Customer Reviews

The I Ching Workbook

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first encountered this R.L. Wing's version of the I Ching many years ago,and it remains to this day the best and most understandable I have ever seen. This book has a personality - I don't know of any other way to describe it. It has an astonishing ability to answer even the most direct and pointed questions with a relevant response and sound advice. If you have ever had the slightest curiosity about the I Ching or the Tao, you must have this book. I've replaced my copy of this book 3 times now, having worn out the previous ones. Be prepared - you don't read this book, you converse with it.

This book is indeed a Workbook for using the I Ching. There are so many books about the hexagrams, but not many go into enough detail as to how to really USE them from a practical perspective, and leave the reader to figure it out for him or herself. R.L. Wing's interpretations of each hexagram are more detailed than one usually finds. As the other reviews indicate, Wing keeps a impartial distance, however, and that requires the user to read between the lines to apply them to their own circumstances.

For each hexagram, he gives several paragraphs where one gives an interpretation if you're asking on a personal matter, another if the question has to do with career, another if your question is about family relationships, etc. For myself, I used it heavily when I found myself in a new job or with new acquaintances and found it to be extremely useful in navigating the political ups and downs and figuring out who to trust. I spent a while asking deeper and deeper questions into each area and it helped me to transform my professional relationships and find a more meaningful career. Thanks, R.L. Wing!

This is a wonderful book for those not interested in deciphering the English translation, which can be most difficult. It is straight forward, with all the information needed for imediate use. It stirs your imagination to desire the highest ideals, and gives information on exacting those ideals or actions. Years ago I studied an english version of the I Ching, but never understood it as clearly as I do now, and therefore only applied it to problems. After reading the brief but concise info on how and why this book is used, I am applying it to all aspectds of life, living, my enviornment, and more; with ease and awe!

In 1985 I bought my first copy of this book. For the next 15 years I consulted it, sometimes regularly, sometimes sporadically, for insight and advice. First I separated yarrow stalks. Then I tossed coins. Later I wrote a computer program and clicked my mouse. I was often enlightened, occasionally baffled, but never misguided.

Today I bought my second copy of this book. My original copy has yellowed with age. The covers have been secured with Scotch brand Magic Tape for several years now. The right-hand pages are filled with numbers, notations, and check marks. The pages of the Hexagram Journal are almost full. When my new copy arrives, my old copy will take its honored place on the bookshelf in my meditation corner, next to my even more yellowed but equally revered copy of the Wilhelm/Baynes translation. My new copy will take its upstart place on my desk, where I will consult it on an as needed basis. The forms change. The source remains.

Buy this book. Read it. Study it. Use it. Absorb it. Then throw it away. By then you'll know.

This book is amazing. I recommend it as a beginner's I Ching. But as you learn from the book and grow you will find that its the only I Ching book you will ever need. The simple explanations are very profound, when you are ready to discover the profound.

I've had this book for more than 20 years. It is in almost constant use. It is truly like conversing with another entity. I own many different copies of the "I Ching", but this is my most valued. It is a beautiful translation and in keeping with the spirit of the "I Ching".

The I Ching workbook has a unique feature which allows you to track the appearance of the hexagrams in your readings. The forms also allow you to track lines that change frequently in certain situations. This is an excellent way to develop your thinking about certain aspects of your life. I quite enjoy this feature, and it has helped greatly in my fledgling understanding of the hexagrams.

That being said, R.L Wing's translation is rather dry and uninspiring. It is intended to facilitate understanding, but the poetry which first attracted me to I Ching in the first place is eschewed in favor of prose dissertation. That's precisley how it feels, as though someone had written an academic thesis on the hexagrams. This, in my opinon, makes it extremely difficult to form an intuitive response to the text.

Still, I reccomend the workbook simply for the journal feature. You may or may not have the same response to the translation. If you do, there are other translations that you can refer to, while still using the tracking feature to follow the influence of the hexagram. Better still, combine insights from both translations. A more poetic viewpoint actually helps render the thesis more inuitively intellegible.

An excellent tool for exploring the hexagrams in your own life.

While I am still a novice at working with the hexagrams, I was frustrated with trying to make sense of I Ching, until I found this workbook. Sometimes, it just takes a picture or a simple chart to make things clear.

And yes, relevant. This is not a mere "transliteration" of some ancient holy book; it's a living, interactive experience. It makes sense, something no other translation has done for me. I guess that's all I can say, is what it's done for me. and there's not enough space for that!

I have read more than a few translations of the I-Ching, and RL Wing's translation surpasses them all. Wing begins with a scholarly introduction, and the first sentence carries much meaning: "The book you have opened is an ancient treasure." The book continues to explain the Tao, Yin and Yang, the Trigrams and the Hexagrams in simple, yet profound, prose.

The workbook format is ideal, and by recording the results of your inquiries you will gradually see the patterns of your life unfolding.

And yes, it really works.