From Publishers Weekly
Balkin, a Yale law professor, offers an engaging translation and interpretation of this Chinese classic. Based on a system of 64 hexagrams and their associated oracular statements, the I Ching began as a Bronze Age divination manual for rulers seeking advice on upcoming battles, marriage plans and human sacrifices, among other things. While it continues to be a popular medium for fortune-telling, centuries of scholarly commentary have made it a centerpiece of Confucian and Taoist philosophy. In addition to the text of the I Ching, Balkin provides a fascinating history of the work along with a lucid introduction to Chinese philosophy. But he is most interested in the I Ching as a system of practical wisdom applicable to everyday problems. By "enticing us to make sense of" its "vague and cryptic" language, he argues, it "induces us to abandon logical and linear thinking" and stimulates intuition and inspiration. Balkin includes detailed commentaries that help make sense of the book's pronouncements, which are sometimes self-evident ("Perseverance brings good fortune") but more often based on oblique metaphors ("Cart and axle separate / Husband and wife roll their eyes at each other" warns of "accidents" leading to "loss of dignity," while "He bites through the tender meat,/ So that his nose disappears / No blame" means that clearly beneficial reforms should be pursued energetically). Regardless of its prognosticatory powers, the I Ching's evocative imagery makes it a great work of literature, now more accessible than ever thanks to Balkin.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Yale law professor and philosopher of culture Jack Balkin offers a brilliant new translation of and commentary on the ancient Chinese Book of Changes, or I Ching. Balkin deliberately steers a middle path between the orthodox Confucian interpretations of the past and contemporary translations of this classic text. He produces an accessible, easy to understand version that incorporates the new scholarship on the origins of the I Ching while emphasizing its ethical and practical importance for contemporary life.
The Laws of Change: I Ching and the Philosophy of Life offers the most detailed commentaries available in English on the I Ching’s ethical and philosophical teachings and explains how people can apply them to everyday life problems. Balkin also provides a comprehensive survey of different methods of consulting the I Ching, and an excellent history of the I Ching’s transformation from a Bronze Age diviner’s manual to a beloved book of wisdom that lies at the very heart of Chinese culture. This is an indispensable work for anyone who wants to understand the I Ching and its history.
