I Ching (Yijing) Insights

Chinese civilization has, from the most ancient times, revered the I Ching for its deep and profound mysteries. It is said that Fu Hsi, the legendary Sage/Shaman was the creator of the trigrams that structure the I Ching.
In later times (around 1150 BC) King Wen of the Chou Dynasty, while serving a 7 year prison sentence, passed his time away creating hexagrams from the trigrams that Fu Hsi initiated. He then added textual commentary to the 64 hexagrams that comprise the I Ching, and since then it has been referred to as the "Book of Changes."
It was King Wen's son, the Duke of Chou, who added passages for each of the hexagram lines ( yao). More than six centuries elapsed before the great sage Confucius made his own contribution to the book by adding commentaries that have since been called the '10 wings'.
Most of the thoughts and ideas of the great sages and shamans of antiquity and later times were derived from the symbolic hexagrams that are contained in the book. This elite group of thinkers saw how this book, starting from the most basic contrasts and dualities that describe the basic relationships between the properties of material existence, could be a guide to the subtle processes of nature, and so it was considered a source of wisdom. Many contemplated and meditated on it at length, and absorbed themselves in communication with the oracle, some even reaching enlightenment through their one-pointed efforts. Some spoke of a transformation that occurred when they 'merged' themselves with the principles of the I Ching.
Though certain scholars and masters throughout the ages have included their own unique insights, the main principles have remained intact. Many estimate the trigrams to have been created more than 5000 years ago, and though it would seem futile to try to prove this point, it can certainly and safely be said that the I Ching has stood the "test of time". It is as reliable and pertinent today as it was thousands of years ago, therefore giving us the same quality of guidance and wisdom that the ancients received. The wisdom of the book is essentially timeless, and therefore gives us the ability to penetrate the minds of the great sages of the past.
In other words, if you are able to penetrate the I Ching you will be able to penetrate the minds of the sages, as their minds and the "Yi" speak for each other. Though we may or may not become enlightened through its use, we will gain a little sense of liberation from our rigid and inflexible tendencies that we have received from social conditioning.
We can be thankful for the works of the great masters and scholars of the past and present in their attempts to help us gain an understanding of the underlying principles of the book. Of course, one could say that the I Ching has created the sages and masters as well. At this point, I'd like to note that the roster of illumined teachers who were intimately familiar with the I Ching included Fu Hsi, King Wen and Duke of Chou, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Chen Tuan, Shao Yung, Chu Hsi and many others. All of these great personalities have been influenced by the I Ching in one form or another.
It has been said that Shao Yung ( 1011-1077), the Neo Confucianist and Taoist recluse of the Northern Sung Dynasty, was the first to introduce the binary numerical system through his hexagram arrangement, making him the ancient Grandfather of the modern computers. The I Ching has been influential in DNA studies, acupuncture and other medical analysis, various forms of astrology, weather studies, astronomy, biological data, and other areas of study.


Yes, the I Ching is far-reaching, sounding its 'voice' through the ages like a distant echo in the minds and heart of humanity. It is a descriptive model of reality, that through proper understanding will reveal the most subtle of mysteries. The seeker who approaches the I Ching must do so in a receptive frame of mind. For deeper understanding one must 'shift' their consciousness and disassociate from the ego. This is very different from the analytical approach taken by modern methods of gathering knowledge.
Let us now take a look at some of the basic, yet very important principles that have long been associated with understanding the symbols of the I Ching.
The I Ching can be summarized as consisting of 2 lines, one broken or yin and the other unbroken or yang. These two basic polarities, in turn, form more complex sets of bigrams, trigrams, and hexagrams. The process is one of doubling. That is, the 2 lines form 4 bigrams; the 4 bigrams produce the 8 trigrams, etc. until 64 six-lined hexagrams are produced. The 64 hexagrams are the ultimate expression of the symbolic constituents of the I Ching and can be used to delve into any aspect of reality.
For divination purposes the hexagrams are usually broken down into trigrams and the information derived from these trigrams, by way of their attributes, are reflected upon. Conclusions are then drawn from these reflections that refer to the situation one is inquiring about.
The trigrams follow two main cycles which can be referred to as the 'spirit' or intangible cycle and the 'manifest' or tangible cycle. The intangible cycle is called the Hsien Tien or Early Heaven cycle and the tangible cycle is known as the Hu Tien or Later Heaven sequence.
Though the trigrams in both cycles are identical, their sequence ordering are distinct. The Early Heaven sequence depicts the trigrams in their pure and balanced positions. It is a representation of archetypal, unmanifest energy, prior to its manifestation. The later Heaven on the other hand, expresses energy that has coalesced and taken shape or form in the physical world. The co-mingling of these two great cycles results in the events that transpire in heaven and on earth, thereby influencing humanity.
The Early Heaven sequence begins with Chien and ends with Kun, and is known as the 'Creation' cycle. Its order is as follows: Chien- Tui- Li- Chen- Sun - Kan -Ken- Kun.
In the later Heaven, the cycle begins with Chen and is completed with Ken. The ordering is: Chen- Sun- Li- Kun- Tui- Chien- Kan- Ken.
Although it may not be apparent, the two cycles work 'hand-in-hand'. The Later Heaven sequence is a reaction to the Early Heaven sequence; in fact, it is a consequence of the Early Heaven's structure. It completes what the Early Heaven initiates. They both follow a different course but they emerge from the same Tao, and function simultaneously.
It may be difficult for the mind to grasp this idea because the modern mind has been programmed to believe that events manifest themselves in a step-by-step process of physical cause and effect, but ultimately cause and effect, beginning and ending, or Early Heaven and Later Heaven are concurrent.
The Early Heaven sequence is thought to have been created by Fu Hsi and the Later Heaven sequence has been credited to Ken Wen. In some systems or methods of the I Ching both sequences can be used together. For example, in the Plum Blossom method ( see other articles on this blog concerning Plum Blossom) the hexagrams are usually formed by the use of the Early Heaven cycle of trigrams. In other words, the Early Heaven sequence is used to represent the unconfused, or that which has not yet happened. Then the Later Heaven sequence of trigrams is employed to interpret the outcome, or way in which the unmanifest will materialize, according to their attributes.
The cycles can be 'expanded' so that the 64 hexagrams are used in the cycle rather than the basic 8 trigrams. The hexagram cycle gives us a larger vision or more expanded view of the energetic process represented by the trigrams. It is important to remember that the principles are the same whether looking at the 64 hexagram chart or the 8 trigram chart, and that they are replicas of each other in an expanded or contracted design.
Watch for future I Ching articles in which all of these principles and the hexagrams themselves will be explored in depth.