Written in about 2800 B.C.E. by Fu Xi, the YiJing is one of the oldest classical Chinese texts and perhaps the oldest surviving text to discuss Qi (energy).
Originally, the YiJing consisted of eight trigrams. King Wen later combined the eight trigrams into 64 hexagrams. The teaching as we know it today contains the original eight trigrams, the 64 hexagrams, and the writings of Fu Xi, King Wen, the Duke of Zhou (King Wen’s son), and Confucius.
The 64 hexagrams represent various stages of change that all things in the universe undergo. It is a 64-bit code by which the universe communicates, much like the 64 bit machine code that computers use to communicate.
There is a fascinating exploration of the 64 bit hexagrams and DNA which can also be coded into 64 bits. That’s way beyond what we’re going to use the hexagrams for, but if you’re interested in learning more these two books are excellent:
I Ching & the Genetic Code: The Hidden Key to Life
DNA and the I Ching: The Tao of Life
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