I Ching: The book of change

✍ Scribed by John Blofeld

• Publisher: E. P. Dutton
• Year: 1968
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 228
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The ancient Chinese I Ching is probably the oldest book in existence, and 2500 years ago it received the highest praise from its illustrious commentator, Confucius. The purpose of the I Ching is to provide a system of knowledge whereby man can analyze the pattern of changes in life governed by the Immutable Law of Change. If, then, with the help of this “book of wisdom” we are successful in attaining a deep understanding of the laws of change, and we can relate our affairs to the right point in the everlasting process of ebb and flow, rising and falling, we should be able to determine the best action to be taken in every event met in life.

This entirely new translation of the I Ching has been especially prepared for practical use in divination. Not only is the language simpler than that of any other version, but it is also much closer to that of the Chinese original, for the translation has been carefully examined by Chinese experts who are also thoroughly acquainted with English. Thus it is easier to use and much more authentic than any previous version.

John Blofeld, the translator of the I Ching, is already well known for his renderings of several important Zen Masters. He has employed his profound knowledge of the Chinese language and ways of thought—the fruit of some thirty years’ residence in Asia—both in the work of translation and in the preparation of the excellent notes and the extensive introductory chapters.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Translator's Foreword
Contents
Introduction
PART ONE: Explanatory Chapters
1. An Approach to the Book of Change
2. The Background of the Book of Change
3- The Symbolical Basis of the Book of Change
4. The Method of Divination
5. A Guide to Interpretation
6. A Summary of Instructions
PART TWO: The Book Of Change (Text and Commentaries)
1. Hexagrams 1 to 30
2. Hexagrams 31 to 64
3. Postscript
APPENDIX: Tables and Diagrams for Assisting Interpretation
1. The Trigrams with their Principal Attributes
2. Fu Hsi’s Arrangement of the Trigrams
3. Fu Hsi’s Circular Arrangement of the Trigrams
4. King Wên’s Arrangement of the Trigrams in Family Relationships
5. King Wên’s Circular Arrangement of the Trigrams
6. The Trigrams in the Arrangement Used in Charms for Warding Off Evil
7. Parallel Diagrams Indicating the Interaction of Yin and Yang
8. The Hexagrams in the Sequence in which they Occur in the Book of Change
9. The Hexagrams Arranged According to the Base Structure
10. Fu Hsi’s Diagram of the Derivation of the Sixty-Four Hexagrams
11. The Hexagrams Arranged According to the Number of Yang Lines in Each
12. The Seasonal Correspondences
13. Table of Ruling Lines
14. Table of Approximate English Phonetic Equivalents of the Names of the Trigrams

✦ Subjects

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