A Tool of Divination: The I Ching

Image via www.timvansant.com

 
What is the I Ching?

The I Ching is one of the oldest tools of divination in the world. For thousands of years, this Chinese book has been used as an oracle, consulted to gain insight into present circumstances and possible future outcomes. 



I will defer to someone who knows more about the I Ching than I do to explain:

"The I Ching is a collection of practical wisdom, pertaining to every conceivable situation. It originates in ancient China and is the oldest Chinese classical text. "I Ching" means "Classic of Changes" or "Book of Changes." (While mostly the spelling "I Ching" is used, "Yijing" is in fact the official modern spelling.)

There are 64 different main kinds of situations in the I Ching. Each one is indicated by a hexagram, which is a symbol made up by 6 lines, each of which can be broken or unbroken.

To obtain advice from the I Ching about one's current situation, one can consult it as an oracle. To decide which hexagram is related to the situation at hand, a "random" hexagram is obtained by throwing coins (or yarrow sticks, that traditionally were used). The "random" hexagram is supposed to not be random at all, but to coincide with the situation."

The I Ching's prognostications are not meant to be set in stone. Instead, they are meant to offer insight into a question or set of circumstances. It is but a tool, and the interpretation of its divinations are left to the individual who turns to it for guidance. 


How Does it Work?

Again, I will defer to somebody more intelligent than myself:

"The I-Ching is a set of sixty-four hexagrams. Each has its own title (they aren't just 1-64), judgment, image, interpretation. Each of these hexagrams is made of of two trigrams: and upper and a lower. The trigrams  themselves are named as follows: Qian (heaven), Kun (earth), Zhen (thunder), Sun (wind), Kan (water), Li (fire), Gen (mountain), and Dui (lake). Each of the trigrams is made up of three lines. Each is either broken (- -) or unbroken (---) (this doesn't translate well into text). The combination of two trigrams forms a hexagram, which is supposed to be representative of a type or flow of change. An example of this would be hexagram 32, Perseverance.

The line structure is extremely important. The two types of lines represent the yin and yang of the universe. The unbroken line (---) represents Yang, while the broken line (- -) represents Yin. Depending on where a line falls, it could mean good fortune or bad fortune (if you chose to see the book as a divining manual).

After the initial hexagram, we are given the judgment (essentially, what the hexagram means or stands for). Immediately after that, we get the commentary on the judgment. This is part of what varies based on who wrote the commentary. Again, in the text I've used, Wang Bi provided the commentary. In other versions, they will differ.

Next is the commentary on the images. The word "images" is used loosely here - there isn't an actual image, but the commentary evokes one. This image is relevant to both the trigrams and the hexagram."

Where Can I Learn More About the I Ching?

A great compilation of links about the I Ching can be found here.


What Does This Have to do With the NBA?

Tangibly, the I Ching doesn't have anything to do with the NBA. 

However in the preseason, basketball fans and analysts have no results to pore over and so we keep ourselves occupied with an endless procession of previews and predictions. Predicting the future is a fool's game, so I figure it can't hurt to consult the world's oldest and most famous method of prediction. Hopefully the I Ching will offer us some insight into the coming NBA season. If not, hopefully it'll be a good laugh. 

All hexagram images and I Ching passages are taken from Richard Wilhelm's famous translation, available online here.


A Note on the Rankings

For each team I have provided a ranking. These predictions are for the final regular season standings, not what I believe will happen in the playoffs.