Understanding the I Ching: The Wilhelm Lectures on the Book of Changes: 137 (MYTHOS: THE PRINCETON/BOLLINGEN SERIES IN WORLD MYTHOLOGY)

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR NEW READERS IN THIS SUBJECT

This book is a marvelous collection of lectures by a father-and-son team who have no peers when it comes to I Ching scholarship. In my opinion, it is best read after a careful study of the companion Wilhelm/Baynes version of the I Ching itself. Taken as a whole, these lectures illustrate the broad range of applications this book can have to daily life. The book stimulated my interest in the I Ching and I had trouble putting it down until I had finished it the first time. The first of the Richard Wilhelm lectures, "Opposition and Fellowship" cries for an update to show how the values of the I Ching might be used to address and resolve the issues facing the world at the present time. What did disappoint and sadden me were the number of negative reviews of this extraordinary book. What were these people smoking? Did they not read the complete title? The subtitle of the book, "The Wilhelm Lectures on the Book of Changes" makes it clear that it was never intended to be I Ching 101. Too difficult to understand? Given the complexity of the subject matter, it is hard to imagine a set of lectures that could be as simple and clear as these are. And here's another thing: Neither this book of lectures, nor the I Ching itself, were ever intended to be read just once. The effort to understand what both are saying is a lifetime pursuit, through which significant understanding will come only as a result of great effort made over a long period of time. In other words, if you don't understand something, just put it aside for a while and try again later. After all, the I Ching is a highly spiritual document that, by its very nature, will always contain elements of mystery that may or may not be revealed to each individual who encounters it.

Good book thanks

Interesting and enlightening read of the Ancient Book of Changes, that gives you insight into Chinese culture and history.

The I Ching certainly is one of the most obscure, cryptic and mystifying texts in world literature. Its real meaning is lost to the ages, and it probably will be impossible to divine its intended purpose and meaning. Fortunately, ironically, the most cogent explanation of the I Ching comes from this father and son team, Richard and Hellmut Wilhelm. This collection of lectures consists of the combination of two separate books, Change: Eight Lectures on the I Ching by Hellmut Wilhelm and The Constancy of Change, by Richard Wilhelm. Both titles are contained in this one book. Hellmut’s lectures consist primarily on how the hexagrams should be interpreted, interspersed with a discussion of their philosophical foundations. Hellmut’s lectures contain extensive quotations from commentaries found in Richard’s original translation. Richard’s lectures contain mostly philosophical ruminations concerning the issues and inspirations of the I Ching. Richard’s lectures assume familiarity with the meaning and function of the hexagrams, and therefore may be too advanced for the general reader. Hellmut’s lectures, on the other hand, are probably the best introduction for the reader to whom the I Ching is a complete mystery, which probably includes 99.9% of all of us. Together, these two sets of lectures, and this book, is the first stop for anyone interested in the I Ching.

a good read, though old.