I Ching History and Basic Philosophy
The I Ching, or "Book of Changes," is one of the oldest books in human history. Its original creation dates back to nearly 3000 B.C.E., when, according to Chinese tradition, Fu Xi interpreted the eight primary gua to explain universal creation. By the time of the Xia dynasty, China's first in historical record (~2000 B.C.E.), the I Ching had been expanded to include all 64 gua combinations. During the time of King Wen (~1100 B.C.E.), the 64 gua were rearranged and interpretations for each line of each gua were recorded. Later, Confucious added his commentaries on each of the 64 gua (~500 B.C.E.).
The basic philosophy of the I Ching recognizes the truth of constant change. Universal progression is viewed as a wave with natural upturns and downturns. Each of the 64 gua represent a stage along this continuum. This process is applicable to all of life's occurances, as they are also processes within the universe. The I Ching's philosophy comes with the fundamental understanding that, while both positives and negatives are completely natural, and thus unavoidable in some instances, one's actions do cause alterations to the natural progression. Therefore, the I Ching stresses the importance of balance, opposites, harmony, self-improvement, proper timing, and understanding one's place in the continuum, amongst numerous other themes.
