Zen and the I Ching. The Wisdom of the I Ching

Author: Chen Yang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The profound insights of the I Ching into daily life and human destiny have not diminished its ability to strike at the heart over time. Life's confusion, its answers are all within. Life is composed of a series of events, and each event is the present. Seize the present and do each thing well. One must also observe and act with the attitude of "the Dao follows nature." With an ordinary heart and relentless self-improvement, we will live in the Dao, and as the Dao follows nature, we will become more and more natural. A life that truly embodies the spirit of the I Ching also aligns with the laws of heaven, the spirit of the dragon, the conduct of a gentleman, and a noble and steadfast attitude toward life. The insights of the I Ching are so profound yet so practical. Across the centuries, reading it still moves one deeply. Tolerance—neither should one harbor private hatred toward anyone. A truly valuable person should endure the hardships of fate without blaming the heavens. For no matter what happens, they will ultimately turn out for the better. A joyful life is built on tolerance. It requires us to share others' joys and sorrows, to be happy for their happiness and sad for their sorrow, and to wish for the happiness and peace of all. To be often filled with joy, satisfaction, happiness, and love, to develop genuine concern and care for everyone, and to reach a state of deep affection. If the I Ching is indeed a mysterious and profound ancient classic, most people would agree. Due to its age, the classical Chinese is obscure and difficult to understand, and today we are afraid to read this mysterious classic called "the supreme of all classics." But as Chinese people, even in modern times, we have always maintained a strong fondness and curiosity for the I Ching. Indeed, the profound insights of the I Ching into daily life and human destiny have not diminished its ability to strike at the heart over time. Even today, the life principles revealed in the I Ching still hold significant practical meaning, guiding us to seek advantage and avoid harm, to turn misfortune into good fortune. The I Ching is vast and all-encompassing, covering every aspect of our lives with precise guidance. If elaborated on, the I Ching consists of 64 hexagrams and 386 lines, each of which can offer specific guidance for our lives. To write about this would exceed the scope of this book. Therefore, I attempted to distill the main guiding principles of each of the 64 hexagrams in the I Ching, using modern examples and modern Chinese summaries to express them, striving to make them easier for modern people to understand. I spent a long time collecting examples and stories until I felt I had enough to illustrate the important principles of each hexagram. And thus, this book was born. I hope that this style of explaining the I Ching can better reflect its character of "extremely profound yet adhering to the mean." I have always been amazed at my own audacity in "modernizing" the classics with such enthusiasm, and I ask the readers and experts for forgiveness for my boldness. The "master of life as taught by the I Ching" does not refer to the author. Please honor our ancestors who created this great classic as the master. I have merely done some interpretive work.