Learn I Ching with Chinese culture master

By Liang Meilan

The I Ching, sometimes called the Book of Change, is one of the oldest texts in China. It has become popular among foreigners plumbing for deeper insight into Chinese culture and philosophy.

But very few have had the opportunity to learn from an I Ching instructor who can communicate effectively in English. That will soon change: 60-year-old  I Ching expert Rock Wang, who is fluent in English, is offering a course for locals and expats at his home, which can accommodate about30 people.

Wang was formerly an English teacher at high schools and universities.Before teaching, he practiced traditional Chinese medicine and began learning I Ching when he was in his early 20s.

“when I was young, I got totally lost in learning Chinese medicine and acupuncture. It was easy to recite prescriptions passed on for generations, but I had no idea what on earth Chinese medicine actually was until one day a friend of mine lent me some Chinese classic texts,including I Ching.” He said.

Since, studying I Ching has been a significant part of Wang’s life. He even references the book in his English classes when he compares and contrasts Chinese culture with Western culture.

Some of the concepts of I Ching are tricky to grasp, such as the trigrams and hexagrams, but an experienced instructor will incorporate humour and games into his lessons.

Wang emphasizes that the course is not about teaching superstition. He uses the Big Bang theory as an analogue when explaining Tao and the circular symbol”Taiji(the yin-yang diagram), how they are actually representations of cosmic principles

In teaching the theory of Yifenweier, Wang uses the analogy of flipping a coin.

“The aim of all the activities involved in I Ching teaching is to help people realize that I Ching is more so an important branch of philosophy than a tool for divination.” Wang said.

Wang has added games to the class to keep student’ attention.

Monique van de Geijn from the Netherlands, one of the students, recalled how playing a guessing game during class demonstrated the concept of Shefu, a skill used by diviners.

Van de Geijn was asked to think of an object. By asking some simple questions, Wang and other masters were able to get Van de Geijn to reveal what the object was.

Wang’s son, Grant,  is also an I Ching master.

Through proper classification and reasoning, what’s hidden can be figured out.” he said.

Potential students should review basic I Ching concepts, such as the “eight trigrams,”before attending class. People are allowed a free trial class.