Yu Shinan, the prime minister of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, praised the "Book of Changes" and said: "You can't be a general without reading the "Book of Changes"." The general concept of Chinese people is that when the "Book of Changes" is mentioned, they think of the Eight Diagrams and always feel like learning After reading the Book of Changes, one can understand astronomy and geography. Therefore, some people say: "The "Book of Changes" is the classic among classics, the philosophy among philosophy, and the wisdom among wisdom." Others, when they mention the "Book of Changes", they think of those wandering around and fortune-telling. Feng shui charlatans, even worse, think it is feudal superstition.
So, is the "Book of Changes" the essence or the dregs? According to my humble opinion, existence is reasonable. Traditional culture that can be passed down for thousands of years must have its subtleties, which can only be understood but cannot be expressed in words. Of course, in the process of inheritance, there will inevitably be some dross mixed in, which needs to be screened out in the process of learning and practice.
Having said so much, what exactly is the "Book of Changes"?
Many people think that the "Book of Changes" is the "Book of Changes". In fact, the "Book of Changes" is only a part of the Chinese "Book of Changes". King Wen of Zhou studied the "Book of Changes" when he was in prison in Youyou. conclusions made. In fact, there are two kinds of Yi Jing, one is called "Lianshan Yi" and the other is called "Guizang Yi". Together with "Zhou Yi", they are collectively called "Three Yis".
"Lianshan Yi" is the "Yi" from the Shen Nong era, and the position of the eight trigrams drawn is different from the position of the eight trigrams in the "Zhou Yi"; "Gui Zang Yi" is the "Yi" from the Huangdi era . The "Lianshan Yi" begins with the Gen hexagram, the "Gui Zang Yi" begins with the Kun hexagram, and the "Zhou Yi" begins with the Qian hexagram. This is the difference between the "Three Yis". It can be said that what we Chinese now call "Jianghu", such as medicine, Kanyu, and Taoism, are a combination of the two Yi studies of "Lianshan" and "Guizang".
In addition to "Lianshan" and "Gui Zang", in the study of "Zhouyi" itself, there is a principle also called "Three Yis", which means that the "Book of Changes" includes three Major principles: 1. Changeable; 2. Simple; 3. Difficult. To study the Book of Changes, you must first understand the principles of these three principles.
1. Change: The so-called change is because the "Book of Changes" tells us that nothing in the world, people in the world, or even everything in the universe remains unchanged. The time is different, the environment is different, the emotions are different, and the spiritual realm is also different. Everything is changing anytime and anywhere, and nothing remains unchanged. Therefore, to study "Yi", you must first know "change". People with high intelligence not only understand change but also can adapt to this change. This is why you cannot become a general if you don't learn Yi.
2. Simplicity: Everything in the universe must have its own reasons. It’s just that we are not smart enough and have insufficient experience to find out its principles. When we are smart enough and understand After that, everything will become ordinary and simple. Just as the ancients understood the connection between the rules of the Book of Changes and all things in the universe, they arranged the Bagua patterns on their knuckles, combined with the combination of time and space, and arranged the mathematical formulas on them to figure out things. . Simplicity is the highest principle in the "Book of Changes". It simplifies complex principles, so it is called simplicity.
3. Difficulty: Everything is changing at any time and at any time, but there is one thing that never changes, that is, the thing that can change everything is unchanging and exists forever. Religionists call it "God", "God", "Lord", "Buddha" and "Bodhisattva", philosophers call it "noumenon", and scientists call it "function".