Just when one thinks that the Yi is profound and difficult to interpret, comes another set of short cryptic messages in the form of verses from a Quanzhen heavenly immortal which took a few months to decipher. Perhaps here is something for everyone from the scholars, deep thinkers to students of Daoist, Confucian, Buddhist and Yi studies to ponder and comment on the messages given to me back in 1993. There is one particular message that one is still unable to think through and may need some help from readers.
A reward in the form of one consultation of the Yi will be given to the first person (and before my post of the meaning, if any) who can provide a clear meaning to the message which still remained foggy for more than 12 years. It was also twelve years ago when one consulted the Yi in return for a fee equivalent then to about 600 pounds sterling or USD 1,200. The client made much money from his investment based on Yi’s advice and as a result everyone was happy. This explains why one does not advertise Yi consultations on this blog and why one rarely consults the Yi for others. The Yi does reveal heaven’s secrets to the entirely sincere and what has been written in my profile is to let Yi students know, such secrets can be received just like what the ancients had stated. Therefore please do not belittle the proffered reward of my one consultation. It may be worth your while for the time spent.
To make the cryptic messages (written in Chinese) a bit more understandable, one has translated and paraphrased them accordingly. The verses worded in flowery language indicated my fortune and was given by the heavenly immortal through a planchette. One will append the entire planchetted message and later single out and enumerate each cryptic verse or shorten message as a question for our easy reference:
“For your three daily meals, you should know the results before you do your work. Do not be greedy as there are myriad changes. When you can do hills pour water then you have reached my four immortals’ door front. One advice – you should not stand in the middle of the hill otherwise the hill will open up and you will fall into the middle of the land* below, like the sea in the middle of land, green colored land, and birds flying.”
1) What do ‘hills pour water’ mean?
2) ‘You should not stand in the middle of the hill otherwise the hill will open up and you will fall into the middle of the land below’. What does this verse mean?
3) What does ‘sea in the middle of land **’ mean?
4) What does ‘green colored land’ mean?
5) What do ‘birds flying’ mean?
6) The mother of the cryptic verses is ‘When you can do hills pour water then you have reached my four immortals’ door front’.
What does the entire message (in No. 6) means? The Quanzhen temple is not known or named as the four immortals’ temple and neither does it mean that one will become a disciple as my Daoist friend had suggested. Otherwise it could have been stated as ‘door below’ and not ‘door front’ (translating the Chinese words as they fall). What do the ‘four immortals’ signify? And what does ‘door front’ mean anyway? Yes, I do know what ‘hills pour water’ and the other verses in numbers 2 to 5 means. Just not too clear about number 6 after all these years.
Each of the verses contain interesting meanings and information as one realized later. I did literally cross the great waters, by visiting Australia and stayed in New Zealand for about a month, pondering on what the immortal had said. Even the temple’s disciples could not understand the verses; therefore it was a real challenge to decipher their mysterious meanings. It was only after I have crossed the great waters again on the return trip that the ‘aha’ moment came. Perhaps, at times, Daoist immortals also want to have some fun.
Hope you can rise to the challenge too! Do not worry too much if you cannot decipher any of the verses, no one is going to know. If you can come to understand the meanings to any or all of them, by that you may have increased both your knowledge and insight into ancient Daoist thoughts. Give it a try when you have the time. Have fun.
Remember the proffered reward is only for the first person who can provide a clear interpretation of the entire message contained in verse number six (6) and not for the other five verses. And also conditional that I still have not posted the meaning to it by then, as there is no set time limit for the correct interpretation. So good luck!
*
The Chinese word is 'Di' and can be translated as ‘land’ or ‘earth’. For conformity, the word ‘land’ has been used throughout to provide clarity for most readers. Deep thinkers and scholars can transpose ‘land’ with ‘earth’ if it provides a clearer meaning.
**
A direct translation from Chinese is, ‘land middle sea’.
6 comments:
I would never spend too much time on a Chinese riddle without seeing the Chinese. You place a lot of faith in the ability of the plancette wielder to accurately convey a message from the spirit realm, only you yourself can know if that is justified. Presumably the message has some kind of resonance for you.
Why do you think 'hills pour water' has any meaning beyond the idea of a strong river forming from a trickle in the hills? By the way you have translated it you appear to think it may be a reference to an esoteric ability that has this name. But this framing of 'hills pour water' could simply be a wild goose chase, unless you have some other reason for translating it after the manner of the name of a technique. You say you do know what 'hills pour water' means. Yet knowing that does not help you with the rest of the cryptic message and does not take you to the four immortals' door. From that, it is reasonable to suppose that though you may know it you cannot do it. Therefore, do you really know it?
