...Eleven Dimensions...

The diviner uses fifty straws, which matches the number of the sky and the earth, and deducts one that symbolizing him, to calculate every change in the world. Firstly he keeps one that symbolizes the Taichi, the ultimate; and then separates the rest into two piles, symbolizing two Yi. Secondly, he takes one and holds it between the little finger and the ring finger at his left hand, symbolizing the sky, the earth and the people; then he separates the rest by four in a group to simulate the changing pattern of the four seasons. Thirdly he takes his straw from his left hand to the right hand, and counts them four by four, then put the residue between the ring finger and the middle finger. This means the one leap year in three years in the lunar calendar. Then he does this similarly and put the residue between the middle finger and index finger, symbolizing the two leap years in every five years in lunar calendar. Then he takes out the straws in left hand to see the number of the straws. If it is a odd number it is a Yang symbol, showing the positive; and if it is a even number, it shows a Yin symbol, the negative. So there will be five numbers for odd number and even number, and 25 positive, 30 negative, 55 in total. This number is expandable, which cover the most tiny and great numbers. So we can see why Yiching is able to calculate all changes as accurate as the God’s eye.

 

5

 

Dao, the fundamental principle of the world, the ultimate of life and death of everything in the universe, is composed of the constant working of Yin and Yang, which represent the two contrary powers of the world. The goodness is the actions that help continuing the Dao, the principle of Yin and Yang; and the principle of morality means to achieve the own nature of everything. The ones who understand this is able to know the meaning of Ren (the goodness), and the ones who experience this is considered to be wise men. The principle of Dao is widely accepted and used in daily life, but the people who use it mostly know nothing about it. Therefore, the principle of Dao contains everything and acts as the ultimate root, but few people know about it. I-ching shows that the principle of Dao is practical, though it seems hidden inside. How perfect it is that we can promote the vitality of the world and share the thought with the greatest men who don’t actually manage the world as a king, establishing a monument of morality, achieving great exploits! The greatest achievement ranges from learning the moral integrity to realizing the satisfaction of everything in the world with daily updates, which also sufficiently shows the illumination of morality. Yi (changes) in I-ching means keeping changing and going forward. Qian (the 1^st Yao in I-ching) means achievement and a static phenomenon, and Kun (the 2^nd Yao in I-ching) means implementation and emulation. To calculate the changes in the future is called Zhan (anticipation), in which way to understand thoroughly about the principle of changing is called Shi (things). When the anticipation reaches a top level, with highest proficiency in using Yin and Yang, one is able to know the secret of the God, and this is called Shen (as almighty as the God).

 

4

The theory of I-ching is universal and able to be applied in any place in the world, up to the grace of sky, stars and the moon, down to the principle of the land, mountains and rivers, because it contains the rules of changing of days and nights, brightness and darkness. It traces back to the ultimate of everything, for it knows the principle of the circling life and death. Spirits combines and creates everything in the world, so it is the source of life. It goes and changes with life and death, in which way we can see the figures of the Gods and the ghosts. The theory of I-ching goes with the ultimate principle of the world, for the two is similar. It enables us to know the whole creation, and gives us the theory to rectify the wrong and manage the world, so it has no limit in application. The theory is universally applicable even without a mistake, so the ones who know it well are happy to take actions according to the principle of the world, and take it for granted without confusion and worry. To stay in a situation of safety and do according to the good standard of the principle, it enables a man to have a general love to the whole world. The theory includes all changes in the world with the most meticulous details, which make it possible that it is perfect without a mistake or a flaw. It enlightens us of the principle of darkness and brightness, Yin and Yang, with the most universal principle in it. Similar to the fact that we don’t know all about the mystery and almighty of the God, neither, we don’t have a universal idea about the all-round principle of I-ching that unveils the whole university.

