Books on I Ching?

Hello! Are there any good recommendations for introductory books/websites/Youtube channels on I Ching? I am starting to study into I Ching (it's so complicated!! so much harder than tarot, omg) and I am looking into good resource books. Any suggestions/recommendations will be much appreciated!

Kimtsan,

To study the I Ching at the deepest level (this has absolutely nothing to do with the divination that is popular in new age circles and has rather more of a philosophical bent/a system of living to follow), The 64 Hexagrams are meant to describe various states of being that are purported to be found in all things in this world... and understanding these states is intended to bring you closer to understanding the flow of "energy" and "causality" in our world.

I would check out Wilhelm's commentaries on the I Ching. The books that include this usually also include Confucius' commentaries as well. A combination of these two is the best way to understand the I Ching in an absolutely life-changing way.

-TaoSandwich

[vespa68]

I stopped using the I Ching for a few years and recetly got back into it. I love it. Since I have been through a lot of soul growth, its like the answers just jump at me. The book I have is great with many examples, its called I Ching Made Easy by Frederic Sorrell and Max Sorrell.

[chevron1]

>>To study the I Ching at the deepest level (this has absolutely nothing to do with the divination that is popular in new age circles and has rather more of a philosophical bent/a system of living to follow)

taosandwich, there are people who believe that the deepest level of study should include divination. in another thread, i posted about a new practice now being evaluated in secret circles in mainland china. it is a new form of taoist clairvoyance that claims to be consistent and verifiable - chi-based Third Eye or Metaphysical Third Eye (玄三眼). if Metaphysical Third Eye and i ching could somehow be joined into a single system, it could enhance the accuracy of a reading.

I suppose there is a difference in beliefs. Although the I Ching in some form precedes Taoism, from a Taoist perspective, "divination" comes from simply fully experiencing the present and being able to see both the past and future courses of action in it. This is spoken of many times in the source (Tao Te Ching/Chuang Tzu) and early (Wen-Tzu, Huainanzi) Taoist texts. With the Tao, divination becomes unnecessary, and possibly even a hindrance, from my point of view, at least.

-TaoSandwich

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>>With the Tao, divination becomes unnecessary, and possibly even a hindrance, from my point of view, at least.

agreed. that is the sentiment of the tao te ching ch. 38. the practice of rites and divination appear as degeneracy of religion in that scripture.

The rites are the wearing thin of loyalty and good faith
And the beginning of disorder;
Foreknowledge is the flowery embellishment of the way
And the beginning of folly.

Lau, D.C., Tao Te Ching, p. 45.

Originally Posted by chevron1

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agreed. that is the sentiment of the tao te ching ch. 38. the practice of rites and divination appear as degeneracy of religion in that scripture.

Thanks for bringing the quote, chevron! I was away from my Tao Te Ching at the time. Here is one from the Wen-Tzu (often attributed to either Lao-Tzu as well, or to one of his students).

"When society is about to lose its essential life, it is like the arising of negatie energy: the leadership is ignorant, the Way is neglected, virtue dies out. Projects are undertaken that are out of harmony with Nature, commands are given that are in violation of the four seasons.... Gold lodes are quarried out, gemstones are all taken, tortoises are captured for their shells and have their bellies removed. Divination is practiced eveery day; the whole world is disunited... So conscientious people and sages rise up and support it with the virtue of the Way, and help it with humanity and justice. Those nearby promote their wisdom while those at a distance take their virtue to heart."

So here, too, divination is shown as something that people do out of desperation, not an art of the Tao. Practicing divination is a sign of living in disorder, so instead of trying to predict things, living in the Tao can be considered a higher (albeit more difficult) goal in my opinion.

-TaoSandwich

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>> Practicing divination is a sign of living in disorder, so instead of trying to predict things, living in the Tao can be considered a higher (albeit more difficult) goal in my opinion.

agreed that is true in the classical sense. in metaphysical taoism, they try to practice divination while avoiding disorder. it depends on the remedial action taken to avoid bad fortune.

to live in accord with tao is to discern the patterns of tao and to move in accord with them. divination is partially about identifying those patterns. the problem is if the pattern would naturally bring bad fortune your way. then how do you deal with it? in the classical sense, good and bad fortune are the same and over time, one should morph into the other. if you see bad fortune as bad fortune and try to change it, that's when there could be disharmony.

@Kimtsan I agree with TaoSandwich, the one I use is the Wilhelm/Baynes commentary on the I Ching (Book of Changes) you can easily buy it on Amazon. And I also agree with him in that it is better to read it to understand it than to divine the future. Though I definitely do use it to divine the future at points in my life where I have big decisions to make.

[CrystalKitty777]

What exactly is I Ching? I've only heard of it from the second Dirk Gently novel [The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul] by Douglas Adams, of all places.