A really interesting I Ching site

[seeker]

I found this tonight looking for more on the I Ching and considering the recent poetic posts for 16 I thought you guys might enjoy this site. Not all the hexes are active, but the ones that are are really neat. They explain them through poetry, art and in the case of 16, sound. Someone with more knowledge will have to judge how accurate they are, but I thought the concept was really cool, and if nothing else, the art is beautiful.

[jte]

Link?

Heehee.

=)

[seeker]

Sorryhttp://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/I_Ching_community/clipart/blush.gif

http://www.adeleart.com/Meditations.html

[jeanystar]

Connie...Did not see this second message from you......if you want real simple and a lot of explanations, examples, try Rod and Amy Sorrell, The I Ching Made Easy.....For a beginner, I think this is a great introduction.

[bradford_h]

Connie-
My advice would be: don't start with a beginner's book.
Begin with a book that deserves some respect and pay attention to it.
I think if you start shallow you'll stay shallow.
The Wilhelm is pretty standard and covers a lot of ground for beginners. Or Legge. Or Blofeld. Or Richard Lynn.

[hilary]

Or Bradford:
http://www.hermetica.info
Better than most of what's in print, by a long way...

By the way, there is an I Ching for Dummies; I own it, and I really wouldn't recommend it.

[bradford_h]

Hi all
I've been thinking about this "short cut" or "easy way in" since my first response to this question. There are in fact easy ways. The Sorrell book is surprisingly good. And Hilary has an excellent online introduction too.
But the whole quick and easy approach to something of such great value is actually antithetical to the teachings found in the Yi. In spite of the fact that Yi means Easy, such haste is spoken of most unfavorably in Hexagram 54, and it's The disease of modern culture.
The Yi begins with the four words I translate as "First-rate fulfillment is worth persistence."
or "The greatest satisfaction rewards (or is the harvest of) perseverance."
Much ado is made of this being some magical formula, but there is nothing mytsterious here. Life's most rewarding experiences are a function of sustained hard work and dedication.
A rich existence is not something to wish or pray for - it is something to create with a lifetime of effort.

[kevin]

Gently disagreeing in part.

? Legge

?Wilhelm

There has been so much research since then!

Though I do love Wilhelm? it has to be read in the light of being aware of ?mis translations? and other flaws.

My pennies worth:

Get one of the very good works which have the benefit of more recent research.

Mine would be Karcher 2003 and Richard Lynne 1994.

Though Alfred Huang ain?t bad.

If you buy Lynne ? Take it straight to the bookbinders and get it rebound in its own cover? They did a really bad job on binding such a beautiful work.

But where I would disagree is this? having a really good simple work to hand can ease ones headaches as one struggles to come to terms with difficult material.

I would strongly suggest a copy of ?How to Use the I Ching? ? S. Karcher. When one reads around and around and has mind block it can form an easy core around which to coalesce more complex ideas.

Finally ? Indispensable ? S.J Marshalls ?The Mandate of Heaven?. It gives a wonderful historical perspective and, I think, demystifies. By seeing how he works with the material he explores one can get a good grasp of how to approach other parts of the work.

--Kevin

[candid]

I believe it depends on the manner in which you learn things best. For some, the Tao of Poo makes a connection that the Dao De Jing does not. For another, the former is ridiculous child?s play. It doesn?t really matter what anyone else tells you. It matters how you learn it best. Regardless of the method, it is your own personal experience with the Yi that gradually integrates it?s working principles into your thinking process. And I wouldn?t advise taking that too lightly.

[plotinus]

Thank you ALL for your advice. It is touching to see so many people willing to help. Thanks again. Connie