Structural Comparisons - I Ching and Mystery

Structural comparisons: the I Ching and the Mystery The structure of the Mystery is based on that of the Changes. By the first century AC, the I Ching consisted of a set of sixty-four texts, each associated with a six-line graph (or "hexagram"), in which component lines could be either solid or broken (signifying yang if solid, yin if broken). Under each hexagram, there are six assigned texts, each of which corresponds to one line of the graphic symbol (hence, the "Line Texts"). The core text of the Mystery, like that of its prototype, the Changes, presents a series of linear complexes. For the hexagram of the Changes, however, the Mystery substitutes a four-line tetragram whose component parts read from top to bottom (i.e., in the opposite order from the Changes). Also in contrast to the Changes, where lines are categorized as either yin (broken) or yang (unbroken), the divination procedure prescribed in Yang's instructions involves threes possibilities for each line of the graph: (1) an unbroken line (correlated with Heaven), (2) a line broken once (representing Earth), or (3) a line broken twice (symbolizing Man as one the triadic realms, living between Heaven and Earth). Four lines, each with 4 three possibilities, mean that there are eighty-one (3   ) possible tetragrams in Mystery, rather than the 6 sixty-four (2   ) hexagrams of the Changes. Each tetragram begins with a Head text in three parts: a title (which names one aspect of the comprehensive Mystery, such as "Measure" or "Diminishment", an image that refers to the cycles of yin/yang, and a second image that chronicles the birth, growth, and decay of the myriad things of the universe. To each tetragram is appended nine separate Appraisal texts, which convey a sense of evolution over time, on the model of the Line Texts of the Changes. In addition to the core text of eighty-one Heads with 729 Appraisals, Yang Hsiung provides ten auto commentaries - on an analogy with the famous "Ten Wings" appended to the I Ching. Generally speaking, the "Wings" commentaries relate the Line Texts to the moral, cosmological, and epistemological concerns of their authors, who were shaping a new Confusian orthodoxy in the closing centuries B.C. The Mystery’s auto commentaries, which reflect the same theoretical interests, can be divided roughly into four kind of essays: (1) treatises on cosmology; (2) lists of the standard correlations proposed by Yin/Yang Five Phases theorists; (3) texts that explain the eighty-one tetragrams by reference to a microcosm, either a single tetragram or a pair of tetragrams; and (4) one text whose sole purpose is to reiterate the Appraisal themes. ", ", the "Illumination  ", ", the There are four theoretical treatises on cosmology:   the "Evolution  "Representations  ", ", and the "Diagram  ". The long auto commentary entitled "Numbers" lists the various ". Yin/Yang Five Phases associations, so that questioner may deduce more specialized lessons from the generalized message presented by images in the text. Two auto commentaries (the "Polar Oppositions" and the "Interplay of Opposites") treat smaller units of two tetragram as a microcosm of the whole book. The "Revelation" essay, on the cosmic repercussions of human conduct, acts as summary for the whole Mystery. A final auto commentary, the "Fathomings" is perhaps the most important for the modern reader. The "Fathomings" offers valuable interpretive clues to the questioner, for it restates the significance of each Appraisal text, in this edition, following early Chinese usage, the appropriate "Fathomings" text is printed immediately after each related "Appraisal" text, so that their relationship can be seen at a glance.

Method of divination The early Chinese used yarrow stalks for divination, probably because the Chinese word for "yarrow" is written with the graph for old" under the graph meaning "plant". Apparently this vi sual pun led the Chinese to the idea that the yarrow stalk could serve as an excellent medium to facilitate communication between the living and the ancestors, who collectively represent the sum of wisdom and experience available to all who learn the means to draw on it. Coins have come to be used as a convenient substitute for yarrow stalks. With coins, two different methods will simulate the original method of divination using yarrow stalks.

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If the questioner comes to the divination with a clear and untroubled mind, the first method of divination will prove adequate. However, most of us approach the oracle in a troubled state of mind. In that case, the second method of divination is recommended since the very length of the divination process will help the questioner focus attention on the problem to be solved. That should insure that the proper answer comes from the Mystery.

First Method You will need four coins altogether. Put two of them aside, holding them in reserve. Toss the remaining two coins at the same time. If both come up tails, toss them again. Continue tossing both until at least one coin comes up heads. (The probability of two heads will be 1/3; the probability of one head, 2/3). If, of the two coins, only one comes up heads, it is designated as Yin. If both coins come up heads, the result is Yang. The first trial, then, will result in either Yin or Yang. Next, take up the two coins you have held in reserve. Follow the same procedure, tossing both coins until either one or two heads comes up. Having completed the tosses of all four coins, you will have one of three configurations: Yang-Yang (4 heads), Yin-Yin (2 heads total), or the mixture Yin/Yang (3 heads total). YangYang will correspond to 9; Yin-Yin to 7; and Yin-Yang to 8. The number 9 is equivalent to the twice-broken line of Man; 8, the divided line of Earth; and 7, to the solid line of Heaven. Now the first line of the tetragram can be draw. To arrive at a complete tetragram of four lines, three more applications of the entire procedure are needed. Remember: the tetragram in the Mystery, unlike the hexagram in the Changes, is constructed from the top draw. When the questioner has a four-line graph, the graph will direct the user to the appropriate Head text.

