I Ching/Yi Jing Study Group: Basic Questions

As a newcomer to YiJing, I have questions, and I know that as I read posts in the Study Group, that I will come up with more questions. So.... this is the place for anyone who has a question to post it. Hopefully someone will come along and answer us.

For myself, I am a question freak and will probably get on your nerves, in that case just point me in the direction of a link, although I have been finding with YiJing that people seem to work very differently to each other and that opinions vary quite drastically in some cases. That's okay though, once I've read up on what everyone has to say, I will then make up my own mind.

Thanks

Moonbow*

Question on doing a reading

I'm interested to know how each person approaches a reading and how far they go in terms of linking to other Hexagrams. For example, I interpreted the Primary Hexagram, the Related one (with the transformed lines) and the Hidden one.

Does anyone go more in depth than this, and if so what is your procedure?

That's about it for me as well. I have seen some books where you can wind up with 9 or more hexagrams to look at and mesh. Makes my head ache.

Oh good, that's the point where I thought I had enough information to go on too. But naturally I'm still looking up the meanings and it feels a little disjointed at the moment. I'm hoping that when I get further books and see different translations of the texts that I will also get more of my own sense of the meanings to incorporate too.

Is it possible though, to ever get to recognise and know the meaning of all 64 Hexagrams? There are more cards in a Tarot deck so I'm thinking that it must be possible. Is anyone at this stage, where you can recognise a Hexagram and know it's meaning? (and therefore not have to carry the book around with you?)

Well, among the experts here, I am likely the most simple-minded. There are 64 hexagrams plus 6 possibilities for moving lines in each. I started in 1984 and use it a lot and I have never even tried to memorize all that. I always use the book as a starting point.

That being said, yes, after a while you remember quite a few of the hexagrams and some of the more striking lines.

Hi Moonbow

The experts say that flat out beginners like us should forget the moving lines at the beginning, or, just interpret the lowest one.

The experts differ in the poetical language they publish because they are interpreting a language written in a very old form. Someone here said that it's like interpretions of Beowolf, which is over 1,000 years old, and the precursor of our present day English. Those who read Chaucer with ease may struggle with Old English. Chaucer is more easily understood because he is more contemporary. You get the idea.

The beginnings of the Yijing are over 2,500 years old, and is based upon inscriptions taken from tortoise shells which are even older. So, you can see that interpretations may vary from scholar to scholar. In this way the Yijing is just like tarot. There are several interpretations of the basic form. I believe they all meld and point in the same direction.

The issue for me was, how do you make sense out of it. For methods of divination you may read your books, here is another helpful link: www.hermetica.info

Download B of the material, and go to page 49 onwards for info on how to deal with the oracle.

Hi Shandar

Thanks for the link. I already had this from an earlier post of yours but there was so much to look at so you pointed me in the right direction.

I haven't read it all yet of course. When you say moving lines do you mean what I know as (from Stephen Karcher) transforming lines?

The first link doesn't work for me by the way.

The thing that I am struggling with is that it seems too simple. I throw the coins, write out the Hexagram and look in the book. It's too regimented and handed to me on a plate from one person's interpretation, I must be missing something, there is obviously more to YiJing than this. In some cases this is fine and in fact I have found the few readings that I have done, to be pointing to the very problems that I know (if I admit it to myself) exist.

I wonder if this is why most YiJing readers like to have various versions of The Book of Change, so that they can compare and pin point the truth.

rambling... sorry.

Hi Moonbow-
RE:
I wonder if this is why most YiJing readers like to have various versions of The Book of Change, so that they can compare and pin point the truth.

Sort of. Having several (preferably good) translations gives people some of the breadth of meanings that the original Chinese already has. Chinese has only 8000 common words to cover what english does in twenty times that many. The Chinese words often have a huge range of meanings which can't be captured in a single, straightforward translation. In fact, if you think of a four-word Chinese sentence as a four-position card spread, with the positions suggesting parts of speech, you'll be a lot closer to what Old Chinese was all about.

Branston's and Wensleydale on Toasted Wheat

Moonbow* said:

I wonder if this is why most YiJing readers like to have various versions of The Book of Change, so that they can compare and pin point the truth.

Click to expand...

The first time through, I draw the hexagram and make notes,
including notes if any changing lines and next (final) hexagram.
Quick sketches of the 'keywords' that come through clearest.

Then I make a clean copy, almost like creating a greeting card.
Thoughtfully drawing the hexagram up from bottom 1 to top 6.
Now I write the "notes" over again as if making a presentation.

For some reason just now this made me think of a sandwich.
Getting all the ingredients together, buttering the bread and
building it all ~ and yet how different to then take a bite.

I've been wondering about some of the unique names
that we're learning, and if we might create a glossary.
It could be linked to the Study Group Index and have
just the more direct and helpful words and phrases...

Today I'm after what are the Chinese Yijing terms for:
Old Yin, Old Yang, Young Yin, Young Yang

Oh... no need to make a glossary now ~ I'm all ears **