A. Hexagram sixty-two is Xiao Guo, or Small Exceeding. Additional interpretations include Preponderance of the Small and Small Surpassing. The lower trigram is Gen: bound or mountain, and the upper trigram is Zhen: shake or thunder.
B. The Judgment
1. The Preponderance of the Small. Success. Perseverance furthers. Small things may be done; great things should not be done. 2. The flying bird brings the message: It is not well to strive upward, It is well to remain below. Great good fortune.
C. The Image
1. Thunder on the mountain: (you heard?) a) The image of Preponderance of the Small. b) Thus in his conduct, the superior man gives preponderance to reverence. In bereavement, he gives preponderance to grief. In his expenditures, he gives preponderance to thrift.
Being somewhat modest is the theme of this hexagram. Do not overextend
beyond your natural limits, although internally you might feel this is a time
for you to take on more, for now, stay within your limits, sir.
As a means of staying in tune with the times, we are told to
dwell on the idea of thrift and that of accepting the rewards of our small workings.
Taking the low road would be a good idea for now. Again, do not fly too high as
to overextend our assets, take things as they come good or bad, be subjective
about all matters for the moment.
Do not get overinvolved with anger, impatience, or despair. Although
you do hold a precarious position at the moment, which is above and beyond the
ordinary, negative tenets such as anger, impatience, and despair, could lead to
an avoidable downfall.
Have the mindset of humility and acceptance of your
appointed position, be creative and take things as they come. Do not be so much
objective with entrenched and rigid mandates. Take it one step at a time.
“The Buddha’s original teaching is essentially a matter of four points — the Four Noble Truths:
1. Anguish is everywhere.
2. We desire permanent existence of ourselves and for our loved ones, and we desire to prove ourselves independent of others and superior to them. These desires conflict with the way things are: nothing abides, and everything and everyone depends upon everything and everyone else. This conflict causes our anguish, and we project this anguish on those we meet.
3. Release from anguish comes with the personal acknowledgment and resolve: we are here together very briefly, so let us accept reality fully and take care of one another while we can.
4. This acknowledgement and resolve are realized by following the Eightfold Path: Right Views, Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Recollection, and Right Meditation. Here “Right” means “correct” or “accurate” — in keeping with the reality of impermanence and interdependence.”
― Robert Aitken, The Dragon Who Never Sleeps: Verses for Zen Buddhist Practice
"There is sin and evil in the world, and we're enjoined by Scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might. Our nation, too, has a legacy of evil with which it must deal. The glory of this land has been its capacity for transcending the moral evils of our past. For example, the long struggle of minority citizens for equal rights, once a source of disunity and civil war is now a point of pride for all Americans. We must never go back. There is no room for racism, anti-Semitism, or other forms of ethnic and racial hatred in this country."