Dear Theresa and other friends,
Thank you very much for the series introducing I-Ching, dear Theresa! Before reading your posts, I’m almost completely ignorant of the book. If you did not write these articles, I would not have read anything about Cheu Yi.
But I’m not going to sing praises. I want to tell you some of my ideas that may be different from yours.
I’ve been always ignoring the book, for it looks scary and basically, I think it’s superstitious.
I’m all for academic studies of Cheu Yi, because it’s the deposition of ancient Chinese wisdom. But I’m against any attempt to put its theories directly into practical use – to use them in selecting names or prophesying one’s future, for example. This is utter superstition and is illusionary, therefore harmful.
Though I’ve never read Cheu-Yi, I have my common sense to rely on. My common sense is, how ever mysterious an ancient wisdom may be, it can’t excel a modern one. This is a plain fact that I think I needn’t do any further explanations. If someone pretends that ancient people indeed were wiser and more knowledgeable than modern people, he is superstitious or intentionally misleading. I don’t mean you, dear Theresa. There is someone. I want to point out the fact so that we will keep alert of them.
According to your article, dear Theresa, Cheu-Yi based itself on the theory of Yin-Yang and five elements. You explain, “ Taiji is the origin of all lives on earth. Taiji comprises of yin and yang, two types of vital energy. The five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water derive from yin and yang.” There’s nothing mysterious about these ideas in fact.
Taiji equals the idea of “universe”, which includes everything, and from which all have originated. The universe exists independent of human will and evolves harmoniously according to its own law, so does Taiji. The concept of Yin-Yan shows ancient Chinese people’s idea of the law of contradiction - a universal law now understood and accepted by almost all. It’s not surprising that Chinese ancestors got the idea of “five elements”, because no much observation was needed before they were able to realize that things in the world were interchangeable. Wood catches fire and becomes smoke, for example. Then, it’s well possible for them to think that all things had developed from certain types of substance. What were they? Metal, wood, water, fire and earth, they concluded. All these ideas are now included in our philosophy textbooks. There’s nothing magical.
Theresa, I comment mainly attempting to caution you to keep a clear mind when study such things as Cheu Yi, or you may suffer a meaningless waste of time. There’re signs that you’re too absorbed in it. For example, you seem to believe Cheu-Yi theories do help in giving a name that will bring fortune. “ To certain extent, giving a good name will help,” you said. And you showed too much admiration in your articles to the book.
If you pay a closer observation to people, dear Theresa, you’ll find their mind is very easy to be influenced and controlled. We’re not exceptional. To make compensation for that, we must keep always vigilant of losing ourselves. Whatever happens, we must have our own independent mind and not allow any other to lead it. Or when we’re accidentally bare to bad sermons, we’ll lose the ability to fight back and save us from being ruined.
I don’t think I’m fussing. I’ve witnessed and read about too many examples.
The most recent and prominent example of the situation is the victims of the cult of Falun Gong. Anyone of sense might have found Li Hongzhi was telling nothing but utter nonsense. But so many people were caught and soon turned into devils. Among them there were even professors! Did you watch TV last week? How remorseless and gleeful the young murderer doctor was when he was depicting the details of his killings full of smile! No one could imagine he was explaining why and how he had poisoned 17 people during two short months May 25 – June 27 this year. It was the revelation from his Teacher Li Hongzhi that had inspired him to commit the murders, he said gratefully.
Imagine: the accident happened after China, with its strongest government in the world, has been strenuously fighting the cult for three full years and thousands of innocent people have been led to the hell!
But dear Theresa, please don’t mistake me that I’m comparing Cheu-Yi to Falun Gong and you to a Falun Gong devotee. These are incomparable pairs. I only want to prove how susceptible our mind is to wrong ideas.
Truly there are many people studying Cheu-Yi sincerely in order to draw wisdom from its theories. But at the same time, there’re many others trying to mystify the book so that they can fool people and make profits from them, or satisfy their other various ambitions. That’s why we must stand on our guard.
It’s amazing that Mary can read and talk about I-Ching!
Take care,
Charles
