62. Hsiao Kuo / Lying Low
(Thunder above Mountain)
Description
Thunder high on the Mountain, active passivity:
The Superior Person is unsurpassed in his ability to remain small.
In a time for humility, he is supremely modest.
In a time of mourning, he uplifts with somber reverence.
In a time of want, he is resourcefully frugal.
When a bird flies too high, its song is lost.
Rather than push upward now, it is best to remain below.
This will bring surprising good fortune, if you keep to your course.
Analysis
There is no profit to striving here.
To be content with oneself is the greatest success imaginable.
The enlightened person has nothing to prove to himself or others, and thus may always operate from a position of sincerity, with no pretense or posturing.
His humility is guileless simplicity.
His mourning is selfless compassion.
His frugality is an unshakeable faith that he is but a conduit, letting what is needed flow through him to others, with no loss to himself.
Changing Lines
Line 1
It is perilous for so small a bird to fly so high.
Line 2
She invokes the spirit of her ancestor, but is visited by her ancestress.
He heads straight for the Prince but is intercepted by the Minister.
It is best.
Line 3
Focusing so intensely on your target has given you tunnel vision.
An ambush could reach you from three sides.
Heed this warning.
Line 4
This prize you have strived for could be the end of you.
Wake up to its danger and you will prevail.
Line 5
Don't take shelter from storms that have not yet blown in.
It is too easy to shoot a bird in a cave.
Line 6
He flies too high, beyond his limit.
The plummet to earth is spent lamenting.