The Wisdom of "The Book of Changes"

The classic "The Book of Changes" was formed in the ancient times during the era of Fuxi, the Heavenly Emperor, and has a history of several thousand years. However, the wisdom it contains remains ever fresh. The atomic model of physicist Niels Bohr was created based on the Tai Chi principle of "The Book of Changes". Master Nan Huaijin from Taiwan suspected that the Eight Trigrams of "The Book of Changes" were eight highly condensed symbols of the previous human civilization, created to preserve cultural inheritance before the onset of the ice age. So, what kind of wisdom does "The Book of Changes" contain that is worth learning and drawing upon for modern people?

Firstly, we should learn the self-improvement and adaptability in the wisdom of "The Book of Changes". Self-improvement is the foundation and unique spirit of Chinese civilization. China's remarkable achievements through over forty years of reform and opening up are inseparable from the spirit of self-improvement. This can be seen from mythical stories and legends.

The myths of ancient Greece emphasized worshipping gods. To obtain something, one must offer sacrifices and ask for divine grace. For example, fire, which is extremely important for the development of human civilization. In Greek mythology, it was stolen from heaven by the Titan Prometheus. In Chinese legends, it was obtained by Suirenshi, the leader of humanity, through rubbing wood to make fire. Something similar can be seen in the handling of the great flood. Westerners still relied on their God. The Noah's Ark was prepared by God. However, the ancient Chinese people, led by Dayu, after thirteen years of arduous efforts to control the flood, finally tamed it.

The Chinese nation is such a self-reliant nation. If we don't succeed, who will? The achievements of the past forty years have verified this. The ever-lasting spirit reflected in reform and opening up originated from "The Book of Changes". "The Book of Changes" states, "As Heaven changes through movement, a gentleman makes unremitting efforts to perfect himself." "As Earth is receptive and generous, a gentleman should cultivate his virtue and carry all things." Liang Qichao suggested that "Self-improvement and Virtue Cultivation" be adopted as the motto of Tsinghua University, and it was accepted.

Due to the "ever-lasting" nature, the way of Yin and Yang nurtures all things and undergoes continuous metabolism, and thus it is necessarily adaptable. "The Book of Changes" teaches us, "When one reaches an impasse, one thinks of change. When there is change, there is smoothness. When there is smoothness, there is longevity." With this ideological inheritance, even in modern times when facing unprecedented changes in three thousand years, outstanding Chinese people would try various ways to save the nation. China will not perish, and China will not remain poor for long because we know that when we reach an impasse, we think of change.

Secondly, we should learn the systematic view and the idea of moderation in the wisdom of the Three Powers from "The Book of Changes". Each hexagram in "The Book of Changes" has six lines. The bottom two lines represent Earth, the middle two lines represent humans, and the top two lines represent Heaven. "The Book of Changes" states, "The way of Heaven is Yin and Yang, the way of Earth is softness and firmness, and the way of humans is benevolence and righteousness." There is a systematic thinking about Heaven's way and human affairs.

"The Book of Changes" also values moderation. The second and fifth lines are respectively in the middle positions of the lower and upper trigrams. Generally, the judgments of the hexagrams in these two positions are "auspicious" and "without blame". The fifth line of the Qian hexagram is even more like a "flying dragon in the sky", extremely noble. Moderation means the coordination of Yin and Yang, and the combination of firmness and softness. These are all the inherent vitality and energy for the development of things. The names of the Zhonghe Hall, Baohe Hall, and Taihe Hall in the Forbidden City all originated from "The Book of Changes", which is sufficient to show the cultural influence of this ancient book.

Thirdly, we should learn the image-number thinking mode of analogical thinking in the wisdom of "The Book of Changes". To understand "The Book of Changes", one must first understand its statements and then its images. The hexagram image of each hexagram is first of all an image. For example, the hexagram "Ding" shows the appearance of a large cauldron through the six lines. Through analogical thinking and making connections, one can grasp the objective world and process thinking content. This is the unique thinking mode of us Chinese.

Finally, we should learn the spirit of cultivating goodness to form character, promoting virtue and expanding things in the wisdom of "The Book of Changes". If human spirit is divided into three major categories: truth, goodness, and beauty, then Western philosophy is the study of seeking truth, while Chinese philosophy is the study of seeking goodness. "The Book of Changes" tells us that human goodness comes from Heaven's way and originates from the virtue of the universe's continuous creation. At the same time, we must constantly strive in the postnatal period, follow the way of Heaven, and expand our nature.

"The Book of Changes" advocates the virtue of modesty. "A gentleman who is modest will have a good ending."

"The Book of Changes" has a sense of anxiety. "Wasn't the one who created 'The Book of Changes' worried?"

"The Book of Changes" also encourages people to cultivate virtue and pursue studies, and create things and achieve tasks. Create undertakings and accomplish the tasks of the world.

Here, many spirits coincide with the Confucian tradition. Confucianism values "cultivating the way of humans to prove the way of Heaven", and at the same time pays attention to "understanding the way of Heaven to promote the way of humans". Ancient Chinese scholars, under the inspiration of "The Book of Changes", were vigorous and enterprising, taking the rise and fall of the world as their responsibility.

How do modern people apply the wisdom of "The Book of Changes"? In today's society, the only constant is change. There are three sentences in "The Book of Changes" worth noting and thinking about: "To transform and determine is called change. To promote and implement is called smoothness. To raise and apply to the people of the world is called an undertaking." Understanding the changes of things and determining their nature, and further promoting them will make it smooth. In this current era of the Internet of Everything, only by "raising and applying to the people of the world" and establishing more connections among people can we achieve great undertakings. Aren't modern Internet giants all doing this? They may not admit to drawing upon the wisdom of "The Book of Changes". But it doesn't matter. "The Book of Changes" has long said: People use it every day without knowing it. Therefore, the way of the gentleman is rarely known.