I would like to invite you to share which translations of the Yi you like best.

Of course (at least this is true for me) there are different translations which are covering different needs, but all in all I can make a "top five" of the ones I use most (in no special order):

Richard Wilhelm/Lao Naixuan: Das Buch der Wandlungen (tr. engl. W. Baynes)
Stephen Karcher: Total I Ching
R.J.Lynn/Wang Bi: I ching
Thomas Cleary/Chih-hsu Ou-i: The Buddhist I Ching
LiSe Heyboer: website-based I Ching (Book of the Moon)

What real translations (not mere commentaries) would be your best five?

Have fun choosing!



Soshin

Hi Soshin-

My votes:
Seconding you on:
Wilhelm, Lynn and Cleary's Buddhist I Ching.

Adding (besides my own and LiSe's):
Richard Kunst
James Legge

Runners up:
John Blofeld
Wu Jing-nuan
Alfred Huang

New category:
Worst Yijing book of all time. Tie:
Joseph Murphy (never leaves the pages of the Bible)
Diane Stein (I Ching for angry lesbians)

Soshin,

This is a bit of a repeat of my comments on another thread today, but ones I have and use:

Karcher - Total I Ching
Huang - Complete I Ching
Cleary - The Buddhist I Ching
Blofeld - I Ching: The Book of Changes
Wilhelm/Baynes - The I Ching or Book of Changes

Chris

Hi Folks

I have no arguments with any of the above...

But What about Karcher I Ching 2002 Vega edition of the Eranos Inst. Tradition?

It has a full Concordance (the only one ever done I believe) and what they call ?Associated Contexts' which is equivalent to Bradford's superb Matrix edition.

It is remaindered right now and so you might still pick it up very cheap...

This really is a ?must grab? before it goes.

I saw a Karcher book today in the store. It is almost identical to the ritsema-karcher I Ching, with concordance, except that it has added notes on the commentaries. It is a big red book. And the title was, I believe, simply "I Ching", translated by stephen Karcher.

Is this the one you refer to, Kevin? This one is different, I presume, from Total I Ching which I have never been able to find -new or used- not even on amazon.

A word of support for the Joseph Murphy I Ching - perhaps if you consider it the Christian equivalent to The Portable Dragon you can get value from it.

Hi Micheline

That is the book.

There is a small difference between it and the Ritsema Karcher - and the R / K is a hardback.

Anyway - there were some incredible deals going for the Karcher 2002 in the online book stores.

A good X-mas to you and all.

--Kevin

Oh, Kevin,

how could I forget to add this one?




You are right, the Vega edition is an invaluable sourcebook. Doing an in-depth-reading one is able to extract a lot of additional meaning from the text and the concordance.

Happy holidays to all of you!

Soshin

thanks Kevin. Merry Christmas! and to all as well

Merry Christmas from me too!

Here is a funny little Christmas gift

http://www.busybus.co.uk/design/xmas_santa.swf

There are so many books that Karcher has written.
I don't know which to get.
There is the Total I Ching - but so many editions.
I found one that is 2005.

Also, I Ching, Karcher, 2002
It said with concordance. What does that mean?

And then a whole bunch of Love I Ching.

Suggestions??? I only want to buy one or two - I'm already overloaded with the all the books I have.

And - just another addition to everyone's favorites. I really like Carol Anthony's books.

Thanks,
Rosalie

Very nice Matt!
Santa loves you too!

Happy Christmas to all. If we've felt a bit Scroogie lately the line of planets right now - Jupiter squaring Saturn squaring Neptune - could certainly account for it. This astrological manefestation of hexagram 39 will be moving on in about 10 days. Meanwhile, Earth IS a free will planet so let neither stars nor feng shui nor gloom of night keep us Ching-a-lings from having a very Merry Christmas!

Rosada

Always:
Bradford (and my own)
Wilhelm
The I Ching cards made by Han Boering (excellent!)

Sometimes:
Kunst
Ritsema-Karcher (the big Eranos and Vega ones)
Balkin
Yi King by Elena Judica Cordiglia, alas only available in Italian and French

Good ones, but which I don't use anymore:
Wu Jing-Nuan
Lynn
Blofeld
Whincup

Exploring, but put aside since a long time, because there are always other things coming first: The Essentials of the yi Jing, by Chung Wu

LOL about Santa!!!

