I Ching Or Book of Changes (Arkana) [Paperback]

Richard Wilhelm (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 1989 | Series: Arkana

At least 5000 years old, the "I Ching" is a book of oracles containing the whole of human experience. Used for divination, it is a method of exploring the unconscious; through the symbolism of its hexagrams we are guided towards the solution of difficult problems and life situations. It can also be read as a book of wisdom revealing the laws of life to which we must all attune ourselves if we are to live in peace and harmony.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

More than just a translation, Richard Wilhelm's I Ching is a profound introduction to the Chinese world-view. The I Ching (Yi Jing) is recognized by both Confucians and Taoists as a foundational work, and Wilhelm shows why. He separates his work into three books. The first book is about the hexagrams--the meanings of the lines and Wilhelm's extensive comments. The second presents two early commentaries that interpret the wisdom of the divinatory text, also with Wilhelm's helpful notes. And the third book takes us back to the hexagrams for more detailed commentary from both ancient Chinese thinkers and Wilhelm. Wilhelm is able to offer such enormous assistance because he spent the better part of a decade in China studying under classically trained scholars. His love for the work is thus as broad as his understanding.

The I Ching was originally used for divination, kind of like palm reading or interpreting the stars. It differs from simple prognostication, however, in that it demands us, as diviners, to cultivate an understanding of the world and ourselves. Without this understanding, the text is useless, hence the value of the commentaries, particularly Wilhelm's. This version is not without its biases, of course--it is a European's understanding of the I Ching, through a late-Qing dynasty Confucian perspective, translated into English by a Jungian psychoanalyst. Nonetheless, it succeeds like no other. --Brian Bruya --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Princeton's Bollingen edition--still regarded as the best and most authentic by I Ching aficionados. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 816 pages
• Publisher: Arkana (June 29, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140192077
• ISBN-13: 978-0140192070
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #694,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Confucianism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

182 of 189 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The clouds pass and the rain does its work..., January 30, 2000

By 

Susan Byers (Willits, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The I Ching or Book of Changes (Hardcover)

...and all individual beings flow into their forms." The I Ching is a book in that it has pages and printed text, but it is also an actual, living oracle, with its roots in antiquity and fresh leaves emerging every spring. It can tell you how you are doing, where you are headed if you continue in this way, and what you might do to change the course of your destiny if you don't like the results. I have had a deep relationship -- and that is precisely what it becomes -- with this book for almost 30 years, and it has never betrayed me. I have thrown it across the room in anger; I have approached it, trembling, on my knees, with my most profound existential fears and questions; I have wept with relief, or shivered with guilt at its answers and advice. It has seen through my confusion, stroked my forehead, slapped my cheek, poked me in the ribs. It has been kind or cold, bestowed blessings or blame, as was deemed cosmically necessary. It will reward even the casual visitor with wisdom and a way to be happier and more successful in this life.

I have heard many complaints about this particular edition of the I Ching. Apparantly, some people feel that it is "muddy," or encrusted somehow with the translator's limitations. However, I have read or used more than ten other versions, and the Wilhelm/Baynes remains the benchmark for them all. They all rest on a knowledge of the Wilhelm/Baynes version to provide the screen upon which their translation is projected. None are so thorough, and none provide the glorious, exalted poetry of the original. For example, Confucius says of one of the lines in the 13th hexagram, Fellowship with Men:

"Life leads the thoughtful man on a path of many windings. Now the course is checked, now it runs straight again. Here winged thoughts may pour freely forth in words, There the heavy burden of knowledge must be shut away in silence. But when two people are at one in their inmost hearts, They shatter even the strength of iron or of bronze. And when two people are at one in their inmost hearts, Their words are sweet and strong, like the fragrance of orchids."

Some people find parts of the direct translations too wierd: "Penetration under the bed. Priests and magicians are used in great number." "The flying bird leaves him." "There is a large fruit still uneaten." But these poetic images have always had a striking impact on my subconscious, helping me to fathom the deeper meanings of the hexagrams and individual lines, and giving me a much richer depth of understanding. I find the use of many other translations valuable, and always appreciate the different highlights and perspective, but I used the Wilhelm/Baynes edition exclusively for many years and still consider it my primary resource. It is the one book -- of any kind -- that I would take with me to the proverbial desert island, if I could only take one. Don't hesitate to buy this book; you will never regret it!

65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a divination tool; A Key to understanding the Self, October 26, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The I Ching or Book of Changes (Hardcover)

Those approaching the "I Ching" for the first time are generally looking for that tool of divination that will fortell the future. Sorry to say, the "I Ching" is not for them. It is for the student of the self seeking to find a key to self-understanding, and a knowledge that things "change." The "I Ching" is, after all, the "Book of Changes." This particular volume is the definitive translation and commentary on the hexagrams, and the serious student will learn more about him/herself than about an uncertain and changing future. Because, you see, the future is not fixed. The individual controls his/her own destiny. For the newcomer to Eastern philosophy, or the initiate to the mysteries, Baynes masterful and insightful translations and commentaries (along with some delightful comments by Carl Jung), make this edition of the "I Ching" an invaluable addition to the shelf of any person seeking spiritual enlightenment, as well as a greater understanding of the "self" within us all.

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Standard by which the Others are Measured, November 9, 2001

By 

Thomas F. Ogara (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The I Ching or Book of Changes (Hardcover)

There are a considerable number of translations of the Yi Jing on the market. For my money, this is still the benchmark. It is true that it is old, and it was a translation of a German version, but such things are not all that unusual in the world of translating; to date, the best all-around Arabic-English Dictionary - the Wehr-Cowan - is a German translation.

People use this version for divination, but I feel that Wilhelm's translation is primarily a text for studying and meditation, and I find the depth of his version still surpasses any other that I have seen. If you consider the Yi Jing to be a serious book, you should obtain this translation, if only to supplement your understanding of the matter.