The I Ching Yijing
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The I Ching Yijing - --- James Legge, tr. Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16 [1899] A B S T R A C T # Updated with analytics and graphics applied to the more difficult, obscure sections. As this area covers advanced study, the understanding of other resources of knowledge is found necessary. This will be shown at various points in this text, to help elucidate the mainstream subject matter of the I-Ching. References include; Taoist doctrine & traditional medicine, Buddhist abhidhamma sources, Hinduism, Platonic solids. # New sections added, cover hitherto unpublished subjects on; The single line correlates used in each hexagram, expanded by the use of a 3 part set of colours applied to each line. Dual line pairs named as hsiang, expanded with supporting colour line theory and revealed in a matrix for efficient abbreviation. With analysis of alignment to the established order of I-Ching dual-hsiang, trigrams and hexagrams. Adding modern sciences DNA to the thousands of years of recorded harmonious knowledge found in the I-Ching. All this makes provocative reading, supplementary to the valued original James Legge translation. Any added notes to help with insights or translation of foreign texts is shown within <sharp brackets>. SKIP TO MAIN MENU SKIP TO HEXAGRAM XREF TABLE The I Ching, or Book of Changes Casting insight into the Future The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is the most widely read of the five Chinese Classics. The book was traditionally written by the legendary Chinese Emperor Fu Hsi (2953-2838 B.C.). It is possible that the I Ching originated from a prehistoric divination technique which dates back as far as 5000 B.C. Further commentaries were added by King Wen and the Duke of Chou in the eleventh century B.C. An I Ching interpretation is performed by making six binary decisions (a hexagram). This is called 'casting the I Ching'. These are written down as a stack of six solid or broken lines. This was traditionally done either by tossing yarrow stalks or coins. There are actually four possible values for each of the lines; the two on/off values, and a line which changes from on to off or vice versa. Thus one cast of the I Ching can generate two different hexagrams, which makes the depth of the interpretation. The sophistication of this method has not escaped modern interpretation, and the four-valued logic has been compared to the biochemistry of DNA amino acids. How a Neolithic shamans' divination technique presaged the basic logic of the human genome is one of the ageless mysteries. --- Summary of the Ten Wings In the Wilhelm/Baynes English translation of the I-Ching, Richard Wilhelm has this summary in Book II – The Material – that "The Book of Changes is a work that represents thousands of years of slow prolonged reflection and meditation. The material presented in the second portion of their translation consists chiefly of what has come to be known as the Ten Wings. These ten wings, or expositions, contain in substance the oldest commentary literature relating to the Book of Changes. The first of the commentaries – the First and Second Wings – is called Tuan Zhuan. The Tuan Zhuan or Commentary on the Decision gives exact interpretations of King Wen’s decisions (judgments), on the basis of the structure and the other elements of the hexagrams. This commentary (made available under individual hexagrams in Book III) is an extremely thorough and valuable piece of work and throws much light upon the inner organization of the hexagrams of the I Ching. The Chinese ascribed it to Confucius. The Third and Fourth Wings are formed by the so-called Xiang Zhuan, Commentary on the Images. In its present form it consists of the so-called Great Images (Da Xiang), which refer to the images associated with the two trigrams in each hexagram; from these the commentary in each case deduces the meaning of the hexagram as a whole, and from this contemplation in turn draws conclusions applicable to the life of man. Besides the Great Images, this commentary contains also the Small Images. These are very brief references to the Duke of Zhou’s comments on the individual lines of the hexagrams. The Fifth and Six Wings constitute a treatise that presents many difficulties. It is entitled Hsi Tzu, or Da Zhuan, and likewise has two parts. The title Da Zhuan means Great Commentary, or Great Treatise. The Seventh Wing, named Wen Yen (Commentary on the Words of the Text), is a very important section. It is the remnant of a commentary on the Book of Changes – or rather of a whole series of such commentaries – and contains very valuable material deriving from the Confucian school. Unfortunately