By Jack M. Balkin. 2002.
Chapter One: Introduction
The Book of Changes (I Ching or Yijing) is one of the world’s oldest books. The earliest parts of the text date back three thousand years. To the Chinese the Book of Changes is as important as the Bible is to the West.
But at least since Confucian times the book has also been regarded as a book of wisdom, containing the most profound lessons on how to live one’s life in a changing and confusing world. That is because the subject of the Book of Changes is nothing less than the laws of change in the universe and how human beings can learn to live in harmony with them.
Chapter 2: The Philosophy of the Book of Changes
From the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) onward, the interpretation of the Book of Changes was strongly influenced by the Chinese philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism. The book’s stress on the interdependence of opposites and the interrelatedness of all things, and its injunctions to behave simply and naturally and to move with the flow of events rather than against them, reflect Taoist teachings.
The book speaks of success and failure, and how to achieve good fortune and a happy life. But its focus is not purely instrumental, nor is its concern primarily with worldly success. It urges self-development, the cultivation of character, and the maintenance of emotional balance and personal integrity.
[The Book of Changes] does not distinguish between practical or instrumental considerations from ethical ones in the way that moderns sometimes do. It emphasizes astute timing and wisely conserving one’s resources until the moment is right to act. It also urges cultivation of perseverance and strength of character. It emphasizes the importance of forming alliances and gaining helpers. And it also urges generosity, sincerity, integrity, and benevolence. It does not treat these forms of advice as distinct. All of them conduce to a life that is in harmony with changing circumstances. Its concern is ethics in the larger sense of ethos–how a person should live and what kind of person one should become.
Success means finding one’s proper path (Tao) and following it. It means becoming the right kind of person who can interact with a changing world in the right kind of way.
The Law of Change
As its name implies, the central premise of the Book of Changes is that the world is constantly changing. Neither being nor nonbeing is the most important concept in understanding the universe. Rather, the characteristic of existence is constant alteration. Things are born, grow, mature, age, and die. The fortunes of people, organizations, and countries rise and fall over time. Opposites grow more alike over time, and things that seem similar begin to diverge and become opposed.
The law of change is that all things eventually turn into their opposites and become something other than what they are now. What goes up will eventually come down, and what is reduced will eventually increase. This law of change is symbolized by the continual alteration of yin and yang. Things that expand (yang) will eventually reach a limit and begin to decrease (yin). Similarly, what is diminished will eventually be renewed, reemerge, and grow once more. The same applies to human fortunes, which inevitably wax and wane over time.
The law of change is both a warning and a cause for hope. It is a warning because it means that we cannot take our good fortune for granted. It will eventually diminish and disappear. The law of change is cause for hope because even though things may not be going our way at present, if we have patience and faith, things will eventually get better again.
Although change is inevitable, there is much that we can do to shape our fortunes by understanding and responding to the flow of events. If there is one consistent piece of advice the Book of Changes offers, it is that good luck is the residue of good design.
Change often starts slowly and imperceptibly, but will become powerful and pervasive if given enough time. The applies both to good and bad fortune.
Trust, Reciprocity, and Good Fortune
The Book of Changes teaches that generosity, magnanimity, and working for the common good is the proper path to a happy life, while selfishness, arrogance, and cupidity lead only to unhappiness and misery for everyone concerned. Yet the temptation to shortsightedness and selfishness is so great that the lesson is easily forgotten and must be learned over and over again.
Self-Cultivation and Our Relation to the World
Our ability to cope with what life hands us is very much helped or harmed by our emotions and our ways of thinking. Defeatism and despair can be self-fulfilling prophecies, while hope, faith, and devotion can help us surmount whatever obstacles lie in our path. Inner conflict and unresolved tensions can hamper our efforts and and make us our own worst enemy. Emotional balance and peace of mind put us at our best and help us succeed.
The Book of Changes does not treat individuals as inherently distinct from the world around them. We are a part of our world and our world is part of us.
Modesty and Sincerity
The Book of Changes preaches the importance of faith in one’s self, devotion to one’s work, and courage to view the world with clarity. To this end, it encourages the cultivation of two key virtues: modesty and sincerity.
Modest people treat others with courtesy and respect. They pursue the “middle path” of moderation in all of their dealings.
The Book of Changes argues that sincerity is the key to influence. Trustworthy people inspire confidence. People are more likely to be persuaded by those whom they trust and rely on. In addition, people who believe in what they say make the best advocates. Their honesty, commitment, and devotion call forth a natural response in others.
Inner truth means conformity between what is on the inside and what is on the outside. Sincere people are what they appear to be. They do not put on airs or try to impress people. They are not pretentious or manipulative.
These qualities also lead others to rely on them and have confidence in them. In addition, inner truth means self-knowledge and self-awareness. The Book of Changes argues that you cannot be honest with others if you are not honest with yourself. You cannot make reliable and lasting commitments to others if you cannot make them to yourself. The ability to make commitments is premised on self-mastery and self-restraint. These in turn require self-understanding. Thus in the Book of Changes sincerity means more than good intentions. It also means being free of self-deception. Sincerity means that you are not engaged in wishful thinking and that you are not conflicted or divided against yourself.
