شش خطی 62
برتری کوچکی، فراتر از حد رفتن کوچکی (Xiao Guo)

Predominance of the small means that yin exceeds yang. As for the qualities of the hexagram, above is thunder , active, and below is mountain , still: Acting with restraint, basing action on stillness, stillness is stable and action is not on a large scale. Also, in the body of the hexagram, two yangs are inside four yins: Inwardly fulfilled, outwardly empty, inwardly firm, outwardly flexible, using the small to nurture the great, it is therefore called predominance of the small.

This hexagram represents being fulfilled and thus acting empty; it follows on the previous hexagram discipline. In discipline, one can be joyful even in danger, inwardly being autonomous, using things of the world to practice the principles of the Tao, using social activities to restore celestial qualities; the foundation of life stable, one can enter from striving into nonstriving.

In spiritual alchemy, before primordial true yang has been restored, one should empty the mind to seek to fill the belly. Once primordial true yang has returned, one should fill the belly and also empty the mind. The achievement of emptying the mind is the means to operate the natural true fire, to burn away the mundane energy of acquired conditioning until one is freed from it. This is why predominance of the small is developmental.

However, though predominance of the small is developmental, it is only beneficial if correct; if it is not correct, it is not developmental. The correct way of predominance of the small is that action not stray from tranquility, that action be carried out with tranquility; with movement and stillness as one, “the real person plunges into the profound depths, floating about yet keeping within the circle,” neither indifferent nor obsessed, keeping a very subtle consistency.

This is suitable for a small affair, but not a great one, a small affair means nonstriving, a great affair means striving. Striving is the way to find yang, nonstriving is the way to nurture yang. Once one has filled the belly, it is appropriate that the small predominate to nurture yang. If you are capable of the great but not the small, you will not only be unable to preserve yang, yang will even be damaged.

Predominance of the small being beneficial when correct means it is beneficial in small action, not in great action, beneficial in small stillness, not in great stillness. When one acts yet is able to be still, being active in the midst of stillness, stopping in the appropriate place and acting on that, even as one acts one does not go beyond the appropriate position. This is like “the call left by a flying bird should not rise but descend.” Though a bird flies up, its call goes down; this means action not straying from tranquility. Action not straying from tranquility should not rise but descend, the small predominating and nurturing the great; extracting lead and adding mercury, incubating for ten months, when the spiritual embryo is completely developed, with a thunderous cry the infant appears. When nurturance is sufficient, the auspicious outcome is great; the small predominates, but the good it does is great. Sublime and subtle indeed is the predominance of the small that is beneficially correct.

Excessive smallness means excess in being small. Above is thunder , below is mountain ; there is thunder over a mountain. When thunder is up in the sky, its sound reaches afar, but when thunder is over a mountain, its sound is muffled. This is the image of excessive smallness.

What superior people see in this is that practitioners of the Tao should minimize themselves in their daily activities, and not become too grand. This is because it is permissible to go to excess in being small, but not in being grand. Therefore superior people are excessively deferential in conduct, excessively sad in mourning, and excessively frugal in consumption.

It is not right to be too deferential in conduct, but when one is deferential one does not look down on people or become arrogant, so there is no harm in being excessively deferential. It is not right to be too sad in mourning, but when one is sad there is grief in the heart and one esteems nature and life, so there is no harm in being excessively sad. It is not right to be too frugal in consumption, but when one is frugal one does not waste natural resources and is content with what one has, so there is no harm in being excessively frugal.

These three things are all examples of excessive smallness, excessive without being too extreme. This is how it is with such small matters; when it comes to the great matter of nature and life, one must know the appropriate moments to advance and withdraw, to sustain and negate, one must know the principles of filling and emptying, effacing and fostering—since even the slightest miss can result in an enormous loss, no excess is permissible.

In the image of the hexagram, there is thunder over a mountain. The mountain is still, the thunder is in movement. Action is carried forth by means of stillness, action is based on stillness. Obviously the small may be excessive but the great may not be excessive.