I Ching 易經
The 64 Hexagrams / 52
Hexagram 52 · ䷳

Keeping Still Mountain

艮 · Gèn
Upper Mountain 艮Lower Mountain 艮

The Judgment · 卦辭

艮其背,不獲其身,行其庭,不見其人,无咎。
When one's resting is like that of the back, and he loses all consciousness of self; when he walks in his courtyard, and does not see any (of the persons) in it,--there will be no error.

The Image · 大象

兼山,艮;君子以思不出其位。
(Two trigrams representing) a mountain, one over the other, form Kăn. The superior man, in 0 accordance with this, does not go in his thoughts beyond the (duties of the) position in which he is.
Plain-English Meaning

Stillness. Rest, reflect and stop at the right point; quiet the restless mind.

The Judgment

Keeping still, you are free of mistakes.

The Image

Like a mountain beside a mountain, keep your thoughts within your present situation.
Editorial summary written for this site; not a translation.
The Lines · 爻辭
English: James Legge (1882), public domain · Text · Image (Appendix II), sacred-texts.com.
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