I am curious to know, which Yi translations and other resources do people find most useful?
For the sake of keeping this manageable, please list up to 4 of your most useful translations, and then up to 3 other Yi resources, such as web sites, or reference books about the Yi, or your tarot deck ... And then, if you want, tell us very briefly what you like about them.
I will start - for Yi translations, I like versions by :
Bradford Hatcher (2 volumes)
Hillary Barrett
Richard Wilhelm
Nigel Richmond
I like Bradford's version, in part, because it seems free of agendas, such as making the Yi be Taoist, or Buddhist, or Shamanistic, or simplistic ... His commentaries shed light on the gua meanings without saying, 'this gua means ....' And along with the main translation, there is information on a huge variety of Yi topics: lines, trigrams, pairs, sequences, the 'matrix' (word for word) translation, and glossary.
In particular I like the questions Hilary offers for each Hexagram. They offer a simple way to open doors to meanings, but not by providing answers. I like too that her commentaries are plain-spoken and accessible.
I don't always agree with Wilhelm, but I find he is often helpful to generate meanings... even if it's "so, that's what the Taoist may have thought, but ... maybe ... "
Nigel Richmond - I know many think he was quirky and out there, but sometimes his take on things is spot on! I will often go here if other translations don't make sense to me, or when I need to spur on my 'out of the box' thinking about what is possible.
For resources:
Bradford Hatcher's Yijing Hexagram Names and Core Meanings from his website.
Harmen Mesker's YouTube channel, which he titles Yi Tube
I use Bradford's 'Names and Core Meanings' almost every time I do a reading; I find a great deal of meaning in the gua names he lists, along with the key words and his notes. For me, they are CliffNotes for the Yi - and I mean that in a very, very good way!
I like Harmen's approach to using trigrams, but also his take on many things that some people hold sacred, such as a particular way of consulting the Yi being better than another, or having a 'proper mindset' in order to consult the Yi.
Well, I hope that gets things going. Best, David.
For the sake of keeping this manageable, please list up to 4 of your most useful translations, and then up to 3 other Yi resources, such as web sites, or reference books about the Yi, or your tarot deck ... And then, if you want, tell us very briefly what you like about them.
I will start - for Yi translations, I like versions by :
Bradford Hatcher (2 volumes)
Hillary Barrett
Richard Wilhelm
Nigel Richmond
I like Bradford's version, in part, because it seems free of agendas, such as making the Yi be Taoist, or Buddhist, or Shamanistic, or simplistic ... His commentaries shed light on the gua meanings without saying, 'this gua means ....' And along with the main translation, there is information on a huge variety of Yi topics: lines, trigrams, pairs, sequences, the 'matrix' (word for word) translation, and glossary.
In particular I like the questions Hilary offers for each Hexagram. They offer a simple way to open doors to meanings, but not by providing answers. I like too that her commentaries are plain-spoken and accessible.
I don't always agree with Wilhelm, but I find he is often helpful to generate meanings... even if it's "so, that's what the Taoist may have thought, but ... maybe ... "
Nigel Richmond - I know many think he was quirky and out there, but sometimes his take on things is spot on! I will often go here if other translations don't make sense to me, or when I need to spur on my 'out of the box' thinking about what is possible.
For resources:
Bradford Hatcher's Yijing Hexagram Names and Core Meanings from his website.
Harmen Mesker's YouTube channel, which he titles Yi Tube
I use Bradford's 'Names and Core Meanings' almost every time I do a reading; I find a great deal of meaning in the gua names he lists, along with the key words and his notes. For me, they are CliffNotes for the Yi - and I mean that in a very, very good way!
I like Harmen's approach to using trigrams, but also his take on many things that some people hold sacred, such as a particular way of consulting the Yi being better than another, or having a 'proper mindset' in order to consult the Yi.
Well, I hope that gets things going. Best, David.