In Yijing, neither is everything completely determined, nor is every­

thing due to haphazard chance. Since human contexts correspond to natural contexts, we could foresee how things might progress from a given point on. An individual's moral decision in a given context dir- 42

Yijing (I Ching):

The Cosmological Foundation

ectly contributes to the interchange between

yin

and

yang

in the larger

environment; hence, it can

bring about

a change in the state of affairs.

Since the interchange between

yin

and

yang

is governed by natural

laws, there is some predictability concerning further developments. "Here it is shown that the way to success lies in apprehending and giving actuality to the way of the universe

[dao],

which, as a law running

through end and beginning, brings about all phenomena in time. Thus, each step attained forthwith becomes a preparation for the next. Time is no longer a hindrance but the means of making actual what is poten­ tial. ,, 37 In

Yijing,

each line symbolically represents a human context, and

every moral deed or moral attitude one takes in the given context makes the causal contribution to the later development of that state of affairs. Herein lies human's causal efficacy.

However, one's full effort does not always guarantee success. There are too many things beyond one's control. The initial situation in which one finds oneself is beyond one's control; hence, one can only adapt to the situation to find the best way to behave. Whatever is beyond one's control is called "destiny" or "fate," which can be seen as one's moral constraints. In the

Analects,

Confucius himself often lamented that it

was due to his fate that he failed to realize his political ideal. In

Yijing,

these moral constraints set limits to our options, but they are not deter­ ministic in nature.

Yijing

does not predict what each moral agent will

do; it only predicts what consequences various moral decisions would bring about. Even when the given situation allows only one recom­ mended conduct, the choice still exists whether or not to comply with the recommendation. Acting against the prescribed conduct can bring danger to oneself and to one's environment. One nevertheless has a free choice. Hence, it would be wrong to use the divination in

Yijing

as a

way to foresee our future. Our future is uncertain, because our actions have not yet been decided.

Even if one has chosen the recommended conduct, the outcome is still not completely predictable. When one makes a moral deliberation or takes an action, there are many other elements taking place at the same time. For instance, other people's concurrent decisions and conduct could affect the larger state of affairs. One only has direct knowledge of, and control over, one's own undertakings. Hence, even if the whole universe is governed by

Dao

- the law of

yin

and

yang

- this ontological

determination does not guarantee epistemic predictability. Given this epistemic limitation, what we should do is to conduct ourselves in the most appropriate way, and hope for the best.

There is optimism in

Yijing's

_{philosophy of life, however. What the}

philosophy of change can guarantee is that nothing is fixed for good. 43

Ancient Chinese Philosophy

Whether one is in a supremely good condition, or in a bad one, the good as well as the bad will not last long. This perspective cautions us to be wary of things that happen around us when we are content with where we are; however, it also makes us hopeful that the present woeful situation can turn around. Under this philosophy, one has to have a keen perception not only of one's present situation, but also of the possible changes that are coming one's way. If one perceives the begin­ ning of a wrong turn of events, one could terminate the change in time.

As the

Commentary on the Words of the Text

says:

A house that heaps good upon good is sure to have an abundance of blessings. A house that heaps evil upon evil is sure to have an abundance of ills. Where a servant murders his master, where a son murders his father, the causes do not lie between the morning and evening of one day. It took a long time for things to go so far. It came about because things that should have been stopped were not stopped soon enough.38

This commentary explains the first line of the hexagram of

Kun,

which

symbolizes the formation of the negative force. When the sign of a negative trend first appears, one needs to recognize it as such and find ways to alter the direction of change. Naturally, when the trend is desirable, one would want to take action to encourage its further devel­ opment. One's causal efficacy, however, is not dependent solely on one's effort. Sometimes a development could be so entrenched that it would be impossible to stop it or even to slow it down. At this point, any resistance to change, however disagreeable the change may be, becomes futile. To act or not to act - that is the question.

Tze-ki Hon calls each situation in life (as depicted by

Yijing)

"a field

of action":

None of us act on our own, but as members of a team. As players in a field of action, the more we realize where we stand and from where to seek assistance, the better our chances of success. In this regard, the degree to which we are capable of controlling our future depends on how well we know our field of action, and how effectively we interact with it.39

In other words, there are no absolute moral successes for everyone in all situations, even if everyone is acting in accordance with

Yijing's

counsel.

In document an-introduction-to-chinese-philosophy-from-ancient-philosophy-to-chinese-buddhism.pdf (Page 62-64)