“The symbol of
heaven is the circle, and that of earth is the square. Thus squareness is a
primary quality of the earth. On the other hand, movement in a straight line,
as well as magnitude, is a primary quality of the Creative.
“All square things
have their origin in a straight line and in turn form solid bodies. In
Mathematics, when we discriminate between lines, planes and solids, we find
that rectangular planes result from straight lines, and cubic magnitudes from
rectangular planes. The Receptive accommodates itself to the qualities of the
Creative and makes them its own. Thus a square develops out of a straight line
and a cube out of a square. This is compliance with the laws of the Creative;
nothing is taken away, nothing added. Therefore the receptive has no need of a
special purpose of its own or any effort, yet everything turns out, as it
should.
“Nature creates all
beings without erring: this is its four-squareness. It tolerates all creatures equally:
this is its greatness. Therefore it attains what is right for all without
artifice or special intent. Man achieves the height of wisdom when all that he
does is as self-evident as nature.”
I Ching
No comments:
Post a Comment