i-ching.info

This is i-ching.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.8 from README.texi.


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I Ching. The Book of Changes
****************************


     The (first) appearance of anything (as a bud) is what we call a
     semblance; when it has received its complete form, we call it a
     definite thing

     —The I Ching (trans. James Legge)


* Menu:

* Install & configure::
* Casting a hexagram::
* Consulting the oracle::
* Printing & displaying hexagrams::
* changing or moving lines::
* probabilities & randomness::
* The Noise of Heaven & Earth. Stochastic resonance.: The Noise of Heaven & Earth Stochastic resonance.
* English translations::
* Pubic Domain sources::
* Otherwise::
* Further::


File: i-ching.info,  Node: Install & configure,  Next: Casting a hexagram,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

1 Install & configure
*********************

The package can be installed from MELPA (https://melpa.org/) or
manually via github (https://github.com/zzkt/i-ching).

     (use-package i-ching
         :config (setq i-ching-hexagram-size 18
                       i-ching-hexagram-font "DejaVu Sans"
                       i-ching-divination-method '3-coins
                       i-ching-randomness-source 'pseudo)
         :bind (("H-i h" . i-ching-insert-hexagram)))


File: i-ching.info,  Node: Casting a hexagram,  Next: Consulting the oracle,  Prev: Install & configure,  Up: Top

2 Casting a hexagram
********************

There are several ways to produce a hexagram, from the traditional to
pragmatic.

   Casting coins has been used for centuries as a way of consulting the
I Ching and often favoured for it’s simplicity and ease. In contrast,
the yarrow stalk method is widely considered more traditional,
requiring dedication, time and careful elaboration of process. The
coins may produce a result more quickly and directly (yang) while the
yarrow stalks yield to time and can create contemplative focus (yin).

   Quickest of all (thus far) is the general purpose computer, which
can produce a hexagram seemingly instantaneously.

   A simulation of yarrow stalks to produce a hexagram…
     (i-ching-cast 'yarrow-stalks)

   To simulate three coins…
     (i-ching-cast '3-coins)

   For the ultimate in computational pragmatism, you can produce a
hexagram from a single 6-bit number.
     (i-ching-cast '6-bit)

   The preferred method can be set or customized via the variable
`i-ching-divination-method'

   There are other significant methods which have not (yet) been
implemented, in particular the “Ancient
(https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/I_Ching/The_Ancient_Yarrow_Stalk_Method)“
(Neo-Confucian reconstruction) and “Modified
(https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/I_Ching/The_Modified_Yarrow_Stalk_Method)”
methods of casting yarrow stalks described by Huang and some of the
more idiosyncratic variants that have appeared during the 20th Century
CE.

   It is also possible to show the interpretation (i.e. description,
judgement and image) of a particular hexagram…
     (i-ching-interpretation 42)


File: i-ching.info,  Node: Consulting the oracle,  Next: Printing & displaying hexagrams,  Prev: Casting a hexagram,  Up: Top

3 Consulting the oracle
***********************

     Of course all divination is vain, nor is the method of the Yî
     less absurd than any other.

     — James Legge in The I Ching. Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16
     (1899)


   Consulting the I Ching as an oracle, in it’s most simple form,
involves asking a question, casting a hexagram and interpreting the
hexagram along with any possible changes to the hexagram.

   You can query the I Ching with an invocation of `M-x i-ching-query'

   Or programmatically using any of the casting methods described
previously.
     (i-ching-query 'yarrow-stalks)


File: i-ching.info,  Node: Printing & displaying hexagrams,  Next: changing or moving lines,  Prev: Consulting the oracle,  Up: Top

4 Printing & displaying hexagrams
*********************************

You can cast and insert a hexagram at the current point with
`i-ching-insert-hexagram' or insert a specific hexagram as required
with `(i-ching-insert-hexagram 23)'

   Sometimes the hexagrams may not display correctly or be too small to
read. The font and size can be adjusted as needed with minimal
interference to how other characters are displayed….

     (setq i-ching-hexagram-size 18
           i-ching-hexagram-font "DejaVu Sans")

   If the glyphs don’t appear to change you may need to call
`(i-ching-update-fontsize)'


File: i-ching.info,  Node: changing or moving lines,  Next: probabilities & randomness,  Prev: Printing & displaying hexagrams,  Up: Top

5 changing or moving lines
**************************

The `3-coins' and `yarrow-stalk' methods calculate values for the lines
of the hexagram (6 or 9) and changing lines (7 or 8) as described in
the text and commentaries. These values are represented internally as
binary pairs which are used to produce a single hexagram, or a hexagram
and changing hexagram. The current package does not provide commentary
for individual lines or changing lines, preferring the concise
description of a hexagram (and potentially the changing hexagram).

   If a casting produces changing lines, the resulting hexagrams will
appear as `䷂→䷇' or `䷥ (䷢)' when displayed.


File: i-ching.info,  Node: probabilities & randomness,  Next: The Noise of Heaven & Earth Stochastic resonance,  Prev: changing or moving lines,  Up: Top

6 probabilities & randomness
****************************

The `3-coins' and `yarrow-stalk' methods produce slightly different
probability distributions for casting a hexagram as detailed in the
following table (and discussed in more detail in Probability and the Yi
Jing (https://sabazius.oto-usa.org/probability-and-the-yi-jing/))

Value   Yarrow stalks p(S)   Three coins p(S)    Yin/Yang     Signification          Line
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
6       1/16                 2/16                old yin      yin changing to yang   --x--
7       5/16  (yang 8/16)    6/16  (yang 8/16)   young yang   yang unchanging        -------
8       7/16   (yin 8/16)    6/16   (yin 8/16)   young yin    yin unchanging         -- --
9       3/16                 2/16                old yang     yang changing to yin   --o--

   In consulting an oracle the nature and source of chance,
synchronicity or randomness can be considered important aspects of the
process. Thus, this package can draw upon several source of randomness
including `quantum' (sampling quantum fluctuations of the vacuum via
ANU (https://qrng.anu.edu.au/)), `atmospheric' (atmospheric noise via
random.org (https://random.org)), or `pseudo' (pseudo-random numbers
provided by the local computing environment). Each method may be
assessed for its suitability and set as necessary.

