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The Complete I Ching

ricardoribeiro

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Has anyone here used "The Complete I Ching" by Taoist master Alfred Huang?If yes, what's your experience with it vis a vis other translations of the I Ching?
 

bradford

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This is one of the best (translations of the received text) that's out there (although you should always have at least three).
My only comment is that it's just pretentious as hell to claim any mastery over either the Dao or the Yijing.
 

my_key

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I have found it to be a clear and effective translation. The book is well laid out and easy to follow.He seems (from my limited knowledge and what is said on the dust jacket) to stick closely to the original Chinese for the Hexagram names and for the line translations which to my mind brings simplicity and with it allows clarity to unfold. I like that he also tells you what others call the hexagrams so that I can see for myself the nuances that others have added to reach their names. His explanation of each Hexagram structure and line position adds to the richness of any reading.
To my mindthis is a must for the I Ching library of any amateur enquirer of the Yi.
 

TwoGeese

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I own it. I agree with what others have said about it. As a beginner I struggle with it but I struggle with all of them. His wording is more positive than Wilhelm and Legge and I appreciate that. I also love how he organized the text for each hex (everything in one spot no flipping through the entire book).
Hope that helps.
 
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svenrus

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Strange it is that as good The complete I Ching are as bad is his other book Nummerology of the I Ching.
 

ricardoribeiro

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Thank you everyone for your replies. I too find this translation well organized and easy to read and use it along with the Richard Wilhelm - Cary Baynes translation. I also find that it seems to be a bit more uplifting at times.
 

bradford

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There are comments here on how easy or positive or uplifting this translation is compared to the W-B. But seriously, folks, the real question ought to be how faithful it is to the Chinese, or at least to the Han Chinese. The W-B fails more frequently in this regard.
 

ricardoribeiro

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Do you find this translation more faithful to the original Chinese compared to the Richard Wilhelm - Cary Baynes one?
 

bradford

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Do you find this translation more faithful to the original Chinese compared to the Richard Wilhelm - Cary Baynes one?

Much more faithful, but there are others [besides mine]. The Thomas Cleary version published in The Buddhist I Ching is very faithful (he did 3 other versions). Gregory Richter also tracks the words closely.
 

tacrab

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Bradford, Could you expand on your comments: when you say Cleary translation is "faithful" do you mean to the Yijing layer? the commentary layer? to the world view (and Yijingview of the commentator? How do you think the Buddhist one compares to his other translations (i.e. Taoist and Confucian)?
 

bradford

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Bradford, Could you expand on your comments: when you say Cleary translation is "faithful" do you mean to the Yijing layer? the commentary layer? to the world view (and Yijingview of the commentator? How do you think the Buddhist one compares to his other translations (i.e. Taoist and Confucian)?

The assertion is for the original Zhouyi layer only, when you go through the two texts side-by-side. The one in the Buddhist book is more verbatim than his Taoist, Cheng-yi or stand-alone versions.

It's important to remember that the Zhouyi doesn't present us with a Buddhist world view, nor a Neo-Confucian, nor a Daoist (which is where most people go wrong), nor one that conforms to the superstitions of anthropologists. It has its own qualities and approach to life.
 
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