In sum, sincerity–or inner truth–requires knowing who you are and what you want. It means having complete clarity about your values and your goals. Understood in this way, sincerity is a virtue that can serve a person in any situation. People who possess inner truth do not fool themselves and therefore do not engage in self-destructive behavior. That is why they succeed. Thus
Perseverance, Adaptability, and Integrity
The Book of Changes is supremely practical in its orientation. People should strive to understand the nature of the world with complete clarity and without any illusion or wishful thinking.
Perseverance (zhen) is one of the most important qualities in the Confucian reinterpretation of the Book of Changes. Like sincerity and modesty it has multiple meanings. Sometimes it simply means continuing in the way one has been going without being deterred or discouraged. Simple perseverance can sometimes be a virtue, especially if the goals are worthy and one proceeds methodically, step by step.
[Perseverance] means cultivating strength of character and learning how to adjust to changing events without betraying one’s values or surrendering one’s larger goals. It is principled pragmatism. When we encounter difficulties, we should not despair or give up but learn to be flexible and try to figure out how we might achieve our ends by other means.
Perseverance may require changing one’s strategy but not one’s ultimate objectives. Sometimes the best way to adapt is to lie low and engage in quiet preparation for later advance. This is the theme of several hexagrams, including 5 (Xu, Waiting), 26 (Da Xu, Great Accumulation), 33 (Dun, Retreat), 36 (Ming Yi, Darkening of the Light), and 53 (Jian, Developing Gradually). The Book of Changes warns against rash and premature action, and against wasting one’s resources out of impatience and a desire to succeed at all costs. It continually preaches patience, rigorous preparation, gathering intelligence, and good timing. Acting when the moment is right often takes great courage. But just as often self-control is necessary to avoid advancing prematurely and to prevent ourselves from rushing forward out of frustration, anxiety, impatience, or fear of the unknown. One must cultivate self-restraint in order to be able to live with uncertainty and to await the unfolding of events. Patience does not mean refusing to take risks. Quite the contrary; often people act rashly because they want to avoid risk. When the situation is uncertain, people often forge ahead in order to get things settled, and as a result they settle for less. Or they try to force the issue and end up making things worse. Inner strength is necessary to wait until it is right to take the risk.
Adaptation means accepting the present situation for what it is and seeing what elements can be turned to our advantage. Successful action comes from recognizing both the limitations and the opportunities inherent in any situation. The two are often interrelated. What looks like a limitation may provide a hidden opportunity. This follows from the law of change itself, be¬cause all increase arises from and is prepared by previous conditions of decrease. Everything that is prolonged eventually changes back into its opposite. Enlightened people understand the play of opposites in changing circumstances. They are able to see how apparent restrictions and misfortunes can work to their ultimate advantage.
…the Book of Changes argues that what is constant in one’s self can only become known through confronting the flux of experience. People learn who they are and what they believe by being faced with change, being presented with obstacles, and being forced to make decisions. Change confronts us and shapes our identities. It requires us to clarify our values. Thus, adaptation to change is not simply clever strategy. It is also a process of self-cultivation and self-education. Through dealing with change, one comes to understand who one is and what one truly believes in. Through encountering change, those parts of ourselves that remain stable and constant are discovered and refined.
Adaptation and perseverance are thus two sides of the same coin. Both require equanimity and inner strength. People who lack emotional balance will be swept into extremes of happiness and despair. They will be thrown about like driftwood in a storm at sea. That is because they lack a stable center. People who can maintain inner balance will roll with the tides and eventually come out on top. Inner balance is like a gyroscope that remains upright no matter how things move around it
58: Dui | Joy
Joy emerges naturally from freely communicating and sharing experiences with others. It is infectious. If you are cheerful and happy, you will make others feel cheerful and happy as well. And when people are optimistic and outgoing, they share their thoughts and experiences more easily.
When people take joy in each other’s company, they are willing to make sacrifices for each other. Difficulties seem to melt away. Troubles seem smaller and less threatening than before. When people feel supported and encouraged, they are willing to take on even the most difficult tasks. Thus, joy has enormous power. It brings people together, moves them to do great things and bestows success on their efforts.
Joy is not the same thing as pleasure. The pursuit of pleasure comes from an inward lack; the experience of joy stems from an inner plenitude. Pleasure soon fades and demands repeated stimulation to be re-created and sustained. Joy requires nothing outside itself. Indeed, it gives freely to others and in this way, continually renews itself.
Try to run after joy and you will not get it. Joy must come from within. It is the product of inner peace and stability. A person who is not balanced inwardly will not find that balance externally. You cannot depend on other people to make you happy, or rely on things to fulfill you. That is simply a recipe for frustration. Whenever your happiness depends on the accumulation of things or the approval of other people, you have no real security. You are at the mercy of forces beyond your control. You will continually be anxious and fearful that what you have will be taken away from you or that you will never get what you think you need to be complete.
Instead, take a different approach. If you want to take joy in the outside world, you must first learn to find some joy in your own heart. Make peace with yourself. Stop chasing after things in order to prove that you are worthy of love. Instead, devote yourself to something that nourishes and replenishes you. Stop looking outside yourself for the key to your happiness or for the confirmation of your self-worth. You have everything within yourself that you need in order to be happy. Accept life for what it is and accept yourself for who you are. Have a little faith in yourself and your abilities. Learn to share with people and have fun doing so. Then you won’t have to look outside yourself for joy. You will find that it is already within you.