The Book of Changes | ||
I Ching | ||
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Book of Changes
The I Ching is an ancient Chinese method of making choices.
Essentially you are required to think about one specific issue and have a
clear question in mind, such as "Should I take that job?"
Then you consult the I Ching and read a verse.
Context
What you read must be considered in the context of your current issue, your
frame of mind, emotional state and the question you are asking.
The Book of Changes is not foretelling the future or providing you with an
answer. It serves merely to offer some perspective on the matter. Each verse
is designed to broaden your perception.
No revolution in outer things is possible without prior revolution in
one's inner way of being.
Whatever change you aspire to in your affairs must be preceded by a change
in heart, an active deepening and strengthening of your resolve to meet
every event with equanimity, detachment, and innocent goodwill.
When this spiritual poise is achieved within, magnificent things are
possible without.
(I Ching)
Horoscope?
Some people see the I Ching as being like a horoscope or an oracle.
This seems rather superstitious.
The Book of Changes is an effective way of considering new
possibilities.
It serves as a mirror or sounding board for our
own thoughts; a way to bring forth deeper concerns, ideas and doubts.
In itself, it tells us nothing we did not already have within us.
How you are
The Book of Changes presents statements that are read relative to
your own particular state of mind upon reading.
You read it according to how you are not according to how it is.
No advice
The I Ching offers no predictions and no advice. It asks you to see what is
within and intuit what happens next. You may choose to act or not-act.
An incident or event may seem problematic in the immediate moment, but over
time it may seem fortuitous.
What comes next may enrich your experience.
A mirror
The verses are akin to a person replying to a question. The answers are not
specific or necessarily useful in themselves - is it how we use the new
insight relative to what we already know that matters.
For example: "Should I take that job?"
If the I Ching urges 'caution in undertaking new
endeavours', then you will interpret the reading relative to
how you already feel:
If uncertain: you may decide not to take the job
If keen to take the job, you may take it, but with the awareness that things may not work out
The I Ching echoes our own
consciousness.
Eight choices?
The I Ching operates on the premise that any given moment in time
offers 8 potential courses of action.
For example, we could:
Sit down
Do nothing
Drink some water
Say something
Kick
Punch
Yield
Read a book
Each one is a latent
course of action. We should attach no significance to any of the eight
choices.
Options
Eight choices is simply an illustration.
There may be many more choices in front of
you. Eight is just a number.
The important thing is to see that life is not black and white, this or
that.
We can do many different things. We have many variables and choices before
us.
Perseverance alone does not assure
success.
No amount of stalking will lead to game in a field that has none.
(I Ching)
Consequences
Every action has consequences.
The opening of one door means the closing of others. Choices affect things.
This cannot be avoided.
The skill is to choose carefully; allowing the greatest degree of latitude
and flexibility.
Appropriateness
We must choose appropriately.
Appropriateness can be evaluated by considering how well our decision works
relative to other variables: our surroundings, our situation, other
people...
A good choice will benefit everyone, whilst a poor choice may have
unforeseen adverse consequences.
Planning
Choosing involves some degree of foresight but is not really about planning.
A plan is a fixed path. This is not.
The I Ching is more about balancing the variables and taking the
best course of action at a given moment
in time.
Should circumstances change, you choose again.
Plans are based on assumptions
Unlike a plan, you have no fixed base. It is akin to 'thinking on your
feet' except ideally you do not want to think at all.
Awareness, intuition and logic must be balanced in such a manner that the
choice seems to happen by itself.
Not every decision will lead to success.
There are often unexpected obstacles ahead and you must be relaxed and
receptive; ready to improvise, adapt and change without hesitation.
Neutral state
At any given moment you may perform a number of actions.
For the sake of simplicity, we apply the I Ching principle of eight
potential actions at any point in time.
If you are getting ready for one action, you are precluding the other seven.
Focussing on one thing prevents your mind and body from responding
instantaneously to new stimuli.
Freedom
Only a relaxed, neutral state will afford you the luxury of moving when and
how you want, or perhaps not moving at all.
This neutrality is 'wu chi' - the undivided. It is represented in tai chi as 'central equilibrium'.
Unattached, you are free.
Choiceless awareness
Ideally, we should reach a condition where the I Ching itself is no longer
necessary.
The aim is to instantaneously weight up the options and make the best choice
from what is available.
Our decisions may not make sense to other people, but are they allowing
for the same variables and considerations?
Everyone is different and people's motives are not always going to
coincide.
Harmony
When your choices become harmonious, you find that situations open up and
you see new opportunities that were not previously apparent.
Krishnamurti spoke of 'choiceless awareness':
This journey I am proposing that we take together is not to the moon or even
to the stars. The distance to the stars is much less than the distance
within ourselves. The discovery of ourselves is endless, and it requires
constant inquiry, a perception which is total, an awareness in which there
is no choice.
This journey is really an opening of the door to the individual in his
relationship with the world.
(Krishnamurti)
Optimal
Every
moment has an optimal choice; one option that is the
perfect one to take.
It is completely in accord with what is happening.
If we can attune to that optimal choice as an ongoing process, then there is
no choice - we just act appropriately moment by moment.
The act of choosing then becomes entirely subconscious; we move
spontaneously and freely.
Further reading
There are countless books available
concerning the I Ching and there are many good websites.
If you want a more detailed explanation of what the Book of Changes
represents and how it operates, please explore the web.
Page created
18 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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