 

 

2

In order to regulate all the phenomena in the world, the wise men set up 64 Guas, which are composed by 384 Yaos. Moreover, the words indicating good or bad were added under each Guas and Yaos. I-Ching illustrates the mutual reaction of Yin and Yang which is producing all changes in the world, usually with the consequence of good or bad. So Ji is the symbol of good, and Xiong is the symbol of bad, which two is indicating a success or a failure. The Huijiu is the symbol of misgiving; the Bianhua is the symbol of going forward or backward and the Gangyou means day and night, that is, the alternation of day and night. The dynamic state of six Yaos shows the regulation of the sky, the earth and the human. Because a wise man is able to know and follow the indication in I-Ching, he can lead his heart to a peaceful state in his common life. So in common life, a wise man observes the phenomena in the view of I-Ching, and tastes its words. Once in action, he can know about the trend of consequence in the observation and forecast a success or a failure. In the last Yao in the Gua of Dayou, it says, “To follow the providence and get the blessing, it will result in a pure success without any adverseness.”

 

 

3

 

The words for each Gua explain the whole Gua, and the words for each Yao show the changes of a single Yao. “Ji” and “Xiong” indicates a successful consequence or a failure. “Huijiu” shows that there are some small problems and mistakes. “Wujiu” tells us to be ready to remedy the mistakes at any time. To distinguish the good and bad Yaos, We can check their position. And we can also know about the connotation of each Gua in the observation of the symbol of the Gua. We can know about the trend of the consequence in the words of each Gua and Yao, for example, if “Huijiu”, the symbol of small problems appears, we have to take action very carefully, because the result lays between the tiny gap of success and failure, good and bad. Those who change the position in “Wujiu” usually achieve a good consequence because ones can do remedy for the mistakes. Guas also have small ones and big ones; small ones symbolize Yin, and big ones symbolize Yang. The words for the Guas and Yaos sometimes show an extreme danger, for instance the “Yiyue”(body cutting) means an adverse situation. Also, some show good and peace, for example, “Good for Seeing a great person”, “Good for going across a big river”. So in the words for each Gua show the general idea of all indications of Yaos.

 

(PS, This Biography for I-Ching Symbols is a my translated version of the book Xi Gua Shang Zhuan which is written in old Chinese language, but some of the content have been edited in a modern language logic for easier understanding.)

 

1

 

The sky is high and respectable, and the earth is low and humble. So in I-Ching, we say that the symbols of Qian as the sky, high and Yang (positive); and the Kun as the earth, low and Yin (negative). Everything in the world is within the borders of the highest sky and the lowest earth, spreading in different positions. Therefore, the order of six Yaos has been properly arranged. Everything within the borders of the sky and the earth has its own normal condition. When the dynamics goes to the end, there comes the statics; and when the statics goes to the end, there comes the dynamics. Therefore, in I-Ching, the concepts of Yang and Yin, the production mechanism of Yang and Yin are fixed and apparent. People all around the world is categorized by different kind of Taos, and all objects are classified by different types. Those who behave properly and do good things are given preference, while those who don’t are given adversity, in which way, the auspiciousness and wickedness come out. It is given the possibility to observe clearly all the phenomena in sky including the sun, the moon, the stars, the changing of days and nights, the shifting of darkness and brightness; everything in all shapes of everything on the earth, including mountains, rivers, seas, animals and plants; every complicated changes in both nature and human society. So in the space, the Yang and Yin are constantly touching and changing into one another; and the eight Guas which represent the eight basic substances and phenomena also keep changing, and affecting each others. In this system, there comes the university and everything in the world. For instance, the Qi of storm ignites and motivates the lives in the world, and then the wind and rain keep nurturing them. The revolution and the rotation of sun and the moon form the days and nights, the four seasons in the world. Qian, the sky, the father, is Yang, considered as the symbol of male; and Kun, the earth, the mother, is Yin, considered as female. Qian, the sky, the time, starts the very beginning moment of the world; Kun, the earth, the space, serves as the carriers of everything, supporting all substances. So it is easy to know that, Qian runs in the upper level that control the days and nights, helping us understand about it; and Kun forms all substances in an integrated process, simplifying all their functions. Easiness helps us to understand it so people can get close to it, while simplicity helps us to follow it so it works efficiently and effectively. Because people get close to it, it enables a long-term existence; because it works efficiently and effectively, it can create a great success. Those who can keep a long-term existence must have the virtue of the saint; and those who can achieve greatness must have the achievement of the sage. The principle of I-Ching is so simple but contains all the rules of the world. If we can acquaint the rules of the world, we can see as far as the sky and the earth, and achieve an immortal success.

