I ching

I Ching Hexagram 32
Heng (Duration)

Action: Commit

Hu Gua (hidden influence) 43 Determination: Breakthrough

Zong Gua (underlying cause) 42 Increase: Expand

Commitment is the force of attraction that brings all things back to you.

Tis not the many oaths that make the truth;
but the plain single vow, that is vowed true. – Shakespeare

Reading at a Glance: While much changes in life, there are elements that are enduring. Constancy and commitment ensure success in both relationships and career. A person who is committed to achieving a particular goal will persevere until the goal is achieved. They do so because they focus on results and not just tasks. At the end of the day it really doesn’t matter how many tasks you accomplished. Rather, did you accomplish your goal? When obstacles appear, it is the commitment to succeed that can turn the obstacle into a learning experience. For someone not committed to success, an obstacle is a reason to give up. If we share a lot of words to tell the story of our failure, it is a good sign that commitment was lacking. Commitment needs no words and is reflected in endurance. In the same way, marriages that operate on commitment weather any conditions. Marriages sought just for benefit or pleasure will break apart the moment difficulties set in. Yet in nature difficulty or limitations are its treasure trove for bringing something to a higher level. This can enhance relationships which explore difficulty as a means of digging deeper into intimacy and understanding. The hidden influence is Determination because breaking through any obstacle requires this constancy and commitment. The underlying cause of Expansion shows that rather than look at accomplishment out there, we turn within and examine our foundation. Commitment is like gravity that pulls you toward the object of your desire. Once in orbit, there is not much that can pull you from success. You can be sure that there is an element of consistency associated with the object of your inquiry. You can be committed to either failure or success and the end result will always reveal which one it is.

Nature teaches constancy –

in relentless

adaptations.

Never complete

and without extremes.

“Relationships should be long lasting; therefore follows the principle of duration.” The Thunder and Wind Arouse movement in an enduring portrayal of what remains constant.

The situation requires your commitment to weather the highs and lows in the same way that all successful partnerships are founded in this way. Either you are validating reasons to go or reasons to stay. Observing this validation process will reveal your level of commitment to stay the course.

The master said: “When you act from benevolence, it will feel good; it will feel like self-realization.” Benevolence allows you to recognize your connection to what unfolds. Nowhere is this more apparent than when you make a commitment to your spouse. Fulfilling their needs is inseparable from fulfilling your own. Only when both of you are fulfilled, do you experience personal contentment in the relationship.

The same commitment should be cultivated in following the Way.

The nuclear trigrams of the Joyous Lake and the Creative portray ‘firmness in joy.’ Firm in joy, you will experience the joy of discovery. The image of two broken pieces of pottery that fit together perfectly suggests the partnership formed at the threshold of perspective. Commitment is the force of attraction that brings all things back to you.

Commitment gives durability to the changes. Nature is composed of phenomenon that arises from the unseen or hidden movement of something deeper. Thunder is the explosive sound of expanding air when heated by lightning. Wind is the movement of air when hot and cold pressure systems collide. Although you cannot see the greater force, you can observe its effects in what unfolds. This is how a commitment or trust in the way gives durability to that which is to come.

Benevolence is an unconditional appreciation for what is, and keeps you open. Union brings two things together to make them one. In this case, your inner perspective is ‘joined’ with experience. Whether in relationship to each other or to events, “stand firm and do not change direction.”

Embodied in Heng is the idea that although things come to a conclusion there remains a quality that is enduring. A torrential storm can pass through a landscape, but what is firm will not only remain, it will be strengthened. The master said: “It furthers one to have somewhere to go.” Through movement you can you test your unwavering commitment in the face of adversity.

Commitment always unites what was once perceived to be separate. When you “fix the mind on an end that endures,” commitment is the unseen, which gives durability to the changes.

Approaching the gateway of perception, strengthen your trust in what remains unseen and unproven. You are carried through life as the image of a boat and a heart between two shores. The two shores are how you travel between good and bad, right and wrong, emptiness and fullness as you classify your journey. In reality, they are merely the banks of one great river. Life is powerful and good; it is profoundly committed to your success, but you must remain committed to meeting events ‘half way’ with sincerity and openness.

Like the highs and lows and the vicissitudes of emotions spent during courtship, once a commitment is established, the Way becomes much easier. “Fix the mind on and end that endures. Knowing that which is to come” is made easier by the simple act of devotion.