The Interpretation of I Ching from the Analytical Psychology''s Perspective, Based on the Work of Hellmut Wilhelm

• Main Authors: Yu-Ying Tsai, 蔡育螢
• Other Authors: Li-Chen Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/79nyh2

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 中國文學研究所 === 105 === This study attempts to discuss the interpretation of I Ching from the Analytical Psychology’s perspective. The research topics are about how I Ching, as an “oracle book,” transformed from being viewed as “superstitious” and “outdated,” to a concept widely accepted by modern people. Carl Jung, the founder of the Analytical Psychology school, comprehends I Ching with the assistance from Richard and Hellmut Wilhelm. In 1950, Jung’s Forward to Cary Baynes’s English translation of Richard Wilhelm’s Germanic edition of I Ching symbolizes the very beginning of the introduction of I Ching in Analytical Psychology. Jung and the Wilhelms consider I Ching as a classic source for exploring the unconsciousness. To illustrate the possibilities of the divination, Jung advances the theory of “synchronicity,” as an antithesis of the causality. Jung is only certain that the phenomenon of synchronicity truly exists, but he could not explain how or why the phenomenon operates. Coauthoring with Wolfgang Pauli, Jung writes the article: Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle in 1952, stating the Archetype’s effect on the synchronicity theory. Hellmut Wilhelm inherited the I-ology from his father Richard, and he participated in the Eranos meetings seven times between 1951-1967. The topics of Eranos are profoundly affected by the doctrines of Jung. During the meetings, Wilhelm absorbs the Analytical Psychology’s theory and combined the concepts into his I-ology. Wilhelm’s seven lectures in the Eranos are collected into the book: Heaven, Earth, and Man in the Book of Changes, an attempt to interpret I Ching through the scope of Analytical Psychology. He considerably utilizes significant concepts of psychology, such as “Ego,” “Self,” “Archetype,” “Individualization,” “Collective Unconsciousness,” and constructs an plausible system of psychology in I Ching. The I-ology of Hellmut Wilhelm originates from three aspects: the inheritance of traditional Chinese knowledge, the cross-culture vision, and Analytical Psychology. This study will demonstrate the thorough application of psychology in Wilhelm’s I-ology. By comparing Heaven, Earth, and Man with Wilhelm’s earlier book: Change: Eight Lectures on the I Ching, the development of his I-ology is evident; moreover, this development serves as a significant distinction between Hellmut and Richard Wilhelms’ I-ology. Drawing other theories into I Ching is the de facto tradition in the history of I-ology, allowing this system to remain renewable and suitable to the needs of the modern society. Consequently, one thing is for certain: in order for the I-ology to be widely accepted, it must adapt to the contemporary thinking. This study attempts to follow this theory by interpreting I Ching from the view of Analytical Psychology.