I Ching: The Essential Translation of the Ancient Chinese Oracle and Book of Wisdom

By: John Minford

Narrated by: Caroline H. McLaughlin

A landmark new translation of the ancient Chinese oracle and book of wisdom.

Pose a question, then toss three coins (or cast your yarrow stalks) to access the time-honored wisdom of the I Ching.

The I Ching, or Book of Change, has been consulted through the ages, in both China and the West, for answers to fundamental questions about the world and our place in it. The oldest extant book of divination, it dates back 3,000 years to ancient shamanistic practices involving the ritual preparation of the shoulder bones of oxen. From this early form of communication with the other world, it has become the Chinese spiritual book par excellence. An influence on such cultural icons as Bob Dylan, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Philip K. Dick, and Philip Pullman, the I Ching is turned to by millions around the world for insights on spiritual growth, business, medicine, genetics, game theory, strategic thinking, and leadership, and of course for the window it opens on China.

This new translation, over a decade in the making, is informed by the latest archaeological discoveries and features a gorgeously rendered codex of divination signs - the I Ching's 64 Tarot-like hexagrams. It captures the majesty and mystery of this legendary work and charts an illuminating path to self-knowledge.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.©2014 John Minford (P)2015 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"Consistently eloquent and erudite, this rendition of the I Ching will endure as a classic of the twenty-first century and beyond." (Anthony C. Yu, Carl Darling Buck Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in Humanities, The University of Chicago)

Read with the 7 Habits

Listening to this book often made me think of Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The I Ching can, of course, be read on its own. I recommend it with Covey’s work that compliments it so nicely.

complicated

Too long , too much stuff, a lot of repeats. kinda puts a shadow over teachings. Look into The Art of Peace , 2nd and 3rd chapter. Simple and matches nature correctly.

Feels like being punished for being curious

Been getting into Eastern philosophy and wanted to check out the I Ching. The other books I’ve listened to which were translated by this guy seemed like the commentary included was thoughtful and appropriate to add context to the texts. This thing is a whole other ball of wax. Listening to this is like being forced to watch a boring 3 hour documentary about the making of the movie you want to see and then being forced to hear every critic review of the movie before you are permitted to see one frame of the film you paid for. I get that westerners need context and commentary sometimes to get the fullest expression of the text, but this is ridiculous. Look for another audiobook version of the I Ching. This thing is so frustrating it made me feel absolutely infuriated when I was looking for calm.

not my cup ohh tea

hard to understand, no background knowledge to comprehend. very dry and confusing, so this n that

Not impressed.

Not impressed. could have done without the commentary. I will look for a more essential translation that is more engaging

Truncated Travesty

This book, as published, offers two translations, one of the mature oracle and commentary, and one of the basic, original oracle.

The translation is spectacular; the narration is good, by virtue of the fact that the narrator seems to know the accurate Chinese pronunciation.

Ultimately, however, THE AUDIOBOOK ENDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND TRANSLATION, AFTER HEXAGRAM 29.

I will be returning this for a refund.

No accompanying pdf

Frequently the audio recommends seeing the accompanying pdf which isn’t available. I want a refund as I will not be able to learn the hexagrams without visualizing them.

Terrible narration

The book is excellent. I have a hard copy. The narrator is a total disgrace! She mispronounced almost every Chinese word, even common Taoist words that she should have known the pronunciation. It was so irritating that I had to return it. Save yourself the agony and just buy the book or Kindle edition! It was painful to listen to the constant mispronunciation.