Though I am seeking to learn, am I capable of becoming taught?


Since the 1960’s, the I Ching has enjoyed remarkable popularity among students of philosophy and religious studies. Yet, very few studies have emerged in which this classic with its mysterious imagery is the principal or comparative object of study. Author Allan W. Anderson elucidates the principles and the meaning of the
I Ching in his new book, Reflections on the I Ching which builds upon his previously published Self-Transformation and the Oracular.

Reflections on the I Ching is based on the view that the I Ching is essentially a handbook for self-cultivation. Self-cultivation is activity in which vision and practice reciprocally reinforce each other. Self-awakening and self-rule are intrinsic to this activity, not as a terminus but as on-going consummation. This is the activity proper to and incumbent upon the chün-tzŭ, the superior or free person – free, that is, from self-bondage. Significantly, self-cultivation promotes peace of heart and according to Professor Anderson, it is the only antidote to the virtually universal disease of anxiety. Throughout the work he notes parallels with western scripture, illuminating facets of truth common to all traditions.

George Santayana once commented that, “The concept of Spirit does not interest me, except as a technicality; it is the life of Spirit that I’m talking about…” And so too with Professor Allan W. Anderson whose Reflections on the I Ching is written precisely for the one engaging the life of Spirit. Throughout his career, Professor Anderson tirelessly explored and shared his understanding of the Perennial or Wisdom Tradition whose essential features remain the same in every classical religion regardless of culture.

This collection of Professor Anderson’s work on the I Ching, the earliest of the Chinese classics, serves as a companion volume to his Self-Transformation and the Oracular. The transcription of a short lecture series will assist the student who is meeting the I Ching for the first time. The articles delve deeply into the original text and so provide the philosophical underpinnings for practice.

Every scripture has its particular genius. Arguably the genius of the I Ching is its focus on making adequate passage from birth to and through death through embodying timely action and awakening to the interplay of fate and destiny. The serious student of the Wisdom Tradition will richly benefit from the sagely interpretation Professor Anderson provides with Reflections on the I Ching.

Meet this ancient wisdom tradition and embark upon a voyage of self-discovery with Allan W. Anderson’s Reflections on the I Ching.


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