How does "The Book of Changes" peek into the laws of how the universe operates?
The central idea of the “Book of Changes” and Tai Chi is that everything in the universe is the result of the interaction of yin and yang, and some commentators regard the “Book of Changes” as a code to decipher the mysteries of the universe. What is the reason behind it?
Author: GUDORDI | 2023-01-03
The hexagrams in the “Book of Changes” are derived from the concept of Tai Chi. (Shutterstock)
Continuing from the above: “Is the Book of Changes the secret to achieving great things?” ──The future of Hong Kong legend〉
“Tao gives birth to one, gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things.”
– Laozi’s “Tao Te Ching”
In the last chapter, the author mentioned that during the seven years of his imprisonment, King Wen of Zhou did not panic all day long, but worked hard and studied with great concentration. On the one hand, he kept observing the stars at night, and on the other hand, he kept reflecting on his own experience and the history of the Ji family. The ups and downs, the rise and fall of dynasties, and only a few yarrows, the innate gossip created by Fuxi was repeatedly refined and written into the “Book of Changes”. From this point of view, the “Book of Changes” is the version of the “Book of Changes” translated by King Wen of Zhou, which was enough for him to successfully get out of the predicament, and then replaced the Shang Dynasty and established a dynasty that lasted for 800 years.
Therefore, “The Book of Changes” can be regarded as a strange book in the history of human civilization. This time, the author will continue to explore in depth and the subtle relationship between the “Book of Changes” and the concepts of “Tai Chi” and “Yin and Yang”, so as to extend its application. Look at the “Qian” hexagram from another perspective and what enlightenment it can bring to Hong Kong.
"The Book of Changes" is a master-level performance
Basically, the “Book of Changes” can be regarded as a profound and profound wordless heavenly book. What King Wen of Zhou did was to inject strong vitality and humanistic color into it, and established a world for the Chinese people composed of “heaven, earth, Metaphysics composed of three axes: “human”. Although it has gone through more than 3,000 years and vicissitudes of life, it has not been shaken at all. It is probably one of the greatest contributions of King Wen of Zhou in the history of Chinese culture.
The author believes that King Wen’s other contribution to Chinese culture is the inheritance of the past and the future. It is worth noting that Tai Chi Bagua was created by Fu Xi, and King Wen did not make any changes to it. This was King Wen’s “inheritance” aspect. However, in the inheritance of Chinese culture, King Wen played an important role in “initiating later generations”. For example, he created the Houtian Bagua (also known as “Wenwang Bagua”), which continuously integrated the implicit interaction between the “Book of Changes” and Tai Chi. The concepts of development and endless life were fully developed, which made later generations extremely amazed and shocked by his wisdom and cultivation.
Yes, for those who know how to watch, “King Wen’s Performance of the Book of Changes” can truly be called an unprecedented “virtuoso performance” in terms of wisdom.
Does Tai Chi diagram represent the mystery of the universe?
Basically, the central idea of the “I Ching” and Tai Chi is that everything in the universe is the result of the interaction of yin and yang, and some commentators regard the “I Ching” as a code to decipher the mysteries of the universe. If we think along this angle, we may find a rather bold hypothesis, which is also the message hidden in the Bagua drawn by Fuxi, that is, the “Book of Changes” or the mystery of the universe, if seen through it can be summarized as “one” . The underlying structure of the “Book of Changes” only has the word “one”, which is the “Yang” line, which is then divided into two to become the “Yin” line. It is said that one word opens the sky, and then Tai Chi arises from Wuji. The entire universe can be seen as a circle, and the characteristics of Tai Chi are one yin and one yang. As the saying goes, “one yuan gives rise to two rites”, and the two rites are yin and yang.
It is worth noting that the circles of the two worlds are not drawn with a line in the middle, but are arc-shaped and curved, similar to that of a tadpole. More importantly, the structure of Tai Chi is not either yin or yang or yang or yin. , but there is yang within yin, and yin within yang. This simple pattern yet seems to have infinite depth and imaginative space is very rare in ancient civilizations. This makes people wonder, what kind of person’s mind can actually imagine such a seemingly simple but unfathomable concept so cleverly?
According to records, the Tai Chi diagram was painted by Fuxi, who is a god-like figure in the history of the Chinese nation. According to legend, Fuxi taught his people how to make nets, fish, hunt, and animal husbandry, and created Bagua, writing, and the guqin. He has been regarded as the ancestor of the Chinese ethnic group since ancient times. The Han Dynasty’s “White Tiger Tongyi” “What are the three emperors? Fuxi, Nuwa, and Shennong are so” even pushed Fuxi to the status of the three emperors.
In mythology, Fuxi is not only one of the Three Emperors, but also considered the ancestor of all human beings and a symbol of wisdom. According to legend, Fuxi made his capital Chenwanqiu (now Huaiyang, Henan) and used the dragon as his totem. One day, when Fuxi was looking up at the stars, he suddenly had an enlightenment. He was surprised to find that the mystery of the entire universe could be condensed into only patterns, so he immediately drew it, which is today’s Tai Chi diagram. From this perspective, this Tai Chi diagram may be the most valuable pattern in human history.
Tao gives rise to all things
“One Yuan gives rise to two rituals” is only the first step in Fuxi’s realization. Yin and Yang can be further divided into sun, shaoyang, taiyin and shaoyin, that is, “two yangs produce four phenomena”, which can be represented by the four natural forms and forces of metal, wood, water and fire. However, the Four Symbols are only the second step, followed by the Bagua. Basically, the sun derives the two hexagrams “Qian” and “Dui” (representing heaven and Ze respectively), the Shaoyang derives the two hexagrams “Xun” and “Kan” (representing wind and water respectively), and the lunar yin derives “Gen” and “Kun”. ” two hexagrams (representing mountains and earth respectively); Shaoyin derived the two hexagrams “Li” and “Zhen” (representing fire and thunder respectively), so it was deduced that Qian, Kun, Xun, Zhen, Kan, Li, Gen and Dui Bagua represents the eight natural phenomena and forces of heaven, earth, wind, thunder, water, fire, mountain and lake. From this point of view, the Bagua is actually deduced from the concept of Tai Chi Yin and Yang, and the two are closely related.
In Chapter 42 of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu wrote, “Tao generates one, one generates two, two generates three, and three generates all things.” This probably reflects that Lao Tzu also understands the mystery of deducing from Tao to Bagua. From this perspective, King Wen’s contribution was to further deepen the relevant concepts. The Later Heavenly Bagua combined with Fuxi’s Xiantian Bagua to deduce a logical and well-organized version of the “Book of Changes” consisting of eight, eight and sixty-four hexagrams that we see today* . I will talk about it next time.
Note: According to Mr. Nan Huaijin, there are three types of “Yi”. “Lianshan”, “Guizang” and “Zhouyi” are collectively called the “Three Yis”. However, “Lianshan” and “Guizang” have been lost, and “Zhouyi” 》 is the only version that can be handed down.
“Hong Kong’s Legendary Future” Series 16
Contact the author: Gudordi@proton.me
