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The first translation to honor the authentic Chinese spirit of the Book of Change
For more than 3000 years the I Ching has been the most important book of divination in the world. Yet it has always been translated by Westerners who brought their own cultural biases to the work. Now, for the first time, an eminent Chinese scholar has translated the original ideograms of the I Ching into English. Imprisoned and sentenced to death during the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Master Alfred Huang studied the I Ching in secret with some of China's greatest minds. Released in 1979, he emigrated to the United States, where he discovered that no I Ching existed in English that truly understood the Chinese mind. This book is the product of his desire to right that situation.
To the Chinese, the I Ching is nothing without the Confucian commentaries known as the Ten Wings. Previous editions have given them only a minor place in the book, or have left them out altogether. In this new translation, they are restored to their central importance by Master Huang.
This book also emphasizes the intricate connections between the 64 possible hexagrams, and introduces several new methods for doing readings.
Pagan News Review by Mike Gleason
I Ching is a system of guidance (I wouldn't call it divination, even though
many do), and I definitely wouldn't refer to it as fortune telling) which I
first encountered over 30 years ago. At the time, it was one of the
"divination" systems that was gaining in popularity. I found it not to be
my style, so I put it aside. I learned Tarot, a bit of astrology, some rune
lore, and a variety of other systems.
Imagine my surprise when this book appeared (unasked for) in a shipment of
books for review. It seemed as if I was fated to re-explore this system.
Having added three decades of life experience opened me to some of the
subtler meanings of the trigrams (3-line portions of the total figure) and
hexagrams (complete 6-line figures).
The author himself refers to it as a book of divination, but I feel his
(Chinese) perception of divination is far removed from that of the average
Westerner. He sees it as divine guidance, whereas most Westerners see it as
predictions, thus my reluctance to use the word "divination".
This translation, from a Taoist Master, is the most extensive treatment of
the subject I have ever encountered. I have a couple of other translations
in my library, but they lack the depth of understanding and insight this
book provides. It is not an easy book to read and use, but that is to be
expected. Contrary to popular belief, not all systems of guidance are
susceptible to being simplified and made easily accessible.
Master Huang has provided some very workable shortcuts to arriving at the
proper answer to any question, but getting there is only the smallest part
of this procedure. There is no substitute for dedication and study. Once
you know where to look for guidance you must still determine how it applies
in your case; what action(s) you should undertake (or avoid); how to view
your current situation and its eventual outcome.
Obviously, this is not a book to be read straight through. It is, in the
strict sense, a reference book. Although Master Huang failed in his
original intent to keep this book small, the quality of the work is so
exceptional that it is hard to find fault with it. It is conceivable,
barely, that a better rendering of this work from ancient Chinese into
modern English may come along. But, in my opinion, if you wish to learn
this system, this book will be an indispensable aid to your education.
There is such a wealth of information contained in this book (each page
contains the hexagram being discussed and the ideograph of the name, so
there is no confusion) that it is hard to overstate the usefulness of this
work. The commentaries are clear, with references which may be unfamiliar
to the Western reader explained simply, and there is additional data
provided for each diagram which, while not part of the classic I Ching, will
be of benefit to those who wish to go a bit beyond the standard. This it is
of use and benefit for both the novice and the more experienced user.