Second Method Sit facing south. Take thirty-six coins. Set one reverently aside to the left (east) as a way to honouring the cosmic unity we call the Tao. Set three more coins aside to the right (west) as a way of honouring the sacred triad of Heaven-Earth-Man. Toss the remaining thirty-two coins at a time. Place all those coins that come up heads in one pile in the southwest. Place those coins that come up tails in a second pile to the southeast. From the southwest pile of heads remove the coins by threes until a remainder of one, two, or three is left. Keep the removed coins separate. Next, turn to the southeast pile of tails. Now, from that pile, remove coins by threes until a remainder of one, two, or three is left. Again, keep the removed coins separate. Next, gather together the remainders from both piles on the table (they will add up to either 2 or 5) directly in front of you. It is now time to reaffirm your desire to reintegrate the Tao in your own individual destiny. Therefore, take the one coin that you have segregated to the left and the three coins initially set aside to the right and add them to the pile directly in front of you. Now move this pile directly away from you to the extreme south. Next, turn your attention back to the coins in the southwest pile of heads. Once more remove the coins by threes until a remainder of one, two, or three left. Add these remaining coins to the pile in the extreme south. Then turn your attention to the coi ns in the southeast pile of tails. Remove the coins i n sets of threes until a remaining of one, two, or three is left. A dd these remaining coins to the pile in the extreme south. At this point, the total number of coins left in a combined southwest and southeast piles will add up to 27, 24 or 21. Divide the 27, 24, or 21 by three to honour the sacred triad of Heaven-Earth-Man. The results will be 9 (equivalent to the twice-broken line of Man), 8 (the divided line of Earth), or 7 (the solid line of Heaven). When you have 9,8 or 7, you have derived the first line (i.e., the top line) of the four-line tetragram. Gather al 36 coins together, and repeat the entire procedure three more times to arrive at a complete tetragram. Remember to begin at the top and build down, though the Changes build from the bottom up.

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The point of these instructions becomes clear if we apply to a specific example. Say that the results of your four trials give you the following ling:    

Yang/Yang (9) Yin/Yin (7) Yang/Yin (8) Yin/Yang (8)

The resultant graphic symbols look like this:    

Twice broken line (corresponding to Man) Unbroken line (corresponding to Heaven) One broken line (corresponding to Earth) One broken line (corresponding to Earth)

- -- _______ ___ ___ ___ ___

To arrive at the Tetragram number from the graphic symbol, the inquirer uses the following formula provided by Yang Hsiung in one of his auto commentaries: 

If the bottom line of the four-line graphic symbol is unbroken, count 1. If it is broken once, count 2. If it is broken twice, count 3.  If the second line from the bottom is unbroken, do not add anything. If it is broken once, add 3. If it is broken twice, add 6.  If the third line from the bottom is unbroken, do not add anything. If it is broken once, add 9. If it is broken twice, add 18.  If the top line of the tetragram is unbroken, do not add anything. If it is broken once, add 27. If it is broken twice, add 54. In the four-line symbol we are using for this example, the bottom line is 2. Working upward, we would add 3, zero, and 54 to arrive at a total of 59. The coherent beauty of Master Yang's mathematical system inspires confidence in the sacred truth of his divination pronouncements. You are now ready for the final step before reading the appropriate texts of our example, Tetragram 59. Each tetragram is assigned 4 and 1/2 days of the calendar year. In this final step, compare the calendar dates assigned to the tetragram arrived at through the divination process (see table 1) with the date on which the divination is performed (i.e., the current date).

TABLE 1 Rising Yang

Wood Spring East Green

Fire Summer South Red

ield s t o

Earth Transition Centre Yellow

Rising Yin

Metal Autumn West White

Water Winter North Black

If the days assigned to the tetragram are later than the date on which divination is performed in the calendar year, this is inherently auspicious. If the days assigned to the tetragram are earlier than the date on which divination is performed, this is inherently inauspicious. Yang Hsiung tells us why in his auto commentaries: whatever lies in the future can still be changed by the creative applications of precepts outlined in the Mystery. There is still time, in other words, to "approach the Mystery" by applying its 3

message to our lives. In our example, Tetragram 59 corresponds to a date in early September. A divination that produced Tetragram 59 in late December would tend to be inauspicious, since whatever lies in the past can no longer be changed. If the date of the divination coincides with the date assigned to the tetragram produced, the Mystery offers us a special reminder about the importance of timely response. Once the questioner has derived a four-line graph by using one of these two methods above, she should turn to the appropriate tetragram indicated by the divination. The nine Appraisals assigned to each tetragram appear to treat a simple proposition about life through a depiction of a specific object or event found in daily life. The Appraisals at the same time should be seen as a progression: together they map the main stages in the questioner's developing response to the situation faced. Appraisals 1-3 are categorized as Thought (ssu), the initial period of inner reflection that precedes outer-directed action. Appraisals 4-6 detail Good Fortune (fu), the period of fruitful activity. Appraisals 7-9 talk of C alamity (hwo), the potential failure that may result from immoral or untimely action. Table 2 should help us clarify the significance of each of the nine Appraisals associated with a single tetragram under its Head text. Table 2 Response

