradually learn to discriminate more clearly. And through this process, we come to know ourselves better. We may even begin to change our inner attitude – the only thing we can truly change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case Study<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A user has the following concern: “There is a colleague in my current job and and I am not sure how much I can rely on her support… Consulting the I Ching<\/a> resulted in hexagram<\/a> 30 – the clinging<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do we find out how – and if – someone relates to us? One way is to just give it a try. If the stakes aren’t too high, if the potential losses are bearable, then you can just give it a go. Otherwise, it might be worth thinking about it…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The colleague has obviously been around the user for some time. Is there a previous history? If so, what is it? One of well-being? One of discomfort? The answer to the question of whether the user can count on the colleague’s support lies in the distillation of all the experiences the user has already had with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The catch with this kind of analysis is that we often like to lie to ourselves. We close our eyes to reality; what cannot be cannot be. But if we are honest, we know what is going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further Questions on Hexagram 30<\/h2>\n\n\n\n