The Laws of Change: I Ching and the Philosophy of Life Paperback – December 16, 2009

First of all, this is not a "translation" from the Chinese but a clear interpretive reworking of the text of Wilhelm/Baynes (with a nod to Blofeld) informed by the most recent scholarship and decades of personal use. It's a book for those who use the Yi for divination or for the study of its philosophy rather than for scholars. After a solid no-nonsense review of the Yi's historical origins and a summary of the philosophy that informs it, Balkin leads the reader through each hexagram with a text that follows the Wilhelm/Baynes version but includes a commentary that makes clear what the Baynes translation sometimes leaves muddled. Yes, there are even footnotes referring some of the key phrases back to their Chinese originals with variant readings. Jack Balkin is a Professor of Constitutional Law at Yale, not an occultist or a writer looking for a quick buck with an I Ching knockoff. This is a true labor of love and the fact that it's being remaindered with no paperback yet in sight is a real tragedy. Grab this book while it's still available in its beautifully produced hardcover edition. It doesn't deserve to become another lost classic.

I have been journaling the I Ching for 45 years. During that time I have consulted and studied numerous translations For the serious student, this translation is no substitute for the Wilhelm/Baynes translation or the Alfred Huang translation, but it is a valuable addition to either one or both of these other two translations. And if you are someone who wants easy access to the wisdom of this great book, without studying its inner workings, then this is the book for you. It is by far, the most user friendly, comprehensive, scholarly, thorough, and 'faithfull' translation, I have ever read. Basically, Jack Balkin has done all the work for you. I highly recommend his book as a vital part of any philosophy Library.

This is one of my top 3 I Ching books. I like Balkin's fatherly approach to his reader, as if written for his students. His translation holds true to Taoism's philosophy, "If good, good. If bad, good."Good resource materials included. Reputable source.

This is the best version of the I Ching for modern readers if they're looking for an in depth explanation of each hexagram and each moving line. I have cross checked it extensively with several other translations and I find that there is no other author who so completely captures the spirit and the letter of each of the 64 gua and the moving lines. Along with each hexagram you will also see a convenient list of alternative names or "images" for the gua in question. This is a book that belongs on the shelf of any dedicated I Ching scholar or enthusiast. As valid for divination as it is for scholarly research.

I've used the I Ching for nearly 40 years and this is the very best version and commentaries I've ever found. I am just delighted to see it back in print! Jack Balkin adds an intuitive feel for human psychology, along with the clear and concise mind of an accomplished legal scholar to the ancient wisdom of the book. The result is a remarkably useful volume. This is the very best of the many translations and versions I have used. I highly recommend this book, and wish for more stars to give it here.

Mr. Balkin has put together some of the best insights available on the I ching to date…. It is with great pleasure that I give this review, as I read this book daily as my I ching study guide. His depth of knowledge and the amount of research he put in is obvious to anyone who takes the time to read this book. Don't wait but now, it's the only I ching you will ever need, unless you wanna start speaking mandarin lol.

Instant favorite commentary of the hexagrams and lines! And I am studying it seriously enough to be looking at 10 of them. Not a small book! Excellent work, thank you kindly Jack! The Sage has perhaps never shown greater ethical wisdom in modern versions! I was blessed with a beautiful copy, in very good used condition.

Serious, credible treatment of the I Ching, very accessible writing style. I really like this interpretation.

I have a good handful of I Ching books at this point and Balkin is one of the best. Balkin saves you the need to buy WIlhelm, Wing, Dening etc because he paraphrases them in his own commentary (along with page references to the originals). I think Balkin, Huang and Karcher's "Total I Ching" are your best bets for covering the most ground these days. If you just want a good translation without commentary, Hinton's is excellent.

It’s an excellent read.The author has done a great job.It’s the easiest book I’ve ever found on understanding I Ching and it’s psychological meaning.It’s a must have book on I Ching.Great work.

This book is obviously Wilhelm/Barnes based, but quite complete and became one of my favorites.

so wie ich es mir vorgestellt habe. Also auch nicht besser aber auch nicht schlechter. Irgendwie so wie es beschrieben war

Excelente. Esta es una de las traducciones y comentarios que me resultan más acertados y coherentes con lo preguntado,de tal forma que apunta en la diana de una forma asombrosa, en contraste con otros autores que se van por las ramas. 100% recomendado.