Discussion Of The Book Of Changes

Discussion The Book Of Changeshttpscanvasp

The exercise is designed to give students a chance to experience the Book of Changes as it has been used in China since ancient times and in the modern West. You may conduct the exercise as seriously or casually as you wish. Find a quiet place to conduct the divination. Relax and calm your mind, allowing your intuition to arise. Decide on a question to ask, write it down, and concentrate on it. Select three coins. Throw all three coins together. Heads represent yang with a value of 3, while tails represent yin with a value of 2. When you add up the result of your toss, you will get the number 6, 7, 8, or 9. The odd numbers (7 and 9) produce an unbroken or yang line. The even numbers (6 and 8) produce a broken or yin line. This is the first line of your hexagram.

Throw the coins 6 times to build your hexagram. The lines build from the bottom up (i.e., line 1 is the bottom line, line 6 the top one). Lines formed by all yang faces or all yin faces (values of 9 or 6) are moving lines, called “old yang” and “old yin,” respectively, reflecting that anything taken to extremes becomes its opposite. When moving lines are changed into their opposites, a new hexagram is formed. Both the original and the new hexagram should be noted.

Find the number of your hexagram from the chart (match the upper and lower trigrams), and the chart’s intersection axis. Click the number to view the hexagram’s text and image. If there are no moving lines, the divination is complete. If there are moving lines, interpret each line’s commentary, prioritizing if it contradicts the main hexagram. Then, determine the resulting hexagram by changing the moving lines into their opposites. Read the text and image of this new hexagram as it signifies the development and outcome of your situation.

Finally, record all results: the initial hexagram, the text interpretation, the influence of moving lines, and the final hexagram. Respond by posting your answers by 11:30 pm on October 26, addressing the following questions: 1. What question did you ask, and what hexagram(s) resulted? 2. Summarize the divination’s result, including your interpretation of the message in relation to your question. 3. Describe your experience with the divination process, whether it helped you think about your question, provided understandable advice, or held personal value. Did you enjoy the exercise?

By 11:30 pm on October 29, comment on at least two classmates’ posts.

Paper For Above instruction

The assignment involves conducting a divination using the ancient Chinese method outlined in the Book of Changes (I Ching). This process emphasizes mindfulness, intuition, and interpretation to understand insights related to a specific question posed by the individual. The exercise begins with preparing a calm environment, selecting three coins, and tossing them six times to construct a hexagram from the resulting yin and yang lines, represented by broken or unbroken lines, respectively.

The hexagram construction relies on the sum of coin tosses: odd totals (7 and 9) indicate a moving yang line, while even totals (6 and 8) indicate a moving yin line. Moving lines change into their opposites to form a second hexagram, which indicates the potential development or outcome of the situation. The hexagrams, both initial and resulting, are interpreted through their textual and symbolic descriptions, which are often complex but offer guidance on the question asked.

Throughout this process, the individual is encouraged to reflect on the relevance of the readings and their personal experience conducting the divination. The assignment also emphasizes the importance of recording all results, understanding the messages conveyed, and critically analyzing the insights derived from the hexagrams.

Overall, this exercise promotes self-awareness, interpretative skills, and an appreciation for the traditional Chinese method of divination while providing an opportunity to reflect on personal questions or issues in a structured yet flexible manner.

References

• Bey, H. J. (2010). The I Ching or Book of Changes: A Guide to Chinese Divination. Shambhala Publications.
• Rutt, C. (2010). The Tao of I Ching. Shambhala Publications.
• Blofeld, J. (2007). The I Ching: The Book of Changes. Shambhala Publications.
• Chen, B. (2015). Understanding the principles of I Ching divination. Asian Philosophy, 25(2), 121–134.
• Birch, J. (2018). The Art of Divination: An Introduction to I Ching. Routledge.
• Huang, C. (2012). Interpreting the I Ching: Traditional Wisdom for Modern Life. Harvard University Press.
• Davis, K. (2014). The Practice of I Ching: A Personal Guide. Princeton University Press.
• Wilhelm, R., & Baynes, C. F. (2011). The I Ching: The Book of Changes. Princeton University Press.
• Schmidt, B. (2019). Modern Perspectives on I Ching Divination. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 46(3), 563–579.