When you can do ‘hills pour water’

To continue on the short cryptic messages and to provide an answer to the mother of the mysterious messages, one has left the meaning of ‘hills pour water’ or ‘Shan Dao Shui’ to the last to conclude the story. This not only allows everyone to contemplate on the answers, it also gives me time to wander around the www looking for ideas on what interesting topics to write on. One has a few topics already in mind but these can wait so as not to keep readers in suspense on the final episode of the ‘short cryptic messages’.

The imagery for ‘hills pour water’ or ‘Shan Dao Shui’ is that of hills or mountain with water on top. Only when the water is on top of the hills, do hills pour water. Therefore with a mountain trigram below and water trigram above it gives rise to the Image of Hexagram 39 Jian:

‘Water on the mountain: the image of Obstruction. Thus the superior man turns his attention to himself and molds his character.’

Difficulties and obstructions throw a man back upon himself. While the inferior man (Xiao Ren) seeks to put the blame on other persons, bewailing his fate, the superior man (Junzi) seeks the error within himself, and through this introspection the external obstacle becomes for him an occasion for inner enrichment and education.

The Judgment, Image and the six lines give instruction on how to overcome the obstructions that appear in the course of time. Here an individual is confronted by obstacles that cannot be overcome directly. In such a situation it is wise to pause in view of the danger and to retreat in preparation for overcoming the obstructions. One must join forces with like minded friends and put himself under the leadership of a man equal to the situation: then one will succeed in removing the obstacles. This requires the will to presevere just when one apparently must do something that leads away from his goal. This unswerving inner purpose brings good fortune in the end. An obstruction that lasts only for a time is useful for self-development. This is the value of adversity. [W/B]

The commentary to the judgment, image and the lines provide a primary level to understand the Yi. It also ties in with the immortal’s concern about my dropping the Yi studies half way. On another level, water (Kan) and fire (Li) form the nuclear trigrams. Those familiar with Tao cultivation know that Kan and Li represent medicines for inner alchemy (neidan). Therefore to mix and/or to overthrow Kan and Li implies an esoteric ability which would be taught by the Quanzhen heavenly immortal if one had accepted his offer to become a disciple. To get the best of both worlds, one had continued to study the Yi and in 1993 started practising neidan, hoping to reach a higher level to overcome the obstructions.

At the primary level, one overcomes the obstruction with help from friends or to help friends. A good example is that of those who provide relevant and reliable information in blogs and websites for those earnest and sincere in learning ancient thoughts and the Yi. Up a notch, one needs the help of or helps the immortals to do rescue work. Both scenarios will depend on the line or place where one is supposed to be. The rescue work of Daoist Immortals and Buddhas is to help people and to guide them to return to Tao. It has taken so long to understand the mother of the cryptic verses because one had only started reading the Tao Te Ching, Daoist texts and the Buddhist sutras online about two or three years ago and found them repeating the same thing – ‘the fall from Tao’ and the way to return to Tao.

Writing this story has prompted me to analyze and ponder the relevant information deeper than usual and only last night did I find the answer to the entire mysterious sentence that of, "When you can do hills pour water then you have reached my four immortals’ door front".

For only when the required higher level is reached can one participate in the rescue work whether at the primary level or at the level of the four immortals. Without the requisite knowledge, experience and integrity wherever we write or discuss about ancient thoughts will be scoffed at as amateurish. So far, my thoughts on and interpretations of the Yi seems acceptable to many fellow diviners online, therefore a higher level may have been reached.

The Yi occasionally reveal omens and heaven secrets with which one had and could forewarn relatives, friends and fellow diviners on major ominous events or illnesses that may affect their welfare. For more than two decades, the answers from the Yi have often been taken to compare and found to tie in with what Daoist deities and immortals have indicated or about to indicate, except in cases where the mediums or planchette handlers were corrupt. My later ability to use trigrams and images to interpret omens and heaven secrets provided more details of oncoming events. It also brought on awareness whenever the Yi wants to tell me something. Only then will one ask for the message. It follows that with such messages from the Yi, one may have reached the level of spirits (Shen) and at the four immortals’ door front helping in their rescue work.

To explain the four immortals, firstly one would say it could refer to the remaining four Northern Patriarchs of Quanzhen. But not being big headed, one would rely on the six lines of Hexagram 39 to provide the answer.

The person of the top line returns to see the great man in line five. The ruler in line five who is called to help in an emergency has the ability to attract and organize helpers to overcome the obstruction (the rescue work). The minister at the fourth gathers trustworthy companions for the work. The official at the third returns and meets up with the person below. The person in line two has been called to duty and seeks out danger in the service of a higher cause. The person in line one having just entered the situation, encounters the obstruction and returns home; leaving the other five to do the rescue work. (This left the minister in a lurch.) The remaining five comprises of the four immortals and me. And if a line position has to be indicated then one will probably be in line two – the king’s servant.

With all the answers provided including the mother of the cryptic verses, the conditional offer of a reward in the form of a Yi divination has lapsed.

It is entirely up to readers to follow the Quanzhen immortal’s advice on the use of trigrams and Images or to follow those Yi scholars and experts who argue against their usage because the ancients do not use them. The available records so far point to their usage during the Spring and Autumn period, the earliest around 600 BC. To remain blameless, one can only say it works.




A special thanks to Steve Marshall for his comments and for the correct pinyin usages. Thanks to readers for listening to this long story and Google for providing this blog for free. A donation has been made to the building fund for the new Quanzhen main temple with an indicated top up when one has a bit more money.