Lost in Translation

I don't think the I Ching is supposed to be superior to the modern scientific approach. I don't see a need to make a comparison between the two at all. At its core the I Ching shows how a thing (whatever thing you are addressing) has a natural tendency to change from one aspect of its being to its opposite. In between the change is a period of apparent rest. This is akin to the motion of a pendulum. You can see this tendency to change very clearly in the realm of politics - constantly moving from liberal to conservative and back again. The 64 hexagrams distill the motions into conceptual snapshots. Their arrangement is by pairs of opposites, for example #55 (feng, Abundance) is immediately followed by #56 (Lu, the Wanderer). If you notice the arrangement of the lines they are vertically mirrored. By pairing the hexagrams one can see how change occurs, specifically how opposites reflect each other. One need not use the I Ching for divination. However, I completely respect your position and your decision and will not push the issue further.

You may not want to consult the I Ching as an oracle, but I highly recommend acquiring a copy or two as reference. Wilhelm/Baynes is an excellent start. Fundamental to Taoism is an acceptance of change. Observing and understanding change is the foundation of the I Ching. It is worth reading if no other reason than that.

I am reacquainting myself with I Ching. I am only realising now how much I did not see before. Between Ch'ien and K'un lies all of creation. This is true wealth.

Children play with dolls and pretend to fight monsters. If they ever see a real monster they scream in terror and call for their parents.

Thanks. That's one reason to continue my studies...

Is this in Chinese only? I studied Mandarin one semester in college...

Does anyone know of any resources (online or otherwise) that describe the rationale behind the decisions and commentaries based upon the structure of the hexagrams/trigrams independently of the decisions and commentaries of Confucius and King Wen? In other words, resources that deconstruct and recompile the guo meanings from scratch?

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." --Keyser Söze

Kardashians.

I just picked up a copy of this book. It's good. I appreciate the structure, particularly how he highlights the words of Confucius vs King Wen. That how-to-use section is... interesting. I get the impression that he's showing his personal opinion regarding changing lines, yarrow stalks, alternate coin methods, etc. In the end it probably does not matter. The entire divination process is, by definition, personal.

I just picked up a copy of Huang's book, edition ten. It seems quite thoughtful. The typesetting and use of color is very effective at leading the eye to the important data quickly. I also appreciate his relationship to Taoism. His bio says he was born in 1921 and still lives, so he's doing something right! Recently, I finished Wilhelm/Bayne's and also very much enjoyed that. Wilhelm gives a detailed study of the individual trigrams and the structure of the hexagrams. I found that absolutely fascinating.

Wilhelm/Baynes give a very good description of the composition of hexagrams and trigrams. In a nutshell, each trigram corresponds to an archetype, be it a family member, element in nature, direction, or body part. The upper trigram leads the lower trigram. In addition, there are "nuclear" trigrams that correspond to lines 3,4,5 and 2,3,4. These are used to create a second set of hexagrams that give clarification to the actual found hexagrams. Within each hexagram the lines matter. Lines 1 and 2 refer to the Earth. Lines 3 and 4 refer to Man, and lines 5 and 6 refer to heaven. The "perfect" configuration is light and dark alternating. E.G. lines 1,3 and 5 are light (solid) and 2,4 and 6 are dark (separated). Deviation from this helps explain the various movements. Also, the first and 6th line are special. The first being the nascent condition and the sixth being the Sage. Lines 2-5 have their meanings too. Line 5 is the prince (ruler). It generally controls the hexagram (not always). The 4th line is the prince's trusted administrator (in the court) and line 2 is the prince's trusted governor (outside of the court). The 3rd line is ambiguous, but generally seems to equate to some kind of proxy for the prince. The quality of the individual lines as related to their positions and the attributes of the composite trigrams are what give meaning to the hexagrams. This is a deep rabbit hole that I am still only just beginning to learn. One can spend a lifetime on this.

Maybe. But being direct is easy too. You a glper? GLP = Grand Ole Party, i.e. Republicans Yes, I am, and I am happy to discuss, among many subjects, the differences between the left and the right. One primary difference between the left and right is the use of language. Since the left owns the media, entertainment, educational institutions, and most large city governments, it feels quite comfortable managing the narrative. One way it does that is by demonizing its opponents. Case in point: you chose to say "You a glper?" - the not so subtle implication being that a "glper" is something to avoid, hence derogatory. You have shown your hand. You have exposed your bias. I take no issue with you having a bias, we all do - but since us "glper's" are forced to constantly defend our positions we understand our own bias as well as yours. I suspect you cannot say the same.

Of course. I forgot. Please forgive me.

That's one way of viewing it. Another way is to as "what is human?" The replicants may simply be the next step in human evolution. After all, they are conscious, and what is more important, the process of creation of the fact of creation?

Future generations will have the dregs of Tailor Swift. Lucky us, we get the swill. (No offense against Tailor Swift. Substitute your preferred pop star)

Yes, I consider him to have been a Sage. A man of great wisdom. He is gone but his words linger on. To die but be remembered - that's a long life. I'm looking at Mair's Tao Te Ching book (1) and in that he defines Sage as follows: Interesting stuff. 1. Tao Te Ching, The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way. Lao Tzu. Translation and commentary by Victor H. Mair. p. 137

I love that movie! I still can't walk through doors without first opening them but I keep trying.

Um.... My brain hurts. I'm sorry, but I can't go there.

Ok, I'll do that. Thanks!

Thank you! I am not an acupuncturist but I have a couple friends who are. My wife receives acupuncture once a month and says it is very good. I'm curious to learn more about acupuncture from a layman's point of view, for example how it is used to clear blocked energy and how it stimulates the body's natural healing, etc.

There is a lot to unpack here, and frankly I don't have the desire to investigate this litany of items. The gist of it seems to be "the right wing hates the environment." Am I wrong in my inference? It's really not that simple. For every policy that "saves the environment" there is a cost. For every policy that "destroys the environment" there is a cost. Politics is all about cost/benefit. The problems arise when the people who benefit are not the ones paying the price, and vice versa. That is an area that can be debated, but it must first be acknowledged that there is a cost.

For those of us in USA. https://www.democrats.org/party-platform https://www.gop.com/platform/ So much is lost in the constant barrage. See for yourself what each party values.

There's no need to argue about it. Simply draw a list of values espoused by Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu apropos government , then compare these to the values espoused by the modern left and the modern right. Do this, and you will have your answer. It might also be illuminating to see how the left and right differ. Many people today don't even know what is left or right. Instead they know "right = bad" since that is what they read/hear/view on the media 24/7.