I Ching or Book of Changes

Product Information

The superior man is on his guard against what is not yet in sight and on the alert for what is not yet within hearing; therefore he dwells in the midst of difficulties as though they did not exist. He is swept along, and even though he may himself halt on the path of wrongdoing, he can no longer check the other in his powerful movement.

When talk of change has come to one’s ears three times, and has been pondered well, he may believe and acquiesce in it. By devotion to this divine spirit within himself, he attains an unsullied innocence that leads him to do right with instinctive sureness and without any ulterior thought of reward and personal advantage.Nonetheless, the shock causes no loss, because one takes care to stay in the center of movement and in this way to be spared the fate of being helplessly tossed hither and thither. During such a time he can do nothing for others, but his work is nonetheless valuable, because by enhancing his powers and abilities through inner development, he can accomplish all the more later on.

In a resolute struggle of the good against evil, there are, however, definite rules that must not be disregarded, if it is to succeed. In such times of shock, presence of mind is all too easily lost: the individual overlooks all opportunities for action and mutely lets fate take its course. e., of allowing energy that is renewing itself to be reinforced by rest, applies to all similar situations. This hexagram shows a fire that breaks out of the secret depths of the earth and, blazing up, illuminates and beautifies the mountain, the heavenly heights. In the lower trigram of fire a yielding line comes between two strong lines and makes them beautiful, but the strong lines are the essential content and the weak line is the beautifying form.By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Richard Wilhelm (1873–1930) was a sinologist, theologian, and missionary who translated many ancient Chinese works and wrote several books on Chinese philosophy and civilization. If great help comes to a man from on high, this increased strength must be used to achieve something great for which he might otherwise never have found energy, or readiness to take responsibility.

Please note that audiobooks and ebooks purchased from this site must be accessed on the Princeton University Press app.After the large and fundamental problems are settled, certain minor reforms, and elaborations of these, are necessary. Thus together they stand for the flame kindled by wood and wind, which likewise suggests the idea of preparing food.

Thus also rulers make use of danger to protect themselves against attacks from without and against turmoil within. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The first volume has occasional pencil underlining and marginalia, and the binding is starting to separate at the rear hinge, thus only good in black cloth.But he can endure this lack of appreciation and makes no mistake, because he remains true to himself. The I Ching, or, Book of Changes is understood to be an ancient Chinese divining tool, the English translation of which is presented here with the attention and polish expected from the Easton Press.