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You can ask yes or no questions, but there are better ways to phrase
your questions. The I Ching does not contain a kua or a line that
answers "Yes" or "No." But, if you ask a question
that requires a yes or no answer such as, "Should I marry now?"
and you receive as an answer the kua of "Strong Restraint,"
your answer would be clear.
A more meaningful answer can be obtained if you ask, "What
can I expect if I marry now?" Depending on your answer, you
might then want to ask, "What can I expect if I marry later?" Intelligent, well thought out questions will be the most rewarding. |
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Fu Hsi (pronounced foo shee), the great Chinese sage to whom
the I Ching system is attributed, constructed his answers in the form of sixty-four
figures, the six linear lines stacked one above the other, either
undivided, or divided, called kua.
The top three lines and the bottom three lines of each of the
kua are called trigrams.
Following the law of eternal change, the lines are always in motion,
always moving upward. As a new line enters from the bottom, it
pushes the five lines above it upward, thereby displacing the
line at the top. The movement is always in time to the rhythm
of the universal heartbeat, always mirroring the universe itself.
Taken together, the kua and their lines represent every conceivable
condition in heaven and on earth with all their states of change.
Each of the sixty-four kua can change into one another through
the movement of one or more of the six lines that form the kua.
This requires extra attention be paid to the changing line or
lines. The transformation of the changing line to it's opposite
results in a supplementary reading to the original kua formed.
There are 4,096 possible combinations (64 x 64), which is said
to represent every possible condition in heaven and on earth.
Each of the sixty-four kua, with their combined total of 384 lines,
represents a situation or condition. Each situation or condition
contains the six stages of its own evolution:
- About to come into being
- Beginning
- Expanding
- Approaching maximum potential
- Peaking
- Passing its peak and turning toward its opposite condition.
The kua, therefore, not only represent every conceivable situation
and condition possible, but also include all their states of change.
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