I Ching for a New Age The Book of Answers for Changing Times Edited by Robert G. Benson

ISBN: 0-7570-0019-3 Length: 352 Pages Size: 5.5 X 8.5-inch Format: Quality Paperback Category: Spiritualism / Chinese Price: $17.95 Availability: In Print Click below for: Synopsis • Contents Introduction • Reviews

Synopsis

For over three thousand years, the Chinese have placed great value on the I Ching--also called the "Classic of Changes" and the "Book of Changes"--turning to it for guidance and insight. The I Ching is based on the deep understanding that our lives go through definable patterns, which can be determined by "consulting the Oracle"--the book of I Ching. Throughout the centuries, I Ching devotees have used the book as a means of understanding past, present, and future events, as well as exercising control over some events. The book highlights hundreds of different possibilities we might face in daily life, both on a professional and on a personal level.

For over ten years, researcher Robert Benson worked towards making the English text of the I Ching easier to understand and use. The result is a book that focuses on the text’s essential meaning and is highly accessible to the modern Western reader. In addition, Benson provides an illuminating history of the I Ching, explaining how the text was created, discussing how it works, and exploring its many mysteries. Here is an I Ching that stands alone, providing a book of answers for anyone who faces a time of personal crisis and change.

Robert G. Benson is an systems specialist. He has a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of California---Santa Barbara, and a master’s degree in political science from San Diego State University. In addition, he earned a professional credential in information systems management from the University of California---San Diego. For over thirty years, Benson has studied the I Ching and other related divination systems, using his knowledge of history, political science, and cutting-edge information gathering and analysis. Mr. Benson currently lives in the San Diego area.

Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface

Introduction

1. Methods--How to Use the I Ching
2. History--How the I Ching Came to Be
3. Theory--Understanding the I Ching

I Ching: The Hexagrams With Interpretive Text
Traditional Hexagram Lookup
Alternative Hexagram Lookup
Hexagrams in Number Order
Hexagrams in Line Order
Hexagrams Interconnections

Notes
References
Index

Introduction

The I Ching (which is pronounced ee-jing) is one of the oldest written documents. It is called a "book of divination," or fortunetelling, but it is also an expression of ideas that became incorporated into the important philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism in ancient China. The I Ching has been fundamental to Chinese culture for more than two thousand years, and now its influence is spreading into the Western world.

Some of the I Ching’s concepts, for instance yin and yang, are comparatively well known in the West. According to this idea, all things in the universe can be classified by their nature into one of two complementary qualities. Female is yin and male is yang; winter is yin and summer is yang; home is yin and workplace is yang, and so on. The I Ching incorporates other principles, particularly with regard to the nature of change, which you will come to understand as you read this book.

The I Ching text is divided into sixty-four major sections, each of which describes an important concept. Each of these sections also has a corresponding unique six-line figure called a hexagram. When you "consult the oracle" to determine what prediction applies to your question, you are generating hexagrams to look up in the book. Each major section of the I Ching text has a general meaning described below the hexagram title, and following that, subparts contain specific meanings for variations within the general concept. In this book, all the subparts are clearly numbered to keep things neatly in place, and crossreferences to other hexagrams are shown so internal conceptual links can be seen.

Chapter 1 explains how to use the I Ching. That is, both how to create your own predictions, and how to use this book. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the history of the I Ching. It has a surprisingly complex past, and knowing this will enrich your use of it. Chapter 3 explores the theory behind the I Ching. What are its guiding principles? What do the different hexagram lines mean? These and other questions are addressed. Chapter 4 looks at the I Ching through the eyes of modern science. If the I Ching truly works, we should be able to prove it scientifically--and we can to some extent, more so than you might think.

The I Ching is an amazingly valuable tool when used properly. This book gives you the tools you will need to use it successfully. The I Ching will give you a new way to understand your life, as well as give you new perspectives on life in general.

Reviews

"... Benson has created an effective, practical, and contemporary guide to using the I Ching that may revolutionize the Western approach to this divination system."

--New Age Retailer

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