This link and the next are the only two link required for one to be able to utilize the I Ching; the additional links can be considered as refinements and are there for consultation and consideration over time as one develops one's understanding of the I Ching and the manner in which humans make metaphors to 'map' the wholes and their aspects.
The I Ching is about change; the name "I Ching" means "book of change.". Change implies time and thus the concept of a process.
In considering any process, one first defines the object that is being processed. Once defined, this object is 'observed' as it moves through time.
What distinguishes change is when the nature of the object is different when compared to it's existance in a previous timeframe.
Through each timeframe, we determine the object's state based on previous contexts. By doing this, an interesting pattern emerges. Irrespective of the value of the timeframe, after the passage of six timeframes our object is found to have traversed a path within a binary tree. This is created by, at each timeframe, determining whether a change has occured to the object or not.
() T6
() T5
() T4
() T3 ^
() T2 |
() T1 |
Fig 1. An object's observed path through time.
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| T6
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | T5
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | T4
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| | | | | | | | | T3
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| | | | | T2
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| | | T1
+-------------------------------X-------------------------------+
Fig 2. A diagram of all the possible paths within six timeframes.
In figure 2 we start at X. If a change occurs we move left (CHANGE), if not we move right (NO CHANGE). If we stick to NO CHANGE positions, then after six timeframes, even though our object has not changed, in relation to time and what could have happened, we find we are at the extreme right position in T6. This position reflect a specific 'state'.
At time T6, if we consider all the previous contexts (T1 - T5) as affecting our current state, then there are 64 possible positions, one of which we will be in.
What this implies is that, when considering ANY pair (a dichotomy e.g. CHANGE/NO CHANGE), as we move through time all possible comparisons will naturally emerge, forming a binary tree as we find in fig 2. Since we are concentrating on the specific situation, the possible paths are explicitly unobserved and all we 'see' is the path shown in figure 1.
This simple system has some interesting connotations, for each position MUST have unique characteristics and if these characteristics are known then we can predict possible 'meanings' for given dichotomy relationships. By this I mean that, for example, if the first dichotomy is 'big/small' then the second, since we are using previous context to determine the new state, must be within 'big/small'. This could be 'big/small', but when applied we find that we have four possibilities at T2:
What distinguishes 'big/small' from 'small/big' is the previous context. In establishing 'meaning', 'big/big' implies big whereas 'big/small' implies not so big.
As we move through the timeframes we are moving from a RAW state to a more REFINED state in that 'meaning' is becoming more precise since our assessments of the current state use all of the previous states as context.
This development of meaning is the standard form within ANY serial process. At the beginning the context is raw. As time goes on, more information becomes available and the overall becomes refined, even if only implicitly - no change all the way implies no change, but the passage of time itself is informative.
This simple mapping of thought through time was intuitively discovered by the ancient Chinese. The initial dichotomy is yin/yang. These words can stand for ANY element of a dichotomy, but it is more common to associate them with pairs of opposites or complements, e.g. female/male, contract/expand, particle/wave, etc.
The nature of dichotomies shows that there are, infact, three type of dichotomies - one/one, one/many, and many/many. The yin/yang dichotomy incorporates ALL of these types, and is in fact more of a dichotomy template. (See the dichotomy properties in the dichotomy link above. The use of the yin/yang dichotomy is a form of analysis, here called dichotomous analysis.
The I Ching is a tool for predicting and controlling the processes of life and is founded on the concepts of yin and yang, manifesting the different ways these can mix together.
Yin and yang are derived from the concept of T'ai Chi, which symbolizes wholeness, where wholeness manifests Form and all the processes involved in maintaining a Form's identity. Yin and yang symbolize contraction and expansion and thus manifest the two aspects of process. These aspects are the parts of the whole in that the whole breaks down into it's parts; T'ai Chi breaks down into yin and yang.
Once a Whole is broken down, the parts can be added to and then fused to make a more refined Whole, or, the parts can be used as raw materials for the process of refinement that creates a new Whole.
The source of the I Ching is found in Chinese antiquity, and there is an almost unbroken line of development and study leading to the current day.
The levels of Refinement have direction, from the raw to the refined. The word 'refine' implies a reduction of quantity and an increase in quality and so we use a pyramid, or cone, as a symbol:
-- Refined
---- Middle
------ Raw
In humans, the path from raw to refined is usually one involving development from a psychological bias to a sociological bias; psychological bias meaning self oriented rather than socially oriented. The determination of an individual's 'level of refinement' is usually based on the judgement of external sources or a comparison with externals. This correlates with the practices of Confucianism. An alternative path is the path of inner refinement; the refinement of mind and spirit. This correlates with the practices of Taoism.
Process has direction and therefore has a beginning, a middle, and an
end: Begin --> Middle --> End.
The processes of refinement can therefore form a hierarchy of
positions:
(3) End/Refined
(2) Middle/Middle
(1) Begin/Raw
The positions are built from the bottom up to implicitly show the levels of development in the processes involved and thus the improving in quality.
