Ling Ch'i Ching A Classic Chinese Oracle

by Sawyer, Ralph D.

• ISBN13: 9780813341743
• ISBN10: 0813341744
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-09-22
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

TheLing Ch'I Chingwas first created by an unknown Chinese scholar who consciously sought to present the world with a more accessible oracle than the esotericI Ching. For centuries theLing Ch'I Chinghas been a popular divination device for attaining self-knowledge and wisdom. Like its more famous cousin, theI Ching, theLing Ch'I Chingis rich in poetic language and metaphorical imagery, linking the dynamic principles of heaven and earth with the affairs of people. But theLing Ch'I Chingis far more accessible than theI Ching, focusing on the concerns of day-to-day life and positive accomplishment, with no "moving lines" to interpret. The method of consultation includes throwing twelve coins, which are then arranged in three rows to yield one of 125 possible trigraphs. In the text, each trigraph is represented by a core oracle describing a situation, problem, or event, and its internal dynamic, along with a verse emphasizing the trigraph's more subtle, intuitive qualities. To aid the reader in interpreting the oracle, selections from classical commentaries have been included, as well as the translators' own commentary on the text.

Author Biography

Ralph D. Sawyer, one of America’s leading scholars in Chinese warfare, has worked extensively with major intelligence and defense agencies. After studying at MIT and Harvard and a brief stint of university teaching, Sawyer has spent the past thirty years lecturing and doing international consulting work focused on China.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Note to the Reader	xv
Introduction	1	(6)
The Structure of the Text	7	(14)
Methods for Consulting the Oracle	21	(6)
Ling Ch'i Ching
Great Penetration	27	(3)
Gradual Peace	30	(3)
Auspicious Blessings	33	(3)
Wealth in Abundance	36	(3)
Tao of Pleasure	39	(3)
Fright and Terror	42	(3)
Year of Abundance	45	(3)
Slight Wariness	48	(2)
Realizing Ambition	50	(2)
Affairs Proceeding	52	(2)
Talent Advancing	54	(2)
Unfettered Journeying	56	(3)
Anxiety and Trouble	59	(3)
Cautious Virtue	62	(2)
Implementing Orders	64	(3)
Imminent Loss	67	(3)
Spiritual Protection	70	(2)
Imminent Defeat	72	(2)
Ordering Turbulence	74	(3)
Not Yet Returning	77	(2)
Guarding against Greed	79	(3)
Resting in Tranquility	82	(2)
Glorious Auspiciousness	84	(2)
Success Penetrating	86	(2)
Anxiety and Happiness	88	(2)
Peaceful Contentment	90	(2)
Expelling Evil	92	(2)
Great Harvest	94	(2)
Decline to Minuteness	96	(3)
Avoiding Disaster	99	(3)
Opening the Concealed	102	(3)
Troubled by Illness	105	(2)
Bright Yang	107	(2)
Assistance of Heaven	109	(3)
Respected and Honored	112	(2)
Praying for Intercession	114	(3)
Sending Goods	117	(3)
Without Difficulty	120	(2)
Respectful Harmony	122	(2)
Contrary Conquest	124	(2)
Perfected Longevity	126	(3)
Firmness Extending	129	(3)
Strongly Flourishing	132	(2)
Surpassing Beauty	134	(3)
Obtaining Blessings	137	(3)
Coagulated and Congealed	140	(2)
Evil Dissipated	142	(2)
Uprightness Above	144	(3)
The Orphan Impoverished	147	(3)
Submerged Dragon	150	(3)
Beneficial Friends	153	(2)
Wickedness Excelling	155	(2)
Assistance of the Spirits	157	(3)
Sacrificing for Release	160	(3)
Repressing Disaster	163	(3)
Praying for Success	166	(3)
Following One's Desires	169	(2)
Gains and Losses	171	(3)
Rescue and Assistance	174	(3)
Great Unification	177	(3)
Sinking and Obscured	180	(2)
Yin Extending	182	(2)
Vanishing from the World	184	(2)
A Mass of Evils	186	(3)
Bitter Constraint	189	(2)
Joy and Delight	191	(2)
Just Completed	193	(2)
Ghosts Watching	195	(2)
Tardy Blessings	197	(2)
Wary and Cautious	199	(2)
Great Completion	201	(2)
Supporting the Endangered	203	(2)
Flowing Blessings	205	(2)
Late Accomplishment	207	(3)
Serving the Ruler	210	(3)
Inevitable Gains	213	(2)
Avenging Insults	215	(3)
Abstaining from Advancing	218	(2)
Abstaining from Encounters	220	(2)
Bound Up	222	(2)
Respectful Caution	224	(2)
Tao of the Emperor	226	(2)
Unsettled	228	(2)
Perverse Insinuation	230	(3)
Caution over Regret	233	(2)
Appropriate at the Beginning	235	(2)
Confluence of Blessings	237	(2)
Secret Brigands	239	(2)
Good Fortune and Profits	241	(2)
Good Fortune and Happiness	243	(2)
Well Arrayed	245	(2)
Negativity Overturned	247	(2)
Not Yet Formed	249	(2)
Unstable and Overturned	251	(2)
Shunning the World	253	(2)
Ghosts Stirring	255	(3)
Slight Loss	258	(2)
Coarse Harmonization	260	(3)
Not Plowed	263	(2)
Disaster from Ghosts	265	(2)
Emptiness and Loss	267	(2)
Uncooperative	269	(3)
Doubled Abyss	272	(3)
Coming Revolution	275	(2)
Lacking Achievement	277	(3)
Disaster from Rain	280	(2)
Disaster from Drought	282	(2)
Distant Attack	284	(2)
Theft by Robbers	286	(2)
Lost Standards	288	(2)
Cliques of Villains	290	(2)
Disputes	292	(3)
Not Yet Bright	295	(3)
Shifting and Flowing	298	(2)
Not Yet Peaceful	300	(2)
The Image of Death	302	(2)
Yang Developing	304	(2)
Year of Prosperity	306	(2)
Human Affairs	308	(2)
Preserving the Body	310	(2)
Transforming and Nourishing	312	(2)
Profits of Earth	314	(2)
Establishing Lords	316	(2)
Escorting the End	318	(2)
The Mysterious Obverse	320	(3)
Glossary	323	(10)
Consultation Chart	333	(2)
Suggested Further Reading	335