Significance of Appraisal

Thought 1 = interior thought 2= middle thought Good Fortune 4= small good fortune 5=medium fortune Calamity 7= nascent calamity 8= median calamity

3= exterior thought 5= great good fortune 9 maximum calamity

Although there are nine Appraisals associated with each Head text, the questioner should focus on only three, for the Appraisals (unlike the Line texts of the Changes) are to be read according to the time of the day when the divination is carried out. This emphasizes the necessary interaction between cosmic Time and human choice in the production of an individual fate. If the act of divination is carried out in the morning, Appraisals 1, 5, and 7 of the given tetragram are read and considered; if in the evening, Appraisals 3, 4 and 8; if at the "median" times, Appraisals 2, 6, and 9. (Since Yang Hsiung did not specify these periods of time more definitely, it is impossible to be certain whether he meant by "median" the afternoon or the periods centred around noon and midnight. In any case, these periods may be determinate with some latitude by users of the book). These Appraisals are assigned, in short, so that the inquirer can learn the short, middle and long-term prospects for the situation in question. Let us say, for the sake of example that the divination that produced Tetragram 59 was carried out in the evening. After reading the so-called Head text, the inquirer should focus on Appraisals 3, 4 and 8 envisions the family elders as "gateway" to a host of ancestors beyond the grave. Appraisals 4 implicitly contrast the ideal of genuine reverence with two clumsy acts of ritual obeisance and sacrifice. Appraisal 8 depicts a flock of small birds fleeing from birds of prey. Here, when the initial flash of insight fails to inform later conduct, disaster ensues. What if, after serious reflection, none of these images appears to have much to do with the question posed in your divination? By consulting the Mystery's "Numbers" auto commentary, the inquirer will find a range of significant associations for key symbols in the Appraisals texts. In our example (using Tetragram 59), some of the key symbols in Appraisals 3, 4, and 8 are gates, sacrifices, and birds. The "Numbers" auto

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commentary links sacrifices, for example, with a long list of correlations, including long trips, hunting, robbery, and deafness. By contemplating such correlations, the inquirer expands the scope of the divination, fostering an intuitive, creative reading of the situation. Only then will the Mystery text function as a Polestar for an entire universe of explanatory discourse. As an ever greater variety of the text, the individual ideally apprehends the fundamental unity and order of the cosmos. The circle that is the cosmos begins to close, and time is seen rightly as an integral part of the eternal evolving order, rather than as a despotic force whose demands are arbitrary. Because the creative process requires a journey into the unknown, the Mystery insists that the divination procedure should not be used for trivialities, but for only the most serious questions. As the Mystery stipulates: 

If the issue is not in doubt, do not divine. If your plan is improper, do not divine. If you do not intend to act in accordance with the outcome of the divination, it is exactly as if you had not divined.



If the divination procedure is to "succeed" (i.e., establish communion with the cosmic Tao), the individual must demonstrate a genuine will to approach the Mystery and dedicate the self to embodying its attributes. The inquirer's mind must always be correctly oriented (chen) to the Right. Essentially, the would-be sage achieves identity with the cosmic Way by single-minded concentration on virtue - a discipline as much spiritual as intellectual. Yang Hsiung promises that:

"When one divines with single-minded concentration, the spiritual forces bring about changes (that reveal an answer to the inquirer). When one has deliberated (on this response) with single-minded concentration, one's plans are appropriate. When one has established what is right with single-minded concentration, no one can smutch is away." However, the sacred efficacy of the divination tool is easily impaired if the user's mind lacks moral integrity (ch'eng), since integrity is the single quality that unites the individual with the cosmic order. In consequence, the Mystery, like other famous Chinese divination texts, makes no primroses about the accuracy of its predictions unless the divination is carried out when the inquirer is in a correct spiritual state. After all, divination represents a true communication between Man and the divine impulses operating in Heaven-and-Earth, which the coins or yarrow stalks only facilitate. The importance of the will in this process cannot be overestimated for, as Yang Hsiung writes, "Whoever wants to draw near the Mystery, the Mystery for its part will draw near to him". Having once experienced a revelation of the Tao, one is free to join the rank of the sages, whom Yang Hsiung describes in the following terms: Contemplating Heaven, they become Heaven. Contemplating Earth, they become Earth. Contemplating the divine, they become divine. Contemplating Time, they become timel y. The Mystery, if properly employed, can lead to an experience of the divine as it operates within the universe and within the self. A "mystery" is something dark in itself that sheds light on what is around it. One Chinese master said of the Mystery, "To one who is incapable of examining it, it seems as if it contains nothing. To one who is capable of examining it, there is nothing that it does not contain". The Mystery, comprehensive yet profound, enjoins the reader to take up the supreme challenge: Can we learn to adjust our behaviour in such a way that we promote, even complete the operation of the cosmic Way?

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