sparhawk
February 17th, 2007, 08:20 PM
Last night I bought and was reading the Daoist magazine, The Empty Vessel (http://www.abodetao.com/mainsite/shop.cgi/SID=1171739405.10727/page=magazine.html) and there was an article there by Master Zhongxian Wu (http://www.masterwu.net/bagua.htm) named "The Yijing (I Ching) Dao of Tea" that I found interesting. What I found more interesting were the footnotes where it is mentioned that Master Wu is writing a forthcoming book on the Yijing. I went to his site and found the preface of the book, here (http://www.masterwu.net/wupdf_for_web/Yijing_Preface.pdf)
The Yijing, or I Ching, is a divination book that originates from the ancient Wu (Chinese Shaman or Enlightened Being). It contains three secret layers of wisdom: Xiang (symbolism), Shu (numerology), and Li (philosophy). Since the Yijing is considered to be the root of ancient Chinese science and civilization, it can also be used to gain deep insights into the practice of Chinese Medicine and spiritual cultivation. However, the high-level Yijing masters regarded the practical Yijing information on Xiang and Shu as the secret keys to the mystical gates of the Universe and the Human Being. They believed that a person with high virtue who mastered the keys would bring great benefits to others. In contrast, a person with a big ego or without ethics who mastered the keys would bring much harm to others. Therefore, they always picked their students carefully and taught their complete knowledge to only a few specially chosen students. This is same situation in other Chinese wisdom traditions.
“Don’t teach someone if he or she is not the right person.”
“Don’t leak the secrets of the universe.”
I have read these two sentences very often in old texts on the Yijing, Chinese medicine, martial arts, or internal alchemy. Because Chinese masters have followed these admonitions, most Chinese have no idea about the knowledge of Xiang and Shu. Although there are many different English versions of the Yijing, most of them just talk about Li, the philosophical part of Yijing, and it is therefore difficult for Westerners to find good information about Xiang and Shu.
L
The Yijing, or I Ching, is a divination book that originates from the ancient Wu (Chinese Shaman or Enlightened Being). It contains three secret layers of wisdom: Xiang (symbolism), Shu (numerology), and Li (philosophy). Since the Yijing is considered to be the root of ancient Chinese science and civilization, it can also be used to gain deep insights into the practice of Chinese Medicine and spiritual cultivation. However, the high-level Yijing masters regarded the practical Yijing information on Xiang and Shu as the secret keys to the mystical gates of the Universe and the Human Being. They believed that a person with high virtue who mastered the keys would bring great benefits to others. In contrast, a person with a big ego or without ethics who mastered the keys would bring much harm to others. Therefore, they always picked their students carefully and taught their complete knowledge to only a few specially chosen students. This is same situation in other Chinese wisdom traditions.
“Don’t teach someone if he or she is not the right person.”
“Don’t leak the secrets of the universe.”
I have read these two sentences very often in old texts on the Yijing, Chinese medicine, martial arts, or internal alchemy. Because Chinese masters have followed these admonitions, most Chinese have no idea about the knowledge of Xiang and Shu. Although there are many different English versions of the Yijing, most of them just talk about Li, the philosophical part of Yijing, and it is therefore difficult for Westerners to find good information about Xiang and Shu.
L