 

 

(Translated by Kane)

(Chpater2 will be translated noon)

(Chinese Philosophy Introduction 1)

 

What is the Five Elements?

 

Bad weather. Recently, I keep thinking about our position in the world, I mean the whole society. So I resort to the traditional Chinese knowledge and ancient philosophy, whose books are the easiest to find and read here. I read the Yi Ching, or the Book of Changes as it means literally, several times, and compared it to the Chinese medicine. Surprisingly, I saw a incredible perfectly integrated and precise system in its theory of understanding the mechanism, both in the description of the statics and the explanation of the dynamics.

 

Here I’d like to give a brief introduction about one of the core theories in the ancient Chinese philosophy, the Five Elements Theory.

 

As known, the five elements are the Wood, the Earth, the Water, the Fire and the Gold, of which the whole world is composed. Apparently, the five elements cover much more than their literally meanings, and the understanding about their meanings is the entrance key of the whole theory.

 

Firstly, we should establish a category of similar objects, movements and regulations. In one of the ancient medicine book, the Nan Ching, it says, the wood is about the curved and the straight, the earth is to support, the water is to clean and moisten, the fire is about something going up and fierce and the gold is about revolution and dividing.

 

Literally, the wood is the body of a tree, and it is vigorous and growing. So we can relate it to something growing or developing, containing the power of life. The earth is the base, supporting everything, trees, livers, seas, animals, metals, everything, so it represents the function of supporting. The water, apparently, has the function of cleaning, moistening and nurturing, so everything similar can be included in it. The fire is hot, fierce, rising up, anger, powerful and giving off. And the last the gold, represents the metal, sharp, ruthlessly cutting, separating something, and anything alike.

 

Thus it is not difficult for us to find that with a human central angle, almost everything in the world is within the range, and to step further, we can divide each element into two different categories, Yin and Yang, representing the mother-like nurturing and following part and the father-like creating and struggling part. For instants, the wood of Yang, is the great pillar of the world, high trees, stable and strong; while the wood of Yin, is much more like the flower and the weed, decorating and patching up. The fire of Yang is like the power of sun, shining everything, and the fire of Yin is the light of the lamps and the candles, also patching up the insufficiency of the fire of Yang. In this logic, every element can have its two parts, which are integrated and patching up each other.

 

The central theory of the Five Elements is the system of Producing and Restraining. Now we categorized everything in the world by their characters into five piles, they tend to have the relationship or links among themselves. And all these links, together, form a system of balance.

 

Let’s come to the producing circle. The wood is living in the dirt, and nurturing by the water, so water produces the wood. The wood can be burn, and be the source of fire, so the wood produces the fire. The fire, specially the lava in the earth, comes out and forms the dirt, the stone and the crust, so fire produces the earth. The gold, the metal, is buried in the earth, so the earth produces the gold. Last, the metal of sharp separates the water from the earth and the air, so the gold produces the water. Altogether, it is formed a circle, producing circle, Wood-Fire-Earth-Gold-Water-Wood, and so on.

 

Similarly, elements seem to restrain each other, what we call a restraining circle. The gold is cutting the wood; the wood lives on the earth and controls the earth; the earth is to block and controls the water; the water can put out fire; and the metal can be melted by the heat of the fire. So we get the restraining circle, Gold-Wood-Earth-Water- Fire-Gold, and so on.

 

The two circles, the Yin and Yang parts of each element, form a perfectly integrated system that explaining how everything in the world works.

 

(The next, I would introduce the Divinatory Symbols in I-Ching.)