Excerpts from
"The I Ching for a New Age"
a Square One Classics Book edited by Robert G. BensonThe Preface, Introduction, and excerpt of Hexagram 23 are from the book, and copyright © 2002 by Square One Publishers. All rights reserved.
Preface
I have studied and tested the I Ching and I Ching-related knowledge for more than thirty years. However, I am highly critical of almost all popular I Ching books available today. My successes using the I Ching, and the dismal state of this area of knowledge, have compelled me to produce this book. In these pages, I provide users of the I Ching with three new things.
I designed this I Ching to be highly understandable as well as accurate. The two basic approaches to editing an I Ching book are either to give a literal translation of the text or to give an interpretive translation of the text. However, recent research leads to the conclusion that no translation can accurately represent what the I Ching truly is. None of the I Ching books currently on the market shows how the I Ching is actually a comprehensive philosophical statement about how our lives undergo change. Perhaps even worse, none are an effective practical guide to using the I Ching. I wrote this book to say what hasn't been said before. I wanted this book to open new doors -- to be a breakthrough book for novice users, but to also be filled with critical insights for experienced users.
I reveal how the I Ching is a system of ideas; not just a random collection of oracular visions by ancient wise men. In this I Ching, the text is based on using the I Ching's internal conceptual framework in combination with meanings from the most accurate, historical translations in English. Thus, the many inadequacies that exist in the traditional text are corrected here by relying on what the original structure of ideas says should be in the text. Through this methodology, the I Ching now begins to make sense.
Finally, I also reveal advanced, nontraditional ways of using the I Ching oracle. I have done a great deal of testing and experimentation, and there are many ways you can use the I Ching. Few books explore these methods, and none give the wide range included here. They can enrich your use of the I Ching.
I believe this is the first book in our modern era that attempts to integrate our modern concepts of thinking and experimenting with the wisdom of the ancient Chinese. I believe that this integration has produced an I Ching that is remarkably usable, understandable, and meaningful to the modern user. My intention was to provide a complete resource for the novice user rather than an academic study for serious students. While I have generally achieved this, I have also tried to include powerful insights to those who thirst for more knowledge.
There is still more knowledge available about the I Ching -- and related systems -- that goes beyond the scope of this book. For example, there are more advanced systems of prediction, such as calendar-based methods, that tie into the I Ching. If you wish to explore these further you can do so through my website at www.newagequest.com/iching.
Introduction
The I Ching (pronounced ee-jing) is one of the oldest written documents. It is called a "book of divination," or fortunetelling, but it is also an expression of ideas that became incorporated into the important philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism in ancient China. The I Ching has been fundamental to Chinese culture for more than two thousand years, and now its influence is spreading into the Western world.
Some of the I Ching's concepts, for instance yin and yang, are comparatively well known in the West. According to this idea, all things in the universe can be classified by their nature into one of two complementary qualities. Female is yin and male is yang; winter is yin and summer is yang; home is yin and workplace is yang, and so on. The I Ching incorporates other principles, particularly with regard to the nature of change, which you will come to understand as you read this book.
The I Ching text is divided into sixty-four major sections, each of which describes an important concept. Each of these sections also has a corresponding unique six-line figure called a hexagram. When you "consult the oracle" to determine what prediction applies to your question, you are generating hexagrams to look up in the book.
Chapter 1 explains how to use the I Ching. That is, both how to create your own predictions, and how to use this book. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the history of the I Ching. It has a surprisingly complex past, and knowing this will enrich your use of it. Chapter 3 explores the theory behind the I Ching. What are its guiding principles? What do the different hexagram lines mean? These and other questions are addressed.
The I Ching text follows the three introductory chapters. Each major section of the text has a general meaning described below the hexagram title, and following that, subparts contain specific meanings for variations within the general concept. In this book, all the subparts are clearly numbered to keep things neatly in place, and cross-references to other hexagrams are shown so internal conceptual links can be seen.
The I Ching is an amazingly valuable tool when used properly. This book gives you the tools you will need to use it successfully. The I Ching will give you a new way to understand your life, as well as give you new perspectives on life in general.
