Keeping Still

Keeping Still. Keeping the back still so that one no longer feels the body. Going into the courtyard and not seeing one's people. No blame.

Mountains standing close together — stillness upon stillness. The superior person does not permit thoughts to go beyond their situation. Keeping still is not emptiness but the discipline of staying with what is. The back is kept still so the body is not felt. This is the peace of being fully present.

Hexagram 52, Keeping Still, depicts 艮其背，不獲其身。行其庭，不見其人。无咎。. The judgment states: Keeping Still. Keeping the back still so that one no longer feels the body. Going into the courtyard and not seeing one's people. No blame. This hexagram belongs to the Threshold group and addresses a specific configuration of forces. The I Ching describes the present moment with precision so the next natural movement becomes visible. Understanding this particular pattern of change is the first step toward responding with wisdom rather than reaction. The I Ching describes the present moment with such precision that the next natural movement becomes visible. Understanding the pattern you are in is the first step toward wise action.