Rating: Summary: Chinese classic in exquisite English, repays infinite study Review: I have been using this now-classic translation of the Book of Changes as a divinatory tool since 1968. Profoundly, elegantly transmitted from the literary Chinese, through Helmut Wilhelm's Goethe-quoting German, and finally into spiritually delicious English prose by the gifted Carey Baynes. A great pleasure of this volume is that you can sense all three aesthetic layers very clearly. This is the most-used book in my library. I'll admit, it gets a too deep sometimes. I've seen people burn their I Ching's when the truth got a little too intense for them. But if you want a sophisticated, accurate, and reliable divinatory tool that repays infinite sincere study, this is the best book in English. If I had only one book to bring to a desert island, this would be the one.
Rating: Summary: Chinese classic in exquisite English, repays infinite study Review: I have been using this now-classic translation of the Book of Changes as a divinatory tool since 1968. Profoundly, elegantly transmitted from the literary Chinese, through Helmut Wilhelm's Goethe-quoting German, and finally into spiritually delicious English prose by the gifted Carey Baynes. A great pleasure of this volume is that you can sense all three aesthetic layers very clearly. This is the most-used book in my library. I'll admit, it gets a too deep sometimes. I've seen people burn their I Ching's when the truth got a little too intense for them. But if you want a sophisticated, accurate, and reliable divinatory tool that repays infinite sincere study, this is the best book in English. If I had only one book to bring to a desert island, this would be the one.
Rating: Summary: For the serious reader... Review: I have read many translations..worked with some of them. But the Richard Wilhelm edition has the must knowledge and the deepest meanings inside. The book will grow on you working with it.Richard Wilhelm worked closely with chinese scholars for this translation. In other reviews is talked about the fact that Richard Wilhelm was biased as a Christian...don't let them fool you. Richard Wilhelm was deeply aware of the Chinese thoughts and makes this the best and profoundest translation there is.
Rating: Summary: Unending Wisdom at Your Disposition. Review: I was set into the path of The I Ching in an unusual way: by reading a sci-fi classic "The Man in the High Castle". The I Ching is used all along that interesting book and my curiosity was aroused.
I've started reading the first translation I was able to catch. Then I bought William Legge's translation. Finally I discovered Wilhem's translation and I was amazed.
So many deep commentaries & explanations! It was and is a delightful experience
The fact that Wilhem was a Christian missionary do not diminish the insightful lessons, it make them more understandable for Westerners that as myself have a Christian background.
This is not a book to read lightly, is full of ancient wisdom and each hexagram is discussed lengthily.
When used for divination many meaningful paths are at your disposition. You must be patient and read each answer more than once. The Book of Changes will never fail you. May be sometimes it will let you baffled. May be other times the answers are not the ones you were expecting. But if you put your questions in writing and date them as I did, you'll see how accurate the answers were, and even if at the moment you are not able to understand them, after a time they will be clear for you.
An extra feature is Carl G. Jung's foreword, it gives the reader a very short & compact introduction to the significance of this book and also how you can use it.
Afterwards I have collected some other versions and translation of this amazing book, but Wilhem's remains unsurpassed.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.
Rating: Summary: Showing its age Review: In the days when the only available English translations of the Changes were Wilhelm/Baynes and Legge, Wilhelm/Baynes was the gold standard. It remains, however, an English translation of a German translation of an ancient Chinese manuscript. Undoubtedly, Richard Wilhelm, as a Christian missionary in China many decades ago, added a particular color to this book, which may not be wholly appropriate to say the least. This translation is far from being flawless, particularly when compared to some of the better ones which have become available. The Wilhelm/Baynes translation is still worthy of examination, and many of us have a certain fondness for it, since it was our first, but the serious student should also refer to other sources. Richard John Lynn's and Greg Whincup's translations spring to mind. Even Kwok's edition has something to offer, since it includes an untranslated Chinese text. Even a casual perusal of that text with a Chinese-English dictionary casts doubt on many portions of the Wilhelm/Baynes. Treasure this work if it has sentimental value for you, but be advised that beneath its tidy appearance is an ideal case study of translation difficulties.
Rating: Summary: what can one say about a classic? Review: It doesn't get any better than this: ancient wisdom priciples, a brillant foreword by Carl Jung (isn't he always!), and instructions on how to consult this oracle of brillance and distilled trenchant comments on human behavior. Consult it, however, at your own risk, since it may tell you exactly what you haven't wanted to hear! But tell you it will, and if you want a 'clear' life, this is a great place to go. Probably, still the best and deepest translation, with Wilhelm's masterful commentaries.
Rating: Summary: My 7th copy of this great book. Review: Like C.G. Jung, I consider my I Ching, along with the Bible and the Koran, one of the most important books I own. It is a holy book, and the Wilhelm/Baynes translation is the best. I recommend it unreservedly to anyone seriously interested in the ancient yet timeless Chinese view of the cosmos.
Rating: Summary: My 7th copy of this great book. Review: Like C.G. Jung, I consider my I Ching, along with the Bible and the Koran, one of the most important books I own. It is a holy book, and the Wilhelm/Baynes translation is the best. I recommend it unreservedly to anyone seriously interested in the ancient yet timeless Chinese view of the cosmos.
Rating: Summary: A good edition Review: The i ching has fascinated me for some years now, yet, i had been unable to find a good edition of it. Most of them were incomplet, most clouded on wastern thought after the translation, or simply non fullfiling. THis one edition, though, is good enough for me.
Rating: Summary: The Best of the Best Review: The I Ching is arguably the most important of the ancient Chinese classics--certainly it has become that for us Americans. The Wilhelm/Baynes translation is almost universally accepted to be the most important of the many translations into English. It requires patience and many uses before it begins to move slowly from humorous diversion to friend to spiritual counselor to guru. As noted psychiatrist Carl Jung (an I Ching user) said, it's best not to try to understand how it works--an action that goes nowhere and only causes lost sleep. 'Better just to use it. It has a special benefit for perfectionists--a gospel without the taint of organized religion, the I Ching and everything about it is always pure. There are no scandals, no crusades, no inquisitions. Try to misuse it and you'll get goblydygook instead of a meaningful answer, so it remains pure under any circumstances. This fact can be of great comfort to the spiritual seeker put off by the the problems of organized religion. This has been the most important book in my life for 37 years.
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