Sample Hexagram (Introduction Only)
he would get into worse trouble.
The traditional titles for this hexagram are "Splitting," "Falling," and "Cleavage." Whincup uses "Destruction," and the Huangs use "Loss." According to Whincup, however, the closest literal translation is felling a tree. The title used here is "Being in a Collapsing Situation," and it describes a situation in which his supports are failing, causing him harm. In the traditional text, the lines generally describe a bed being chopped apart. Another related meaning for this hexagram is the world turning upside down. In a period when collapse is occurring around him, it is not wise to attempt any movement, since anything other than holding tight would be making things worse. The complementary hexagram is Hexagram 43 Escaping Harm, which illustrates how rather than sitting still for the effects of collapse to affect him, he should strive to escape from his situation.
At his best, he may realize the nature of the problems around him that affect him and do as little as possible to make things worse. At his worst, he may be ignorant of the dangers facing him or foolhardy enough to risk advances that are neither secure nor supported.
As a public person, he may suffer from loss of reputation, very visible losses of support, or having his cause discredited. As a businessperson, he may face bankruptcy. As an ordinary person, he may have many difficulties in his life from which he cannot escape, and he can only endure.
[This is then followed by similar individual sections discussing each hexagram line and the case of all lines moving.]
The Hexagram Names
In the book the hexagram "names" have been converted into phrases giving the fundamental concept of the hexagram which will be more understandable to modern readers. Some of these are almost the same as the ancient Chinese names, but most have been altered considerably.
A Numerical Hexagram List Hexagram 1 Acting Fiercely Hexagram 2 Going with the Flow Hexagram 3 Gathering Support Hexagram 4 Acting Impetuously Hexagram 5 Acting Prematurely Hexagram 6 Having a Complaint Hexagram 7 Serving as an Officer Hexagram 8 Entering an Alliance Hexagram 9 Restraining Himself Hexagram 10 Taking Risky Action Hexagram 11 Easily Progressing Hexagram 12 Being Blocked Hexagram 13 Serving on a Team Hexagram 14 Relying on His Allies Hexagram 15 Acting with Propriety Hexagram 16 Standstill Hexagram 17 Hunting Hexagram 18 Nursing an Illness Hexagram 19 Leading Others Hexagram 20 Preparing Himself Hexagram 21 Working on a Problem Hexagram 22 Advancing by His Image Hexagram 23 Being in a Collapsing Situation Hexagram 24 Beginning a Relationship Hexagram 25 Having No Expectations Hexagram 26 External Restraint Hexagram 27 Desiring Hexagram 28 Working Towards a Goal Hexagram 29 Being Trapped Hexagram 30 Gaining Enlightenment Hexagram 31 Ability to Change Matters Hexagram 32 Committing Himself Hexagram 33 Complying Hexagram 34 Forcing Matters Hexagram 35 Advancing Due to Favor Hexagram 36 Serving as an Assistant Hexagram 37 Serving in a Household Hexagram 38 Looking for a Leader Hexagram 39 Bumbling by Himself Hexagram 40 Getting Free Hexagram 41 Declining Influence Hexagram 42 Gaining Benefits Hexagram 43 Escaping Harm Hexagram 44 Maintaining His Independence Hexagram 45 Serving a Leader Hexagram 46 Promoting Himself Hexagram 47 Advancing by Hard Work Hexagram 48 Being Renewed Hexagram 49 Being Revolutionary Hexagram 50 Governing Matters Hexagram 51 At Fortune's Mercy Hexagram 52 Holding Back Hexagram 53 Sharing Commitment Hexagram 54 Entering a Marriage Hexagram 55 Serving Greatness Hexagram 56 Wandering Hexagram 57 At His Leader's Mercy Hexagram 58 Sharing Himself Hexagram 59 Things are Swept Clear Hexagram 60 Having Limited Resources Hexagram 61 Having Limited Allegiance Hexagram 62 Independently Getting By Hexagram 63 Beginning a New Task Hexagram 64 Continuing a Task
The Preface, Introduction, and excerpt of Hexagram 23 are from the book, and copyright © 2002 by Square One Publishers. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2003-2004 by Robert G. Benson. All rights reserved.