The structure of the I-Ching (for zenzero and ben)

[angrymoose]

Take the opening post with a grain of salt. You may know far more than I.

:bow: I am no expert on the I-Ching :bow: This is inspired by zenzero's post in my entropy/thermodynamics thread.

It is a deeply respected book that is loved by many Taoists and used in divination. Basically, it has 64 entries each of which represents a hexagram which is a series of six lines of yin and yang.


The middle of the picture below should not be a hexagram but the yin and the yang.

Now imagine the Tao ("the one") as being composed of yin and yang.

--- --- --- Yang (white, male, ...)
--- --- Yin (black, female)

From the above you can derive the trigrams: (This is the three from the two.)

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
--- --- -- --- --- --- -- --- --- ---
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

<--- Their Chinese meanings

Heaven/Sky Lake/Marsh Fire Thunder Wind Water
&#22825; Ti&#257;n &#28580;(&#27901 Zé &#28779; Hu&#466; &#38647; Léi &#39080;(&#39118 F&#275;ng &#27700; Shu&#464;

Mountain Earth
&#23665; Sh&#257;n &#22320; Dì

By combining two hexagrams, you derive the hexagrams which are the basis of the I-Ching (book of changes).

There are several ordering of the I-Ching with different examplanations.

The most famous are:
King Wen ordering

Fuxi Ordering (I consider this natural like binary numbers)

 

[zenzero]

Friend angrymoose,

Thanks!
Have read the book long back and once again on reading your post have just located the book dusted it and opened it again.
Yes am in complete understanding of the fundamentals and am in oneness of its possibilities and also have read/heard that the doomsday prophecy of 21st Dec, 2012 coinciding with the winter solstice has already been forecasted through I-Ching. Which time will tell.
Personal understanding is that whatever may be your study they still will remain connected with the MIND and all mind matters are perceptions and perceptions are never perfect. It could be near perfect!
Its only another 1yr & 363 days to verify both I-Ching and the Mayan Calender as am both in its happening or not happening.

Love & rgds

 

[angrymoose]

Friend angrymoose,

Thanks!
Have read the book long back and once again on reading your post have just located the book dusted it and opened it again.
Yes am in complete understanding of the fundamentals and am in oneness of its possibilities and also have read/heard that the doomsday prophecy of 21st Dec, 2012 coinciding with the winter solstice has already been forecasted through I-Ching. Which time will tell.
Personal understanding is that whatever may be your study they still will remain connected with the MIND and all mind matters are perceptions and perceptions are never perfect. It could be near perfect!
Its only another 1yr & 363 days to verify both I-Ching and the Mayan Calender as am both in its happening or not happening.
Love & rgds

The I-Ching doesn't really come with a calender though. Its possible that somebody used the I-Ching and asked a proper question and decided from the I-Ching that somehow said date is a problem.

The process of divination using the I-Ching is rather elaborate.

The most ancient methods involved tortoise shells and bones, etc.

The next one, the preferred method of many Taoists is to employ 50 straws and use an elaborate method called the yarrow method to determine the 6 lines of the hexagram. Most people find that too annoying and thus use of the coin methods.

Once one has the hexagram, one consults one of 64 pages in the book and reads the description for each of the lines and the interpretation of various masters.

Some Taoists go further and look at the so called change lines to gather further insight.

[youtube]TBdV8D4l9To[/youtube]
YouTube - An I-Ching Reading <-- example reading using yarrow

[youtube]59OcK2h51_M[/youtube]
YouTube - Kniss Connection: How to Consult the I Ching <-- using coins

 

[zenzero]

Friend angrymoose,

Yes, all that is known and understood.
What needs to be understood is about being HERE-NOW!
Past or future is where the MIND takes us but here-now is consciousness, is no-mind is where the journey starts from.

Love & rgds

 

[Sunburned]

Take the opening post with a grain of salt.

Just to note that the I Ching is more generally Chinese and specifically Confucian than Taoist. Rigid cosmologies(as required by many schools of divination) were thought to increase separation from the Tao in ancient times.

 

[angrymoose]

Just to note that the I Ching is more generally Chinese and specifically Confucian than Taoist. Rigid cosmologies(as required by many schools of divination) were thought to increase separation from the Tao in ancient times.

Sunburned, every Taoist I've met seems to subscribe to the I-Ching or explicitly qualify their Taoist status by not subscribing.

Its confusing though because many of them don't make the distinction between "Confusian" and Taoist.

Taoists still, apparently subscribe some of the innovations of the I-Ching to confusius.

I believe that the I-Ching was created before Confusius or Lao-Tzi. I believe some legends even date its creation back to the same of Fuxi ...

The I-Ching is indeed very much a Chinese thing.

Other methods of divination are also common in China.

Budhism, Confusiusm, Taoism are among religions that have co-existed in China for centuries upon centuries. It goes without saying that some marrying of traditions has occurred.

I'm not a cultural historian.

I'd love to hear some academic considerations on the matter.