Getting into the I Ching

[zenyogi]

I'd like to get a book n the I Ching and make it a part of my life. Any recommendations as which are some good books?

 

Also, some people prefer sticks and others coins. Is one better? Or are coins just more convenient?

 

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts in this.

 

Ben

[Michael Sternbach]

Using yarrow sticks is a fairly long ritual that might help one to enter a deeper meditative state. Personally, I'm quite satisfied with using coins.

 

I recommend Al Huang: The Numerology of the I Ching: A Sourcebook of Symbols, Structures, and Traditional Wisdom. Especially if you like symbols, structures, and traditional wisdom.

[zenyogi]

Thanks Michael, for the explanation about the yarrow sticks and the book recommendation. I'm going to check that one out

[Daeluin]

I found Ni Hua Ching's The Book of Changes and the Unchanging Truth to be very insightful and spiritual. The descriptions and stories following each hexagram really helped gain meaningful insight. Some interpretations of the I Ching lack much of a human element, making interpretation for beginners more challenging. Ni Hua Ching, in my opinion, manages to provide a very human element to the I Ching, which helps understanding of the great depth of information provided, and also helps make the spiritual element of the I Ching more accessible.

 

In regards to coins or sticks, both methods can produce multiple changing lines. For a beginner this can be complicated to read. Ni Hua Ching recommends a simpler method that does not produce changing lines. Instead it always yields one hexagram and one line. The hexagram represents the type of change that relates to the question. A hexagram may describe a certain dynamic of change, but this dynamic is composed of multiple components. For the beginner it is most important to learn to understand how to identify how these components work together. For example, line 6 of hexagram 36 represents being oblivious to one's situation - the truth is concealed, even as one acts as though they know the truth, blind to their own ignorance. But line 1 of hexagram 36 represents one who knows the truth and recognizes that the truth is not appropriate for the current situation, so they deliberately exercise patience, concealing their illumination to engender harmony rather than competition. When attempting an interpretation of the hexagrams, it really helps to thoroughly understand the perspective of each line.

 

I also like this method, called the seed method, as it feels more truly random to me. It is very simple, quick, and quiet - no rattling coins. On merely pinches between two fingers 7 small piles of rice from a bowl. The first six piles are placed in a vertical line following the example of the lines in a hexagram - the first line is at the bottom, the last at the top. An even number of seeds is a yin line. An odd number of seeds is a yang line. The seventh pile identifies the line number - if there are six or less seeds in this seventh pile, then the number of seeds represents the line. If there are more than six seeds in the seventh pile, simply subtract 6 until there are less than six remaining. For example, if there are 11 seeds in the seventh pile, 11 - 6 = line 5.

 

Wishing the best to you (and others) in your new exploration of intuition with the book of changes!

[Trunk]

I like the Taoist I Ching by Cleary. It has inner alchemy built-in.

Also, don't expect to understand the i ching in one swoop. It's the sort of book that you'll get bits of knowledge & guidance out of, over a long period of time. For throwing a reading: 3 pennies.

[zenyogi]

Thanks Daeluin & Trunk for the insightful answers and recommendations. I'm going to have a look at those things.

[zerostao]

i was reading some jung yesterday, Spirit in Man, Art, and Literature

and pages 54-58 had some interesting insight about I Ching

Edited January 20, 2015 by zerostao

[lifeforce]

The Yijing is a mirror to your mind. It can be used for help on personal matters by means of asking questions using coins, yarrow etc, or read in small chunks, as a guide to living. It never ceases to amaze me.