Yijing Secrets of Ups and Downs in Life
According to the Yijing, when something rises to the top or reaches an extreme high, it reverses and declines. When something falls to a bottom or extreme low, it reverses and rises.
That’s why when one reaches a peak or high, they seem to come tumbling down. There are times when I had reached a peak or high and then things happen that cause me to tumble down until I feel at the lowest. And then things become better and I rise again until I reach a peak or high, and then things happen that cause me to tumble down again. And when I am climbing up again, I think of how it would be like to be on high again, but I realize it might not be so good idea to reach a high. Either that or I should be careful when on a high.
It is good to remain lowly and let things push you up, than to be on a high and tumble down at any time.
It is no wonder Masters of the Yi Jing:
1. Make themselves Number 2.
And/Or
2. Make themselves more Yin.
And/Or
3. Make themselves as continually progressing and not the top.
I have learnt from 3 Yijing Masters and they all apply those characteristics in similar and different ways.
So how then do we deal with the Yijing forces of Ups and Downs? In order to prevent falling from a high, we could:
1. Be number 2.
2. Be number 1 but also be number 0. This creates Yin Yang Balance. Be on top but also remain connected to a lowly state.
3. Be careful when being on high to be aware of danger and become more conservative or retreat if necessary.
4. Put God as number 1.
If you look at the number 1 and number 2 richest people in the world, you will discover a very interesting thing.
Bill Gates is number 1, but actually he started out as number 2. Steve Jobs was number 1 first. Then Bill Gates came to work with Steve Jobs and make himself number 2 while letting Steve Jobs be number 1, but Bill Gates took the ideas from Steve Jobs and went to create Windows which made him overtake Steve Jobs and become number 1 in the world.
There is nothing wrong with learning from someone and overtaking that person, but Steve Jobs was against what Bill Gates did. Later on, Steve Jobs continued to be too yang, and because he stuck to his idea of making Macintosh number 1 instead of considering the ideas of the rest of his company, he got ousted out of Apple by a confederacy among the people. Hence Steve Jobs from Number 1 became Number 2 and then he dropped even lower until he hit bottom before rising again.
Warren Buffet has been number 2 richest man all along and at certain times he overtook Bill Gates as number 1 temporarily. But is Warren Buffet really number 2? He is actually number 1 in a different way. Warren Buffet being number 2 means his wealth always has room to grow since it is not at the top yet. He is a value investor and an accumulator. No matter how rich he becomes, he always live like a number 0. He wants to buy at a bottom and is careful of the market being at the top.
And how does the number 1 and number 2 richest men in the world interact with each other? Do they compete with each other to be number 1? They actually cooperate and are good friends and link together like a combination at the top. Warren Buffet donates a lot of money to the Melinda Gates foundation.
The Bible contains secrets of the Yijing and Yin Yang:
Matthew 19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Palms 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
The Tao Te Ching also contains secrets of the Yijing and Yin Yang:
“A large country should take the low place like a great watershed, which from its low position assumes the female role.
Large countries should desire to protect and help the people, and small countries should desire to serve others.
Both large and small countries benefit greatly from humility.
The low is the foundation of the high.
Rivers and seas are rulers of the streams of hundreds of valleys because of the power of their low position. If you want to be the ruler of people, you must speak to them like you are their servant.
The people will not feel burdened, if a wise person is in a position of power. The people will not feel like they are being manipulated, if a wise person is in front as their leader. The whole world will ask for her guidance, and will never get tired of her.
Because it does not seek greatness (does not do things purely for the sake of recognition but because of passion); it is able to accomplish truly great things.
When equal forces meet in battle, victory will go to the one that enters with the greatest sorrow.
The great view the small as their source, and the high takes the low as their foundation. Their greatest asset becomes their humility. They speak of themselves as orphans and widows, thus they truly seek humility.”
When a person is going through an up without experiencing much downs before, they may not be believing in all these Chinese Metaphysics stuff.
Many of us who learn Chinese Metaphysics is because we have gone through major up and down cycles in life. Most likely we started learning when we have:
1. Undergone a down and are climbing up again.
2. Going through a down with some ups here and there and are trying to figure out what our state of life is.
I hope what I share here can help shed some insight into life through the principles of the Yijing and simple concept of Yin Yang.
Some further insights…
When on an upward cycle, you can:
1. Make the most out of the opportunity and push as high as you can. You determine where the top is.
2. Do not assume you are at the top yet and believe there is still room for advancement and go for it.
3. If you find that it is difficult to push further and things to start fluctuating or declining, it’s time to quit while you are ahead, or become more conservative, or retreat.
When on downward cycle, you can:
1. Use yang to repel yang by using more energy and effort to push things back up. Choose your battles wisely and fight in ways where you know is positive.
2. If you find difficulty in pushing something up, then retreat and cut loss. You determine where the bottom is. Staying in a losing situation can bring you down further.
3. If you are in a situation where you find it difficult to win and yet you cannot retreat because you are stuck in it and need progress, then surrender. Now is not the time to be yang and appear strong, but to become yin and let go, ask for help, cry to God. This is a signal to the universe that you are at a bottom and things can rise from there.
Example of making the most of out the yang cycle in the Bible:
Joseph helped Pharaoh to store up as much food as possible in the 7 Years of Prosperity to make use of in the 7 Years of Famine and this result in Egypt maximizing in wealth and power in the long term of good and bad times.
Example of being at the bottom of a yin cycle in the Bible:
Israel cried out to God each time they were in a helpless situation and God delivered them from their enemies and the negative situation they were in.
The forces of time and space will always move things up and down and create tops and bottoms, but you can also choose by your own action where the top is for you, and where the bottom is for you. It is like being a surfer riding a wave and deciding where to get on and where to get off in order to move from one wave to another.
It takes wisdom to know which choice to make. Sometimes you can tell when you are in an up or down cycle based on Feng Shui knowledge. Sometimes you have to use Divination. Other times you can simply tell based on observing the signs and feeling the energy of a situation.