it does not go beyond the second hexagram, Kun. The Eighth Wing, Shuo Kua, Discussion of the Trigrams, contains material of great antiquity in explanation of the eight primary trigrams. The Ninth Wing, Hsu Kua, the Sequence – or Order – of the Hexagrams, offers a rather unconvincing explanation of the present sequence of the hexagrams. It is interesting only because the names of the hexagrams are sometimes given peculiar interpretations that are undoubtedly based on ancient tradition. The last (Tenth) wing, Tsa Kua, Miscellaneous Notes on the Hexagrams, is made up of definitions of the hexagrams in rhyme/mnemonics verses, for the most part contrasting them in pairs”. [WILHELM/BAYNES] C O N T E N T S (of James Legge translation and updated subject matter) Title Page Preface Introduction Chapter I: The Yi King from The Twelfth Century B.C. to the Commencement of the Christian Era Chapter II: The Subject-Matter of the Text. The Lineal Figures and the Explanation of Them Chapter III: The Appendixes PLATES Diagrams SELECTION 3 sections of Diagrams: 8 Kua, 64 hexagram circle etc. Quick access table to the 64 hexgrams. Choose a lower (left side) & upper (top line) trigram to choose your 6 line hexagram, click the cross referenced number. Access to hexagrams is by the yearly cycling Fu Hsi Pre-Heaven number. This begins at Chen in spring. The top & side key guide images show the upper & lower trigrams as in the Fu Hsi Plate 2, it exposes the changes in the internal upper hexagram order, based on the house order in Spring/Summer or Autumn/Winter. The King Wen order showing the Post-Heaven circle cannot be conformed by any means to the Fu Hsi generation. Summer 9 0 - = o p [ ] trigrams Kun Ken Kan Sun Chen Li Tui Chien o 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chen p 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Li [ 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Tui ] 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Chien Winter ] [ p o = - 0 9 trigrams Chien Tui Li Chen Sun Kan Ken Kun = 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Sun - 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Kan 0 Ken 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 9 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 Kun # In Fu Hsi’s order, starting at Chen house - Fu/Returning. In 2 columns to show the opposite hexagram of the year- easily. <click on a Chinese name to goto that hexagram> 1. Fû Returning, The turning point 33. Kou Encountering 2. Î Nourishment 34. Tâ Kuo Excess, Dominance of the Great 3. Chun Initial difficulty 35. Ting Cauldron 4. Yi Increase 3x3 36. Heng Perseverance, Duration 3x3 5. Chen Thunder, Motive power 37. Sun Wind, Gentle penetration 6. Shih Ho Gnawing through 3x3 38. Ching The Well 3x3 7. Sui Following 3x3 39. Kû Arresting decay 3x3 8. Wû WangCorrectness, Innocence 40. Sheng Ascending 9. Ming Î Intelligence wounded 41. Sung Conflict 10. Pî Adornment, Grace 3x3 42. K’un Oppression 3x3 11. Chi Chi Completion 3x3 43. Wei Chî Before Completion 3x3 12. Chia Jen Family, Propriety 44. Chieh Removing Obstactles 13. Feng Abundance 3x3 45. Huân Dispersion 3x3 14. Lî Fire, Intelligence 46. Kan The Perilous Pit 15. Ko Revolution 47. Meng Youthful inexperience, Obscurity 16. Tung Jen Companionship 48. Shih The Army, Hosts 17. Lin Approach 49. Tun Retreat 18. Sun Decrease 3x3 50. Hsien Mutual influence 3x3 19. Chieh Restraint 3x3 51. Lü Travelling stranger 3x3 20. Kung Fû Inmost sincerity 52. Hsiâo Kuo Exceeding in what is small 21. Kwei Mei Marrying maiden, Propriety 3x3 53. Chien Gradual progress 3x3 22. Kuei Disunion 54. Chien Arresting movement 23. Tui Marsh, Pleased satisfaction 55. Ken Mountain, Checking - stopping 24. Lu Tread carefully 56. Ch’ien Modesty 25. Tai Peace 3x3 57. Pî Stagnation, Standstill 3x3 26. Tâ Chû Great Accumulation 58. Tsui Gathering together 27. Hsü Waiting (coming rain) 59. Chin Progress 28. Hsiâo Chû Taming power of the small 60. Yü Harmony, Enthusiasm 29. Tâ Chuang The Great becoming strong 61. Kuân Contemplation 30. Tâ Yû Having what is Great 62. Pî Union, Holding together 31. Kuai Removing corruption 63. Po Falling, Splitting apart 32. Ch’ien Heaven, Creative 64. K’un Receptive # 20 x 3x3 line Hexagrams total # In Fu Hsi’s order, starting at Chen house - Fu/Returning. Divided by the half year 'Great Dividing' <click on a Chinese name to goto that hexagram> 1. Fû Returning, The turning point 16. Tung Jen Companionship 2. I Nourishment 17. Lin Approach 3. Chun Initial difficulty 18. Sun Decrease 3x3 4. Yi Increase 3x3 19. Chieh Restraint 3x3 5. Chen Thunder, Motive power 20. Kung Fû Inmost sincereity 6. Shih Ho Gnawing through 3x3 21. Kwei Mei Marrying maiden, Propriety 3x3 7. Sui Following 3x3 22. Kuei Disunion 8.