On choosing a Stephen Karcher Yijing and what a concordance is:

Stephen?s thinking is constantly developing as he researches reads and well umm? thinks.

So to a great degree his books, in date order, reflect his development.

Here is the 'Barefoot Sages Guide':

How to Use the I Ching ? Element Books - 1997
This was written while he was working at the Eranos Institute. The translated text is good and the commentary is clear, authoritative, but simple. To my mind this is one of the best entry level books around.

I Ching Plain and Simple ? Element Books 2004
Is the same book as the 'How to Use the I Ching'. However it has two printer / layout errors in the introductory chapters.

I Ching ? by Ritsema Karcher ? Element Books ? 1994
This was the culmination of Ritsema and Karcher?s 8 Years of collaboration at the Eranos institute. With its associated contexts (alternative word meanings for the Chinese characters) and its Concordance (look a word up and it gives the references to the other places it appears), this is for me a new standard of Yijing.

I Ching ? Vega ? 2003
This is the improved version of ?Ritsema Karcher? above. There were a number of changes to hexagram names, commentary added, and Nuclear hexagrams, which were marked as Counter Indications?, became more correctly marked as ?Hidden Possibility?. I regard this as the essential authoritative tool for exploring the Yijing because of the associated contexts which are founded on very wide reading and therefore attempt only to give those meanings which were likely. Also because the Word for word translation is pretty authoritative? given the limitations of translating one Chinese character with one English word.

Symbols of Love I Ching for Lovers Friends and Relationships ? Time Warner - 2003
Do not be put off by the title that Warner Books put on it!
This Yijing has a commentary which focuses on relating and relationships. The translated text benefits from later research. The commentary is very clear and has the benefit of some 30 years of study and practice.

It is more complex than ?Plain and Simple? or ?How to Use? but retains a good clarity in the commentary. I think this is a good book to have around. It would also serve as a good entry level book.

Total I Ching ? Time Warner ? 2003
In this book Stephen brings out the symbolism of the text and figures. He explains more complex methodology such as the use of nuclear hexagrams, change operators and crossline omens. Word of warning ? he does not use this crossline omen method for crossline omens now ? later work led to some modifications.

The other interesting thing he did in it was to gather up the more authoritative wings, and in the light of recent research, put them together with the original layers. This means it is not useful for someone who wants to explore the word for word meanings of the text. However it does give a text which is faithful to the I Ching and which is perhaps more evocative than having the layers completely separated out. It also has short pieces exploring the mythology behind each hexagram.

Hope this is useful

--Kevin

"I would like to invite you to share which translations of the Yi you like best."

Wilhelm and Legge with Bradford's trans. as a "tie-breaker".

One day, perhaps, I'll explore this Karcher stuff... in the meantime, I do seem to get "results" I'm happy with using the three.

- Jeff

Thanks Kevin.I have both Karcher books you mentioned.The title "Symbols of love" helped pick that one out.I bought the "Total I Ching" after.I like both books.I think I could almost use the "Total I Ching" on its on for any questions of relationship matters but I will maintain using both books.

Hi Ghris,

at the moment and for the last two years my absolute personal favorite was Karchers Total I Ching, but as I see at midaughters list you are exploring further.

I would add the original Wilhelm translation by Gary Baynes in your situation to my bookshelf.

And I would make use of the exceptional translations of Bradford and LiSe, which are both available "only" online.

Warm wishes,

Soshin

You can upload Bradford's as a zip PDF file.
I have it on my laptop - not sure of the sight - ask him!

Rosalie

Here you go...

http://www.hermetica.info/C-YiTran.zip

(Hope that's ok Bradford!)

Hi Rosalie-
Yes, that's OK. And it's still free. But to go to that link means a big automatic download. That might be confusing.
Probably better to give the overview page
http://www.hermetica.info/
and let them choose what to download.
Thanks
b

Yes I like Bradfords Matrix version too. See link just above.

--Kevin