This step unites the structural bias (refinement) and the procedural bias (begin/end) within the concept of processing. As far as the binary tree of figure 2 is concerned, each position is associated with a timeframe, and the number of possible positions within a timeframe increases by a power of 2 for each timeframe.
In the processes of refinement, each position is associated with either yin or yang. This associating yin/yang with the positions creates what is called a trigram. Using the positions derived above, there are eight possible trigrams, these associate with the eight possible positions found at T3 in figure 2:
-- -- ------ -- -- ------ -- -- ------ -- -- ------
-- -- -- -- ------ ------ -- -- -- -- ------ ------
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ------ ------ ------ ------
Fig 3 The Trigrams of the I Ching
The bottom line of each trigram originates at T1 of figure 2, and the nature of the second line derives from T2.
These trigrams have process biases in that some are bias to expansion and some to contraction. This bias is determined by the trigram's base line which, due to it's position (raw/begin) is considered the anchor point. Yin trigrams contract, Yang trigrams expand. An analogy is with the opening and closing of the petals of a flower through day and night.
This author's analysis of the I Ching has led to the following meanings for each trigram as well as the development of an overall pattern allowing for the pairing of trigrams, where one is bias to expansion and the other to contraction within a group 'theme'. The traditional names of the trigrams (taken from Wilhelm(51)) have been highlighted, and are followed by the associated meanings.
The trigrams: Yang/Yin
Seeking Balance (by Giving)
------
------ 100%/0%
------
The Creative - Power/ confidence. (Expansive)
-- --
-- -- 0%/100%
-- --
The Receptive - Devotion/ trust. (Contractive)
Avoiding Excess. (By Restraining)
-- --
------ 85%/15%
------
The Joyous - Self-Reflection/waryness,excess/push thru. (Expansive)
------
-- -- 15%/85%
-- --
Keeping Still - Self-Restriction/distrust,denial/ give way
(Contractive)
Avoiding Opposition. (By Protecting)
-- --
------ 30%/70%
-- --
The Abysmal - Security/defenses. (Contractive)
------
-- -- 70%/30%
------
The Clinging - Guidance/ideology,sense of direction. (Expansive)
Seeking Control. (By Influencing)
------
------ 55%/45%
-- --
The Penetrating - Controlling influence.(Contractive)
-- --
-- -- 45%/55%
------
The Arousing - Arousing influence. (Expansive)
These trigrams symbolize all the possible combinations of yin/yang within the processes of refinement. We have, infact, gone through the process of refinement in that we have taken raw materials (yin/yang) and refined them into trigrams. It is now possible to use these trigrams as the raw materials for the next level of refinement, creating hexagrams.
The processes involved in creating hexagrams are identical to those required for creating the trigrams except that where there we used yin and yang we now use trigrams. This means that symbols consisting of only two lines are now made up of two trigrams. Symbolically we have:
--- Refined/sociological/End/Outer
----- Raw/psychological/Begin/Inner
As the raw materials are now trigrams, by placing one on top of the other creates a hexagram (6 lines):
------
------
------
-- --
-- --
-- --
By working through all the possible permutations, 64 hexagrams are generated; associated with the number of positions at T6 in figure 2. What this implies is that in the analysis of a yin/yang process, we only require three steps - line to trigram to hexagram - and these steps create objects that can be used.
The line of hexagrams is created by working through the line of trigrams shown in figure 3. Taking a trigram and using it as the base trigram, hexagrams are created by putting each trigram in the line over the top of the base. Since there are eight trigrams, this is done eight times, resulting in 64 hexagrams. Of note is that, using this method of hexagram derivation, all hexagrams with a common base are grouped together, and the resulting sequence is called the binary sequence.
As was found with the trigrams, hexagrams can be paired. These pairings are based on the same rules as for trigrams, one hexagram manifests expansion and the other contraction:
------ -- --
------ -- --
------ -- --
------ -- --
------ -- --
------ -- --
There are 32 pairs of hexagrams. Each pair symbolizes contractive and expansive biases, determined by nature of the bottom line, yin or yang. These pairs of hexagrams show different aspects of a common topic.
The topic is usually based on the study of the related meanings of the two trigrams (top/bottom) combined as a hexagram. For example, the hexagram of the trigram The Creative supporting the trigram The Receptive is called Peace.
-- --
-- -- The Receptive (moves down - contracts)
-- --
------
------ The Creative (moves up - expands)
------
Both trigrams belong to the 'seeking balance' pair. Since the expanding trigram is moving up and the contracting trigram is contracting down, these trigrams 'meet'; they balance each other out, thus the name of the hexagram is Peace.
Yin and yang complement each other, yin is contraction and yang is expansion. In the trigrams this continues (as a refinement), where one trigram is structurally the complement of the other:
-- -- ------
------ -- --
-- -- ------
This is extended into the hexagrams through the pairing of complements:
-- -- ------
------ -- --
-- -- ------
-- -- ------
------ -- --
-- -- ------
Further analysis has shown that further refinement is possible in that the pairs of hexagrams are infact balanced by other pairs. The concept of balance is introduced when complements interact, where their biases (expand/contract) are in a position to neutralize each other. This occurs between both trigrams and hexagrams.
