The Multimedia I Ching [CD-ROM]

Hellmut Wilhelm (Author), Richard Wilhelm (Author), Cary F. Baynes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, has been consulted as an oracle and explored as a book of wisdom and philosophy for 3000 years. Now Princeton University Press offers an interactive CD-ROM edition of this great classic, built on the entire text of the original Wilhelm/Baynes translation that has inspired over a million readers since its publication in the early 1950s. Through its familiar system of 64 six-line "hexagrams, " the I Ching attempts to render all phenomena in the universe in terms of the interplay of the primal forces of Heaven and Earth.In this CD edition, China's ageless work is harmonized with a stunning landscape of natural beauty, meticulously rendered architecture, and a background of gentle music and narration. In the open-air Pavilion, users can consult the Oracle through the traditional method of yarrow stalk divination or the simpler coin divination--or by entering a hexagram--for instant access to the appropriate readings of the Image, the Judgment, and the Lines. The text reader incorporates all levels of the text and all the Wilhelm commentary. The Library's rooms serve as a guide to the rich text of the Book of Changes, allowing effortless exploration of the deeper levels of the work, including the Ten Wings and other writings on the I Ching representing over 2500 years of study by Taoists, Confucians, and other scholars of this great work. Throughout the I Ching, tours await to guide you to both the deep resources of the disc and the many tools for using them.From its early days, when sages cut the work apart to shuffle its pages, the I Ching has awaited three thousand years for a medium deep enough to hold it--and responsive enough to adapt the Changes to each user. Whether you seek wisdom, advice, translations of each original Chinese text, or an experience deep within another culture's thought, The Multimedia I Ching is a perfect environment. Finally, the world's oldest hypertext finds its home.Both Mac and Windows versions are on the same hybrid disc.Sample the I Ching on the internet at http: //iching.princeton.edu in July.CD edition features- Generates Oracle hexagrams through precise duplication of Yarrow or Coin methods- Stores, files, and prints Oracle readings and texts And includes- Tours of material through voice and animation- 3-D walk-through or quick map-based navigation- Ambient sounds of nature and classical Chinese instrumentals- Preference settings for sounds, screens, and destinations- Full texts of Wilhelm/Baynes' I Ching and Hellmut Wilhelm's Change: Eight Lectures on the I Ching

Product Details

• CD-ROM
• Publisher: Bollingen Foundation; Cdr edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691012121
• ISBN-13: 978-0691012124
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,107,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Awkward, cold multimedia version of Chinese text, July 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Multimedia I Ching (CD-ROM)

The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is a formidable text. The process of divination -- tossing the coins or stalks, adding up the results, and consulting the Book itself -- can be time consuming and painstaking. At first, a multimedia version of the text (which also automates the divination process) seems like a good thing.

And then the package arrives. The Multimedia I Ching boasts "luxurious rendered graphics" and claims to be the first multimedia platform worthy of a text with the depth and beauty of the Book of Changes. Unfortunately, in a world where the standard for rendered graphics has been set by games such as RIVEN and MYST, the graphics in this package look flat and unappealing.

The interface, which requires the user to wander through several environments in search of the texts needed, is awkward, adding several minutes to what should be a quick search. The authors of this package appear to have forgotten that users of the I Ching will be less conc! erned with monitor candy than they will with quick access to the book's insights.

When the time comes for divination, clicking the mouse to toss virtual coins feels clinical and detached, compared to the real thing. I've found I get far more personal -- and applicable -- results when exploring the Book in the traditional way: tossing the coins and consulting the Oracle by hand.

It's possible that the hyperlinked version of the Oracle's text can be of some value to those who wish to browse the book, but, if you're serious about using the Oracle to explore ideas and generate insights, you'll probably find, as I did, that the centuries-old process of exploring the system by hand is best.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Journal will not display correctly, and can't be entered., July 16, 1998

By 

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

This review is from: The Multimedia I Ching (CD-ROM)

It is everything it was adverstised to be but I was unable to access the personal journal feature and this essentially left it worthless for my use except for aesthetic appreciation.