Also, land-middle-sea, which you translate as 'sea in the middle of land'. Isn't this Dizhong Hai, the Chinese name for the Mediterranean Sea?
The four immortals' door is already made of tarred rags and set light to, you must jump through the fiery hoop soon or it will just be a burnt-out ring.
Yes, you are right, planchette wielders can sometimes be suspect. However, the transmitted messages during the time in question were indeed accurate. A lawyer friend who sought advice while thinking about his question in English was impressed when the immortal proceeded to answer him in English, even before he had time to have the question written down in Chinese. Also during this time, messages given to my Daoist friend tied in nicely with Yi’s answers to me.
The verse ‘hills pour water’ comes from the Chinese ‘Sandousui’. Again you are right. It does refer to an esoteric ability. A Daoist text did refer to the partial name of ‘dousui’. I cannot recall the name of the text offhand. It is also a far journey. No one would know when it can be reached. It is comforting to see that you are looking at the same line of reasoning. It could mean that there would be an answer to this twelve years old mysterious message soon?
Dizhong Hai indeed is the Chinese name for the Mediterranean Sea. It has been explored, is that what the immortal was trying to say? But this sea is not the answer to the riddle, if you read the entire planchetted message. All the riddles do tie up eventually, except the separate message, the ability to do the ‘hills pour water’ and reach the four immortals’ door front. It looks like a test, do you agree?
Is what you have written about the four immortals’ door correct, or are you pulling my leg?
As a matter of interest, while driving to the outskirts one did pass a temple with the name of Four Immortals’ Temple, but that was not it.
Whenever I have been in the mountains my first concern is whether or not they 'pour water', because if they don't I won't be able to stay there long since I'll have nothing to drink. A mountain that pours water and a mountain that doesn't pour water depends on whether it attracts clouds and rain. Barren rocky mountains are often dry, green mountains with lots of vegetation usually pour water. I don't recall coming across 'shan dao shui' in any specialist context, and though you'd probably find it in a fengshui manual I can't think it would say much more than that a hill that pours water is a better place to build a house beneath than one that doesn't. I'm not aware of it having any meaning as an esoteric technique. You say you know it has this meaning, but you don't remember where you read it? Perhaps all it is saying is that you should look for immortals on a mountain that pours water rather than one that doesn't. I know you don't live in trees any more in Malaysia, but perhaps you have forgotten the language of the mountains in smoke-ridden city?
Do you know the four white-haired men of Mount Shang? Certainly these are the men who pursued immortality that I find the most interesting.
Okay, noted. In future, if readers need to seek your advice, one will direct them to mountains that ‘pour water’ to search for you.
Having left trees for a house not too long ago, one occasionally goes up the mountains to reminisce (and sometimes to seek advice).
‘Shan dao shui’ refers to an esoteric ability, which means the ability is not generally intelligible to many. Its meaning was not derived from the Daoist text. If the original source is revealed then readers no longer have the fun or incentive to explore and perhaps extend the limits of their minds a bit?
Perhaps, you were referring to the four white-haired men who hid in the mountains from Liu Pang but came to advise his son, the crown prince of Han? Even if they were the same old men, it will be of interest to know about their search for immortality.
As we are still on the same line of reasoning, perhaps the four immortals could refer to the Northern Patriarchs? Something plausible but requires further confirmation to be concrete, because only recently did I come to know that there remained four of them (instead of five) for quite some time.
Well, you can openly explain what you know (with the risk of being corrected), or you can keep back what you know so as to provide an incentive to others to find out for themselves. The only trouble with the latter is that some will think you are claiming occult knowledge, which as we both know is best left unhinted at if genuinely held, since those who hint at it usually hold back nothing remarkable.
Confucius said he reveals one corner and expects the student to find the other three himself. Others claim to hold secrets because they imagine it makes them look more knowledgeable.
Mystery-mongering is the bane of esoteric studies.
'Hills pour water' -- regarding it as an esoteric ability cuts off other explanations, such as the hexagram it quite clearly evokes.
You are right. It is nothing mysterious. Once you get one of them right, the rest is easy, except for the message in number 6.
Still have not figure it out yet. It could be something to do with inner alchemy or perhaps not.
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