One manifestation of balance is found by looking at the sets of eight hexagrams with common base trigrams. Within each set, the balance hexagram of a hexagram is the hexagram that occupies the same position but starting from the other end. For example, consider the eight hexagrams with The Receptive trigram as a base:
axis
|
-- -- ------ -- -- ------ | -- -- ------ -- -- ------
-- -- -- -- ------ ------ | -- -- -- -- ------ ------
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | ------ ------ ------ ------
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Bin 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
Trad (02) (23) (08) (20) (16) (35) (45) (12)
Fig 4 Hexagrams with a common base trigram - The Receptive
In the above figure, hexagram 01 is balanced by hexagram 08 just as hexagram 04 is balanced by hexagram 05. Notice that the balance is when the top trigrams are complements and the bottom trigram is common. This is achieved by folding the left four hexagrams onto the right four through the marked axis in the figure.
This balancing is discovered also in meaning. Hexagram 01 is symbolic of pure contraction whereas hexagram 08 symbolizes a standstill, the bottom trigram contracts down and the top trigram moves up and away. The two pure trigrams (pure yin and pure yang) are unable to meet and we have a standstill. To summarize, this form of balance is where the complementary trigrams interact. In the above, we find a pure contraction hexagram neutralized by the introduction of a complementary trigram in one of the positions. When placed in a compass format the balance hexagrams therefore lies inbetween complementary hexagrams:
01
(02)
|
08 -----+----- 57
(12) | (11)
64
(01)
These are called Quartets, and are discussed below.
In the above figure 4, the traditional numbers appear in brackets under the position numbers; the latter are the position of a hexagram in the binary sequence. The generation of the order of hexagrams in diagram 4 gives a system based on complements, where the hexagram x positions from the left edge is complemented by the hexagram x positions from the right edge. This reflects an ancient diagram called the Sequence of Early Heaven; which is credited to the mythological Chinese emperor Fu Hsi (circa 3500BCE). In this diagram the trigrams are formed in a circle with each trigram opposing it's complement. Another ancient diagram the Sequence of Later Heaven. It is credited to King Wen (circa 1100BCE).
The King Wen trigram order is based on a paragraph within one of the commentaries to the I Ching, and as we shall see, reflects a different level of analysis. Both the Fu Hsi and King Wen diagrams originate in the eighth commentary ('wing') of the ten commentaries ('wings') attached to the traditional I Ching, the eighth wing is called The Discussion of the Trigrams (Shuo Kua).
Although the traditional system of numbering the hexagrams of the I Ching has unknown origins and obscure structure, it is used within this website as the main hexagram numeric reference, backed-up with the hexagram's binary number.
So far we have determined that each hexagram has a complementary hexagram as well as a balancing hexagram. When we group these together we find that we have four hexagrams that relate to each other. This comes about as the balancing hexagrams turn out to be complementary to each other. this leaves us with a group of four hexagrams that have a relationship based on complementarity and balance.
For example, consider the hexagram called The Receptive, number 1 in diagram 4; traditional number is (2). This hexagram has as it's complement the hexagram called The Creative, traditional number (1), binary number 64. As we have seen, the Receptive also has hexagram 8(12), Standstill, as it's balance. When we group these hexagrams together, including hexagram 64's balance hexagram which is called Peace, numbered 57(11) we find that the Peace hexagram is also the complement of the Standstill hexagram:
complements complements
|----balance------|
|-----balance----|
------ -- -- ------ -- --
------ -- -- ------ -- --
------ -- -- ------ -- --
------ -- -- -- -- ------
------ -- -- -- -- ------
------ -- -- -- -- ------
64 01 08 57
(01) (02) (12) (11)
To accentuate the balance concept we can format the hexagrams, using their numbers, thus:
64
(01)
^
|
|
08 <---+---> 57
(12) | (11)
|
V
01
(02)
Fig 5 Complements and balances.
Analysis of the meanings of the hexagrams finds that each complementary pair manifests the expansive and contractive aspects of a common theme; the hexagrams are symbolically the opposite sides of the same coin. When we analyze the quartets we find that each pair complements the other pair in meaning.
For example, in figure 5 the hexagram pair of 1(2) and 64(1) symbolize process, the contraction (pure yin) of 1 and the expansion ( pure yang) of 64. The hexagram pair of 8 and 57, on the otherhand, manifest aspects of stillness, 'Peace' for 57 and 'Standstill' for 8. This is a refinement based on the pairing of yin and yang; the pairing of yin and yang leads to the pairing of trigrams that leads to the pairing of hexagrams that leads to the pairing of pairs, and so forth.
These refinements do not stop here, for the quartets balance each other such that we progress to octets, which are summarized later.
All the groups are detailed in the links at the end of the next page. These links also include 'timeline' concepts that show the flow from one hexagram to the other, as well as the flow of one hexagram away from another.
Continue....