Tao of I Ching: Way to Divination

Rating:
Summary: A unique and indispensable edition.
Review: Jou's book falls into two parts. First we are given a 116-page introduction the aim of which is to teach Shao Yung's (1011-1077) 'Plum Flower Blossom' method of divination. Then follows a bilingual edition of the Yi, illustrated with woodcuts from an old Chinese edition. The symbolic content of these woodcuts, as explicated by Jou, can add considerably to one's understanding of the hexagrams.

For Jou, the use of mechanical aids such as yarrow stalks or coins represents a "simplistic" approach to divination which can actively hinder understanding. Far better to use one's own intelligence to arrive at the hexagram implicit in any given situation, and he proceeds to teach the reader how exactly he or she may go about this.

The book has many interesting features, and the well-printed Chinese text of the Yi in full-form characters which is interspersed line-by-line throughout will certainly be of value to those who are interested in the original text since most other bilingual editions give only the simplified characters.

But although giving the Chinese text, Jou's book is clearly aimed not so much at the budding Sinologist as at the diviner. As the only 'I Ching' in English which (so far as I know) offers a detailed account of Shao Yung's method, it becomes a unique and indispensable edition which ought to prove fascinating to any student of the Yi, and I was delighted to see that it has been reprinted in a handsome new format.

Strongly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A unique and indispensable edition.
Review: Jou's book falls into two parts. First we are given a 116-page introduction the aim of which is to teach Shao Yung's (1011-1077) 'Plum Flower Blossom' method of divination. Then follows a bilingual edition of the Yi, illustrated with woodcuts from an old Chinese edition. The symbolic content of these woodcuts, as explicated by Jou, can add considerably to one's understanding of the hexagrams.

For Jou, the use of mechanical aids such as yarrow stalks or coins represents a "simplistic" approach to divination which can actively hinder understanding. Far better to use one's own intelligence to arrive at the hexagram implicit in any given situation, and he proceeds to teach the reader how exactly he or she may go about this.

The book has many interesting features, and the well-printed Chinese text of the Yi in full-form characters which is interspersed line-by-line throughout will certainly be of value to those who are interested in the original text since most other bilingual editions give only the simplified characters.

But although giving the Chinese text, Jou's book is clearly aimed not so much at the budding Sinologist as at the diviner. As the only 'I Ching' in English which (so far as I know) offers a detailed account of Shao Yung's method, it becomes a unique and indispensable edition which ought to prove fascinating to any student of the Yi, and I was delighted to see that it has been reprinted in a handsome new format.

Strongly recommended.