What the I Ching is Really About

Carl Jung, a renowned psychiatrist, was a notable admirer of the I Ching, also known as the Book of Changes. His close friendship with Richard Wilhelm, whose German translation became a seminal Western version of the ancient Chinese text, further cemented this connection.

However, the author contends that Jung may not have fully grasped the essence of the I Ching. Jung himself noted the difficulty for Western minds to comprehend its "Chinese spirit," describing it as "completely foreign" and departing significantly from Western ways of thinking.

Contrary to Jung's view, the author argues that the I Ching is quite accessible and easy for anyone to consult and believe in. Its "enigmatic allure" is precisely what draws individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists like poet Allen Ginsberg, musician Joni Mitchell, composer John Cage, and choreographer Merce Cunningham. These figures, according to Brian Bruya, have lauded the Yi Jing (the contemporary transcription of I Ching) for its wisdom and poetic suggestiveness.

Bruya, who recently translated the "Illustrated Book of Changes" by C.C. Tsai, notes that the I Ching explains change as the dynamic interaction of two fundamental cosmic principles: yin and yang, representing the feminine and masculine.

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I can assure my reader that it is not altogether easy to find the right access to this monument of Chinese thought, which departs so completely from our ways of thinking.