Practical Yijing

What makes Yijing a practical method
in choosing between 2 options?

The story of two (2) tables

Recently, I found a sturdy plastic table on sale. I didn’t buy it right away, but I planned to do so after a week. So I went back to the store and was about to buy the table, when I saw a similar table on sale. It has the same brand but has a different height and feature:

Table 1 has a fixed height, with a shorter length and narrow surface
Table 2 has an adjustable height, with a longer length and a broader surface

Both tables come from the same brand, and they look like they have the same quality. Both are on sale, and their prices are almost the same.

I got confused. Price was not an issue anymore. The question became: Which is the best table? Which one should I buy?

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Quick practical reading for 2 tables

I took my smartphone and did a quick reading. (I recommend this free online Yijing reading app.) I got this:

So what did the reading tell me?

Hexagram 64 is the last of all Yijing hexagrams. The name of this hexagram is translated as incomplete, or not yet across. But what does it have to do with choosing between 2 tables?

It is easy to get stuck with the word incomplete. But since Yijing is an oracle, each word is subject to associated meanings. So what came to me is not exactly a synonym to incomplete, but something related:

Not yet fixed

That immediately made so much sense: not yet fixed is exactly the opposite of fixed. Table 1 has a fixed height, but Table 2 is adjustable – not fixed.

The Yijing also advises advancing (Hexagram 35), or to go on and buy the not yet fixed table.

So I bought Table 2 and set it up as my new workstation. It fit exactly in the area I planned to put it, with the exact adjusted height I needed. What a relief!

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What exactly is practical?

The word practical has 2 basic definitions, and let me paraphrase it below:

1. for actual doing or use of something rather than with theory or ideas
2. suitable for a particular purpose

Definition 1 contrasts practical against theoretical. When something is practical, it can be used or actually done by hands. It does not need any reflection, thinking and analysis.

Definition 2 is easy to understand. Practical means something is functional and useful.

Fusing them together, anything practical means it is useful and you can use it and expect it to get results.

Its Greek origin praktikos means “fit for action” or “fit for business”. Because when we hear the word practical, it usually refers to what we do everyday, and what is useful to our concerns and livelihoods.

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Yijing as a practical method

My reading on the two tables shows us the practicality of Yijing as a method. Choosing between two tables is not exactly a major life decision, but it is still an important practical choice. Even for small choices, we still spend (too much) time choosing, and we often end up burdened by (too much) thinking about the right choice.

Therefore, practical choices require a practical method, so we don’t get bogged down by these choices. Practical means it is easy to use and understand, and very reliable.

You have seen how the Yijing served that purpose:

1. I just used an app I accessed in my phone.
2. I got my reading in roughly 10 minutes.

I have used the Yijing in many practical questions, but some practitioners may disagree. They would say Yijing must only be used in serious, emotionally-charged, and matter-of-life-and-death decision-making. Yes, I agree with them, as I have benefited from the Yijing’s mind-blowing insights on such decisions.

But Yijing as an oracle is equally effective in practical decisions and small choices, especially if such concerns create minor confusions. After all, Yijing is a method that brings mental clarity. And that is what matters.

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