Understanding the I Ching

by Cyrille Javary

     |
     This book is a concise, thorough, and lucid
     presentation of the I Ching-its history, structure, and
     uses-in a surprisingly small volume. The author gives
     a fascinating description of the history of the I Ching's
     development, in so doing breaking down the
     standard Western misconceptions about it-first
     among them, its reputation as a fortune-telling device.
     He also shows the ways in which the I Ching has
     influenced Western thought. Throughout the book,
     there is description of the practical uses of the I
     Ching-including instructions for casting and reading
     it-and an explanation of why the random act of
     "throwing the I Ching" is a revelation of the qualities
     of the present moment.
     

134 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 1997

Reviews

[Michael Patton]

An incredible story really. That is: how the I Ching came into existence. That history is a part of this book, but there's much more. The I Ching isn't much help as a fortune-telling tool, I discovered through hard experience. But it has helped me to see that each life follows its own cycles, its own patterns, and we can't simply will those cycles/patterns to be otherwise. What the I Ching can do is show us how best to deal with what we can't change. "Understanding the I Ching" is a good title for this book. After reading the book years ago, I think I finally stop using the I Ching as a crystal ball. And instead began to use it to see how to deal with what was happening and would happen.

[John]

This is a most excellent little book about the I Ching. I've been reading about the I Ching for many years, and this book was packed with information that I have not come across before. The author approaches the topic from a different perspective, and straightens out a lot of common misperceptions about the text. He goes into the history of the I Ching over the ages, and how the development of the text was affected by the various historical phases that China went through.

A quick read at about 110 pages, this book should not be overlooked by any semi-serious student of the I Ching.