I CHING: The Tao of Organization

by Cheng Yi, Thomas Cleary (Translator)

This new translation of the I Ching (Book of Changes)—with a commentary by an outstanding Chinese scholar of the eleventh century—is designed as a handbook of group dynamics and strategy making in business, political, social, and religious organizations. The author of the commentary, Cheng Yi, founded the movement known as Lixue, the 'study of inner design.' Cheng contends that by understanding the pattern of events—the inner design of nature—one could bring about mutual understanding and co-operation among people in groups, thus facilitating the accomplishment of any task they might undertake. In the Translator's Introduction, Thomas Cleary discusses Cheng Yi's philosophy and presents a systematic method for consulting the I Ching. For best results, he recommends a program of comprehensive study of the hexagrams, promoting a deep understanding of the book's wisdom. In his Afterword, Professor Cleary analyzes the success of a modern organizational genius, the Japanese industrialist Matsushita Konosuke—founder of the corporation that produces electrical appliances under well-known trade names such as National and Panasonic—showing how his business philosophy was built on these ancient principles.

Thomas Cleary, who holds a doctorate in East Asian Languages and civilization from Harvard University, teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He is also the translator of The Taoist I Ching by Liu I-ming and The Buddhist I Ching by Chih-hsu Ou-i. [Text from back cover.]

Genres: Divination

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jessica Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not read through all hexagrams in this book, just the intro and appendix.
In reading I realized this version of I Ching was developed with organizations and leadership in mind. Although that is very interesting and insightful, it’s not what I’m particularly interested in reading about.
I have ordered a different version of the I Ching from a Taoist pov translated by the same author of this book.

[Lorrie Denesik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently reading. Piece by piece. Take a section at a time and return to. Good translation and introduction.