The Reverse Book of Changes

Introduction to The Counter-Tradition of the Book of Changes What kind of guide to the Book of Changes leaves out its core key, yin and yang? When Confucius interpreted Qian, he praised its immense creative power but never explained that Qian stands firm only because yin and yang are rooted in each other. He spoke of the six dragons harnessing the heavens without revealing that their postures embody the waxing and waning of yin and yang. And when he mentioned that it is beneficial to meet a great person, he twisted the true meaning of yin and yang interacting into a way to curry favor and climb the official ladder. I do not oppose the Book of Changes, nor do I reject tradition. I believe in one principle: no interpretation of the Changes can bypass yin and yang. Their five laws are opposition and restraint, mutual rooting and reliance, waxing and waning in balance, interaction and mutual concealment, and transformation into one another. These are the very flesh and blood of the Changes. Without them, even the most ornate commentaries are empty shells. Who disagrees? Do not hide behind “it has always been this way.” Bring evidence to refute the claim that yin and yang are the root of the Changes. And do not dress up vague talk of “humanistic spirit” as profundity. Explain what underpins the heavens’ governance of all things if not the interaction of yin and yang. If you are writing a guide, explain the mechanisms thoroughly. If you are arguing a point, let the evidence speak. This Counter-Tradition of the Book of Changes aims to recover the yin and yang that were lost and clarify the mechanisms that were never properly explained.