修道•算命
修道•算命•赤馬紅羊•週期•循環
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English translated by DeepSeek
2025-10-15
Cultivation · Fortune-Telling · Red Horse and Red Sheep · Cycles · Circulation
Traditional Chinese culture encompasses numerous forms of divination, including those based on birth dates and times such as Eight Characters (Bazi), Zi Ping, and Purple Star Astrology (Zi Wei), as well as physiognomy (face reading) and palmistry. The West has its own systems, like astrology, while modern times have introduced Human Design and blood type analysis, among many others.
Divination can be described as a near black-box operation: input one's birth time, process it through calculations, and output a result. Of course, not all methods are entirely black-box; some are open or semi-open. Traditional Chinese methods are invariably rooted in the philosophical framework of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, which also finds application in other fields such as traditional Chinese medicine, feng shui, and even modern design.
Modern psychology offers explanations for the psychological factors behind why people seek fortune-telling, some of which serve certain functions. Simply put, it stems from fear of an uncertain future and the apprehension of potential misfortunes or even disasters.
I have some interest in certain fortune-tellers (or geomancy masters). Why do they choose this as a profession? Can they truly help guide others out of confusion? Are they similar to psychological counselors? I've noticed that some of them are Buddhists, albeit from different sects, while others concurrently run businesses related to Buddhist statues, decorations, or even Western-style crystal balls. What does this indicate?
Is fate truly unchangeable? How important are the results of fortune-telling? Is it not possible to simply avoid fortune-telling? How can one break through the constraints of fate? Whose fortunes cannot be calculated?
Buddhism emphasizes "cause and effect" (karma)—what kind of causes one sows, what kind of effects one reaps. All blessings and misfortunes in life are the results of planted causes. Therefore, one must plant good causes to secure good effects in the future. Negative causes planted in the past or present must be endured in the future; ceasing negative thoughts and actions is something that must be done immediately. Other religions also offer similar teachings. Viewed this way, can religion truly break the bonds of fate?
It's not entirely so. How many "pseudo-religions" exist today, using their names to amass wealth and deceive, selling one thing while advertising another? And what about orthodox religions? Humans, after all, are human; numerous are those who, due to momentary greed or error, have faced ruin and disgrace.
Religious doctrines sometimes contradict each other: Christianity states the universe had a beginning, while Buddhism denies this; Buddhism believes in past lives, which Christianity does not. However, at a foundational level, their beliefs converge: humans are imperfect, they commit sins, harbor evil thoughts and commit evil deeds, but also possess good thoughts and perform good deeds. One must not judge by external actions alone, as "hypocrisy" is everywhere.
With the exception of cults that oppose society and morality, we should not attack any religion. Religion is a sensitive matter. It concerns the soul, life and death, existence, meaning, and generally holds positive value for human society. Religious wars are, in reality, fought by people in the name of religion—they are wars among peoples, not battles over good and evil or truth.
When a person possesses a strong sense of mission, they cease to concern themselves with the good or bad fortune, blessings or calamities that lie ahead. They set aside life and death, considering the fulfillment of their mission as the only thing that matters. For such individuals, fortune-telling is superfluous.
There are those who prioritize spiritual cultivation above all else. For them, disasters represent liberation, and they find joy in the dissolution of past negative karma. Some fortune-tellers say that the fortunes of cultivators cannot be accurately calculated because they gradually break free from predestined fate; the length of life, and whether events bring fortune or misfortune, no longer hold importance.
Affairs of the world continuously move in cycles (with periods long and short). Generations pass, prosperity and decline alternate, the sun shifts and the stars change. All the talk of astrology, the "Red Horse and Red Sheep" omens, or the end of the world—it's all just part of this cycle. Why fear future calamities? As Buddhism says, this is cause and effect. What is destined to come will come; it cannot be avoided. Christianity says this world will pass away, making way for a new heaven and a new earth. If humans do not eliminate the evil thoughts within their hearts, if they do not rid themselves of greed, hatred, and ignorance (attachment, aversion, delusion), the world will continue to know suffering.
The human heart is the most agonizing purgatory. To break free from the shackles of fate, to stand fearless before the wheel of time and life—what must one do, here and now?
by cmlai
Translated by DeepSeek
2025-10-15
https://cmlai1218.blogspot.com/?m=1
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