     (setq i-ching-randomness-source 'quantum)

   The `quantum' and `atmospheric' sources of randomness both use
public APIs and can make hundred of calls (specifically 121, 125, 129
or 133 for the `yarrow-stalk' method) which can take seconds, or
minutes depending on the service which may be rate limited. This can be
used as a time for reflection. If you prefer to have a quicker casting,
you can register an API key or use the local `pseudo' random source.

   Further details and analysis of the sources of randomness can be
found in or near…
   * A “True Random Number Service” `https://www.random.org'

   * ANU QRNG Real time demonstration of high bitrate quantum random
     number generation with coherent laser light. Appl. Phys. Lett. 98,
     231103 (2011) `10.1063/1.3597793'

   * Pseudo-Random Numbers
     (https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/Pseudo_002dRandom-Numbers.html)
     (The GNU C Library) and a description of The GLIBC random number
     generator (https://www.mscs.dal.ca/~selinger/random/)


File: i-ching.info,  Node: The Noise of Heaven & Earth Stochastic resonance,  Next: English translations,  Prev: probabilities & randomness,  Up: Top

7 The Noise of Heaven & Earth. Stochastic resonance.
****************************************************

   * “Listen?”

   * “Resonate”


File: i-ching.info,  Node: English translations,  Next: Pubic Domain sources,  Prev: The Noise of Heaven & Earth Stochastic resonance,  Up: Top

8 English translations
**********************

   * Richard Wilhelm (1950). The I Ching or Book of Changes. translated
     by Cary Baynes,. Introduction by Carl G. Jung.

   * Margaret J. Pearson (2011). The original I ching : an authentic
     translation of the book of changes.

   * James Legge (1882). The Yî King. In Sacred Books of the East,
     vol. XVI. 2nd edition (1899)

   * Alfred Huang (2000). The Complete I Ching: The Definitive
     Translation

   * Wu Jing Nuan (1991) Yi Jing


File: i-ching.info,  Node: Pubic Domain sources,  Next: Otherwise,  Prev: English translations,  Up: Top

9 Pubic Domain sources
**********************

The translation from Chinese into English by James Legge, _The Yî
King_ (1882) as published in _Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI. 2nd
edition_ (1899) is in the public domain and available via archive.org
(https://archive.org/details/sacredbooksofchi16conf). It appears to be
the only significant English translation that is currently in the
public domain. There is a parallel Chinese/English edition 《易經 -
Yi Jing》 (https://ctext.org/book-of-changes/yi-jing) hosted at the
Chinese Text Project (https://ctext.org) using the Legge translation.

   The German translation and commentary by Richard Wilhelm, _I Ging
Das Buch der Wandlungen_ (1924) is in the public domain and available
via Projekt Gutenberg
(https://www.projekt-gutenberg.org/autoren/namen/wilhelm.html).
Wilhelm’s translation from Chinese into German was translated into
English as _The I Ching or Book of Changes_ (1950) by Cary Baynes and
should enter the public domain in 2047. Wilhelm’s translation has
provided the basis for translation into several other European languages

   A List of hexagrams of the I Ching
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hexagrams_of_the_I_Ching) and
some details of the King Wen sequence
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Wen_sequence) can be found on
Wikipedia.


File: i-ching.info,  Node: Otherwise,  Next: Further,  Prev: Pubic Domain sources,  Up: Top

10 Otherwise
************

The Gnostic Book of Changes (http://jamesdekorne.com/GBCh/GBCh.htm)
provides a guide for “Studies in Crypto-Teleological Solipsism” by
combining several translations, notes and commentaries, yet exists in a
copyright grey-area. There is another emacs lisp version of the i-ching
that can be found on the emacswiki
(https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/i-ching.el) which takes a slightly
different approach and includes a few other methods, including
calendrical, beads and the (unfortunately unimplemented) FUCKUP
emulation mode as described in _The Illuminatus Trilogy_ (there is also
a programmatic replication of the Yarrow Stalk Method of I-Ching
Divination (https://github.com/Brianfit/I-Ching) available in
javascript.)


File: i-ching.info,  Node: Further,  Prev: Otherwise,  Up: Top

11 Further
**********

     In conclusion, there is no conclusion. Things will go on as they
     always have, getting weirder all the time.

     —Robert Anton Wilson


   * The Lottery in Babylon
     (http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/eng/The_Lottery_in_Babylon)

   * Movements of Change - visualizing I-Ching
     (https://designviz.osu.edu/iching/)

   * Ekikyō 易経



Tag Table:
Node: Top74
Node: Install & configure803
Node: Casting a hexagram1371
Node: Consulting the oracle3130
Node: Printing & displaying hexagrams3877
Node: changing or moving lines4615
Node: probabilities & randomness5419
Node: The Noise of Heaven & Earth Stochastic resonance8036
Node: English translations8337
Node: Pubic Domain sources8985
Node: Otherwise10424
Node: Further11272

End Tag Table