Earth: Kun (I Ching)

"Reading the Chinese Classics leaves one with the powerful thought that China's sages recognized practically all if not all of the conditions of mankind - negative, neutral and positive - and said about all that could be said about them. In fact, in the accumulated wisdom of China there seems to be an answer to every question, and precise guidelines for overcoming every problem." - Boye LaFayette DeMente

"Kun [因]: teaches that natural phenomenon should be looked upon not as good or bad luck (adversity) but as nature's way of tempering itself and all things in it, and to take advantage of it to develop man's character and spur themselves onward to greater efforts." - Boye LaFayette DeMente

In the I Ching "Kun" is symbolized by a hexagram for Earth. All six lines are open. The image of the two trigrams are also representative of Earth. Earth is one of the five elements. It is the second entry or symbol in the I Ching: "It is of pure femininity, which is opposite but symbiotic to masculinity. Earth submits to heaven and accommodates the world as Qian (perseverance, heaven) originates the world and Kun nourishes the world. Kun follows Qian in sequence, which symbolizes the inferiority of Kun and the superiority of Qian."

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