Wednesday, December 7

Reading:  "The Spring and Autumn Annals" & "The Yi jing"

Under what conditions would the images below appear to be the keys to the universe?  Only in the fever dream of Yi jing studies could such an illusion be possible.  On Wednesday, we'll close out our course by unlocking the universe with these keys -- assuming that they fit the lock. 

Prior to discussing the Yi, we'll spend some time looking at the Spring & Autumn Annals, which is the only text in Chinese history that is stranger than the Yi jing.  The key to both texts is the same -- they are in a basic sense meaningless.  Only two texts of such intellectual purity  could possess the essential ingredient to becoming the most esoteric canonical writings in mainstream Chinese tradition.  Your online readings will introduce you to these strange and interesting facets of early Chinese thought.