Unlocking the Wisdom
The I Ching, or Book of Changes, is a vast textual landscape. It contains the Xì Cí Zhuàn, often translated as The Great Treatise or The Appended Judgements, which stands as its most profound philosophical heart. This core text belongs to the "Ten Wings," a series of commentaries that lift the I Ching beyond a simple oracle.
This exploration goes past fortune-telling. We will dive into the deep framework of cosmos and ethics presented in this important work.
Our journey aims to unravel concepts that have fascinated thinkers for thousands of years. We will look at how the cosmos came from the undifferentiated Taiji, explore the nature of the Dao as an ongoing process, and study the detailed philosophy behind the "Great Number" divination method.
Context and Significance
The Great Treatise serves as the key bridge connecting the ancient, mysterious hexagrams to a complex philosophical system. It provides the thinking structure that changed a fortune-telling guide into a classic of world thought.
While stories say Confucius wrote the Ten Wings, modern scholars suggest a more complicated origin. The text likely came from various thinking traditions combined during the early Han dynasty, a time of great mental creativity.
The treatise has two parts, Part I and Part II. Its style doesn't follow a straight argument but offers a series of deep comments on the nature, structure, and purpose of the I Ching itself.
To grasp its place, think about the I Ching's structure:
- Core Text: The 64 Hexagrams & Judgements
-
Commentaries (The Ten Wings):
- Tuan Zhuan (Commentary on the Judgements)
- Xiang Zhuan (Commentary on the Images)
- Xì Cí Zhuàn (The Great Treatise) -> Our Focus
- Wenyan Zhuan (Commentary on the Words of the Text)
- And others.
This setup shows how the great treatise i ching works as the main engine for understanding the entire system.
The Philosophical Heart
The Great Treatise begins with a short but powerful statement about the cosmos. This statement forms the base of its whole philosophical system, explaining how all existence comes from one unified source.
"In the Yi, there is..."
The text says, "In the Yi, there is the Great Ultimate..." (易有太极, Yì yǒu tàijí). This brings in the idea of Taiji, the Great Ultimate.
Taiji is not a god who creates things as in Western thinking. It is the first, undivided unity from which all things come. It is the full, quiet source of all being, holding the potential for everything that will ever exist.
This state of ultimate potential, Taiji, often is seen as coming from an even deeper emptiness called Wuji (无极), the Non-Ultimate. Wuji is the total void, the state of non-being before existence begins to stir.
"...which produced the Two Forms"
From this unity, a split happens: "...which produced the Two Forms" (是生两仪, shì shēng liǎng yí). These Two Forms, or Liangyi, are the basic opposites in the universe: Yin and Yang.
They are not fixed things but active, matching forces.
- Yin (阴): The quality of receiving, darkness, stillness, quiet, the feminine, and the earthly.
- Yang (阳): The quality of creating, light, action, movement, the masculine, and the heavenly.
It's important to know that Yin and Yang are not "good versus evil." They depend on each other in a never-ending dance of balance. One can't exist without the other; each holds the seed of its opposite.
"One Yin, One Yang..."
The treatise then defines the basic process of the universe: "One Yin and One Yang is called the Dao" (一阴一阳之谓道, yī yīn yī yáng zhī wèi dào).
Here, the Dao, or the Way, is not a destination but the process itself. It is the endless, circular change and interplay of Yin and Yang. The Dao is the pattern underneath, the organizing principle that controls the rhythm of the cosmos, from seasons changing to hearts beating.
From Immaterial to Material
The Great Treatise outlines a complete sequence of creation, moving from pure abstract to the solid world of things. This process is a series of steps becoming more distinct.
The universe unfolds in a clear, logical order. The system moves from perfect unity to complex variety, with each stage creating the next.
This cosmic unfolding can be shown as a flow:
Taiji (Great Ultimate) → Liangyi (Yin/Yang) → Sixiang (Four Images) → Bagua (Eight Trigrams) → 64 Hexagrams & The Myriad Things
The 64 hexagrams, therefore, are not random symbols. They form a complete map of every possible situation arising from the basic interplay of Yin and Yang, showing the whole of experience.
"The Great Number is Fifty"
The Great Treatise provides not just the what of its view of the cosmos but also the how of using it. It breaks down the old yarrow stalk divination method, showing it to be a small version of this cosmic creative process.
The Symbolism of Numbers
The ritual starts with a deep statement about numbers: "The Great Number is 50" (大衍之数五十). This number stands for the total of cosmic potential.
Yet, right away, the text makes clear: "Its use is 49" (其用四十有九). One stalk is taken from the pile and set aside before the divination begins.
