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Translated and edited by John Blofeld The Book of Change An important new translation of the ancient Chinese book of divination D212 A Dutton Paperback I CHING I CHING (The Book of Change) A New Translation of the Ancient Chinese Text with Detailed Instructions for Its Practical Use in Divination by JOHN BLOFELD A Dutton c D Paperback NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON This paperback edition of “I CHING” First published 1968 by E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright © 1965 by George Allen & Unwin Ltd. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without permission in writing from the publishers, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine or newspaper or broadcasts. SBN 0-525-47212-6 DEDICATION For Chin and Smoe with warm affection. TRANSLATOR’S FOREWORD Can any reasonable man suppose this universe to be mere chaos? The correspondences between the behaviour of all things great and small— from the celestial bodies rolling in space to the minute constituent parts of atoms—seem rather to point to a universal pattern of movement, governed by an Immutable Law of Change. Indeed, there is much reason to assume this Law to be eternal, to suppose that universes may take form and dissolve, aeon upon aeon, without deflecting its action any more than the birth and death of mayfiies. From this it is clear that, could we but analyse the pattern of changes governed by this Law and could we but relate our affairs to the right point in the everlasting process of ebb and flow, increase and decrease, rising and falling, we should be able to determine the best action to be taken in each case. Then, by peacefully according with the necessity to advance, remain stationary awhile or retreat, by cheerfully accepting the promise of gain and loss when each is due, we could come close to being masters of our lives! This is precisely what the ancient Chinese Book of Change purports to teach us how to do. Its authors believed that they had succeeded in analysing Change itself into sixty-four constituent processes, each sub- divided into six stages and all interacting upon one another. They invented a method for relating individual affairs to the stages and processes most closely affecting them, thus fashioning a key whereby future generations could unlock the secrets of the future and determine the surest way to live in harmony with the circumstances prevailing. For more than two thous- and years, those who have learnt to use it have testified to the marvellous results obtained. That key is now in your hands—use it well and you will not be disappointed. JOHN BLOFELD Sala Santitham Autumn 1963 Bangkok CONTENTS TRANSLATOR S FOREWORD Page 9 INTRODUCTION 13 PART ONE: EXPLANATORY CHAPTERS — 21 1. An Approach to the Book of Change 23 2. The Background of the Book of Change 38 3- The Symbolical Basis of the Book of Change 48 4. The Method of Divination 59 5. A Guide to Interpretation 72 6. A Summary of Instructions 719 PART TWO: THE BOOK OF CHANGE (Text and Commentaries) 83 1. Hexagrams 1 to 30 85 2. Hexagrams 31 to 64 148 3- Postscript 212 APPENDIX: TABLES AND DIAGRAMS FOR ASSISTING INTERPRETATION 213 1. The Trigrams with their Principal Attributes 216 2. Fu Hsi’s Arrangement of the Trigrams 217 3. Fu Hsi’s Circular Arrangement of the Trigrams 217 4. King Wén’s Arrangement of the Trigrams in Family Relationships 217 5. King Wén’s Circular Arrangement of the Trigrams 218 6. The Trigrams in the Arrangement Used in Charms for Warding Off Evil 218 7. Parallel Diagrams Indicating the Interaction of Yin and Yang 219 8. The Hexagrams in the Sequence in which they Occur a0 in the Book of Change THE BOOK OF CHANGE 9 . The Hexagrams Arranged According to the Base Structure 221 . Fu Hsi’s Diagram of the Derivation of the Sixty-Four IO Hexagrams 223 . The Hexagrams Arranged According to the Number II of Yang Lines in Each 224 . The Seasonal Correspondences 225 Iz 13 . Table of Ruling Lines 226 I . Table of Approximate English Phonetic Equivalents PN of the Names of the Trigrams 226