Above is the trigram Gen (Mountain), below is the trigram Gen (Mountain). The metaphorical image of this hexagram is the doubling of stillness (immobility). Gen is the primary representation of stillness, contemplation, and stability in the I Ching. This hexagram advises us to leave the marketplace and create an inner world capable of further development.
It’s not always easy to achieve the meditative state that Gen calls us to. Achieving mental stillness amidst the hustle and bustle of events is difficult and requires tremendous persistence and self-discipline. True meditation requires both inner and outer stillness, which can be achieved by patiently calming our anxieties and inner dialogue. As our stillness increases, we are able to perceive the world more clearly and objectively: our eyes are no longer clouded by self-deception and overly superficial (subjective) attitudes towards what is happening.
The hexagram Gen also indicates that staying on the Path is the highest good. Unwavering and steadfastness are the signs of a strong person, whose strength is like the strength of a Mountain.
His immobility becomes so stable that he remains in absolute stillness, regardless of the surrounding environment, and does not lose his composure, no matter what happens. In China, it is said that the qualities of a perfect warrior are as follows: “In speed like the wind, in smoothness like the forest, in attack like fire, in immobility like a mountain, in inscrutability like darkness, in movement like thunderclaps.”
The philosophy of the I Ching does not consider such stillness our ultimate goal. Remember, in movement there is stillness, and in stillness, there is movement. Like all states of life described by the hexagrams, Gen is considered just one of many transitional states. However, it is through the stillness of Gen that we can gain the wisdom and sustenance for the spirit required to navigate through all life’s circumstances peacefully and successfully. There is a time for movement and a time for stopping.