This single, unused stalk has huge symbolic meaning. It represents the Taiji—the unchanging, central axis around which the universe of change (the 49 stalks) turns. It is the silent watcher, the still source from which the process of change comes but which stays outside of it.
The Three Transformations
To create a single line of a hexagram, the 49 stalks go through a series of three movements, or "transformations." This process is a ritual acting out of the cosmos creating reality.
- The bundle of 49 stalks is randomly split into two piles, showing the separation of the first unity into Heaven and Earth.
- One stalk is taken from the right-hand pile and placed between the fingers of the left hand. This stands for Humanity, acting as the go-between for the sky and earth realms.
- The left pile is then counted off in groups of four, symbolizing the passing of the four seasons. The remainder (1, 2, 3, or 4 stalks) is gathered.
- The right pile is then counted in the same way, and its remainder is gathered.
- The sum of the remainders from these two piles, along with the single stalk representing Humanity, is set aside. The first transformation is done.
- The remaining stalks are collected, and this whole process is repeated two more times.
After three such transformations, a single line of the hexagram is determined. The entire procedure must be done six times to build a complete six-line hexagram.
Philosophy Behind the Ritual
This is not just a counting game. Each step in the yarrow stalk consultation is filled with deep philosophical meaning, reflecting the cosmology of the great treatise i ching. The ritual is a physical meditation on the creation of the universe.
| Divination Step | Philosophical Meaning (as interpreted from The Great Treatise) |
|---|---|
| 1. Divide 49 stalks into two piles | Represents the separation of the primordial unity (Taiji) into Heaven and Earth (Liangyi). |
| 2. Take one stalk from the right pile | Represents Humanity, the essential third element that mediates between Heaven and Earth. |
| 3. Count off stalks in groups of four | Represents the four seasons, the fundamental cycle of time through which change occurs. |
| 4. Collect the remainders | The remainders are the cosmic "surpluses" or seeds of change that generate the final numbers. |
| 5. Repeat three times | Represents the cosmic trinity of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, whose interaction is necessary to create a single reality (one line). |
From Numbers to Lines
The remainders collected after each of the three transformations determine the value of the line. The possible outcomes produce the numbers 6, 7, 8, or 9.
These numbers translate directly into the four types of lines that can make up a hexagram:
- 9 (Old Yang): A changing Yang line, full of energy and about to transform into its opposite, Yin.
- 7 (Young Yang): A stable, unchanging Yang line.
- 6 (Old Yin): A changing Yin line, at the peak of its receptivity and about to transform into Yang.
- 8 (Young Yin): A stable, unchanging Yin line.
The "changing lines" (6 and 9) are very important. They show the dynamic tensions within a situation and point to the future hexagram that will result from this change.
A Dialogue with Philosophies
The Great Treatise wasn't created in a vacuum. It brilliantly combines ideas, actively engaging with the main thinking currents of its time, mainly Confucianism and Daoism.
The Dao: A Nuanced Meaning
The Treatise's use of the term Dao is different from its use in the Tao Te Ching. For Laozi, the Dao is ultimately mysterious, unspeakable, and beyond human understanding—"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao."
In contrast, the Dao of the Great Treatise is an ordered, understandable pattern. It is the rational structure of cosmic change. While deep, it is something that can be understood and followed through studying the I Ching's hexagrams. It is a knowable system, not an unknowable mystery.
The Confucian Sage
The Great Treatise firmly connects the I Ching with Confucian ethical goals. It presents the book as an essential tool for the Junzi (君子), the noble person or sage-in-training.
By thinking about the hexagrams and their changes, the Junzi learns to "understand the patterns of the heavens and study the affairs of humanity." This understanding is not for personal gain but for growing virtue, improving character, and being able to act correctly and ethically in any situation.
When we place these texts side-by-side, we experience the lively intellectual activity of the Warring States and Han periods. We see how the authors of the Treatise were not isolated mystics but took part in a grand conversation, weaving together views of the cosmos and ethics into a unified and powerful whole.
The Enduring Legacy
The Great Treatise's influence is immeasurable. Its true legacy lies in its reframing of reality as a dynamic, interconnected system.
It offers a blueprint for what we might now call systems thinking. It teaches a way of seeing the world not as a collection of static objects, but as a web of relationships in constant, patterned flux.
It was this text, the great treatise i ching, that was most instrumental in transforming the I Ching from a folk oracle into a respected classic of world philosophy, studied by sages, scholars, and seekers for over two thousand years.
The Great Treatise is far more than a historical document. It remains a living guide, offering a profound method for navigating the inevitable complexities of change with wisdom, perspective, and a deep sense of connection to the vast philosophical universe it so elegantly describes.
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