If you want to become a talent, you must first know what the Book of Changes is.

Yu Shinan, Prime Minister of Emperor Taizong, praised the Book of Changes and said, "If you don't read the Book of Changes, you can't be a relative." People in China usually think of gossip when they mention the Book of Changes. They always think that they can learn astronomy and geography by learning the Book of Changes. Therefore, some people say, "The Book of Changes is a classic among classics, a philosophy in philosophy, and wisdom in wisdom." Others, when they mention the Book of Changes, associate them with Jianghu people, fortune tellers and Mr. Feng Shui. What's more, they think it's a feudal superstition.

So, is the Book of Changes the essence or the dross? In my humble opinion, the existence is reasonable, and the traditional culture that can be spread for thousands of years must have its subtleties, which can only be understood, but cannot be expressed. Of course, in the process of inheritance, there will inevitably be some dross mixed in it, which needs to be identified in the process of learning and practice.

Having said that, what is the Book of Changes?

Many people think that the Book of Changes is the Book of Changes. In fact, the Book of Changes is only a part of China's Book of Changes, and it is the conclusion that Zhou Wenwang reached when he was in prison in Youzhou. In fact, there are two kinds of I Ching, one is Lianshan Yi, the other is Guizang Yi, and the other is Zhouyi, which are collectively called "three changes".

"Lianshan Yi" is the Yi of Shennong era, and the position of the eight diagrams painted is different from that of Zhouyi. The Yi people who returned to Tibet were Yi people in the era of the Yellow Emperor. Lianshan Yi started with a hexagram, Gui Zang Yi started with a hexagram, and when it comes to Zhouyi, it started with a hexagram, which is the difference between the three changes. It can be said that this set of things, such as medicine, geomantic omen and Taoism, in the "Jianghu" that we China people are talking about now are the combination of Lianshan and Tibet.

In addition to joining the mountains and returning to Tibet, the Book of Changes itself has a principle, also called "three changes", which means that the Book of Changes includes three principles: first, change; Second, simplicity; Third, it is not easy. To learn the Book of Changes, we must first understand the truth of these three principles.

1. Change: The so-called change is that the Book of Changes tells us that everything in the world, people in the world, and even everything in the universe are unchanged. Different times, different environments, different emotions and different spiritual realms. Everything is changing at any time and anywhere, and nothing is static. Therefore, to learn the Book of Changes, we must first know "change". People with advanced wisdom not only know the change, but also can adapt to it. This is why we can't learn the Book of Changes.

2. Simplicity: Everything in the universe has its reasons, but we are not smart enough and have not enough experience to discover its principles. When we have enough wisdom and understand it, everything will become ordinary and simple. Just as the ancients understood the laws of the Book of Changes and the relationship between everything in the universe, they arranged the gossip patterns on the knuckles, combined with the combination of time and space, and arranged mathematical formulas to calculate things. Simplicity in the Book of Changes is the highest principle, which simplifies the complicated truth, so it is called simplicity.

Third, it's not easy: everything is changing at any time and anywhere, but one thing is always the same, that is, what can change everything is constant and eternal. Religious scholars call it "God", "God", "Teacher", "Buddha" and "Bodhisattva", philosophers call it "ontology" and scientists call it "function".

(Some of the views in this article are from Mr. Nan's Selected Works of Nan. )

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