This entry is written especially for Yi fellows who believe in the existence of Daoist deities and immortals (ShenXian), particularly those readers from Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan where Daoist temples are easily accessible. Yi diviners who keep an open mind and those who like to improve upon their already good divination skills but do not have such readily access to the ShenXian in their respective countries can take note of this entry for their future reference.
No, I am not trying to convert any Yi fellows to Daoism nor am I asking them to pray to the ShenXian for blessings or help. I am just sharing my experience on a way to further improve upon our Yi divination and interpretation skills. What best than to test our self acquired divination skills with divinities – with or without their knowledge and/or approval. After all, according to the Doctrine of the Mean (Chung Yung), it is possible that a Yi diviner can divine like a Shen (spirit).
After I had returned from London, England for good, my mum surprised me with a divination slip (qian), obtained by way of shaking divination sticks (jiu qian) out of a bamboo or metal container, from a Guan Yin temple depicting my fortune for that year, 1980. She had been praying for her children and family and obtaining these divination slips for decades. The yearly predictions from this particular temple are known to be accurate and the cost for one divination was less than 20 US cents then.
For a few years after that I did not take too much notice of the predictions until I started to consult the Zhouyi for my annual hexagrams. One day, out of curiosity I compared my annual hexagram with the divination slip for the particular year from the Guan Yin temple. While what was foretold by the Guan Yin divination slip appeared simpler, the story of the ancient referred to in the slip almost matched with the Yi prognostication. (Take note that each divination slip contains a popular storyline reference to a particular 'ancient' to provide for a more accurate interpretation of the fortune reading.)
Over the next five years, the same matches occurred – which meant that the predictions from this particular Guan Yin temple were indeed accurate or that this student’s Yi divination and interpretation skills had improved. That was my first test.
The second test with predictions from divinities came during the 1993 Bull Run in the KLSE. In early 1993, the Yi had already indicated through various prognostications that the stock market was going to be very good. The Book of Changes would tell me through the hexagrams when to buy and when to sell stocks. My friends and ex-colleagues who consulted with Daoist deities and heavenly immortals to trade on the stock market would often share the predictions given by these ShenXian. Together with the Yi prognostications nothing could go wrong. We were all making good money from the stock market – until the music stopped in the first week of January 1994. My friends were still trading in the KLSE because the divinities never told them to get out of the market.
Perhaps they really thought that I was an easily scared ‘rabbit’ when I sold all my stocks by the third week of December 1993 and went to Australia to celebrate Christmas and New Year. I had indicated to them that the Yi had warned of impending falls and they should sell most of their stock investments by end December and hold cash. Instead they bought more after some initial profit taking because the stock market remained hot.
By early 1994 until the end of 1995, the predictions of the Daoist deities and heavenly immortals had become corrupted. That was the third test.
Over the years, there were more such tests which provided some of the reasons why I have diligently followed the Yi instead of the ShenXian. (Some of these later tests and comparisons had been blogged, years ago.)
It is fun to be able to divine with the Yi and compare notes with accurate predictions from the Daoist deities and heavenly immortals. Such predictions through divination slips or mediums can be obtained directly or indirectly (through a relative or close friend) from Daoist temples. The comparisons and tests can also provide Yi students with a deeper understanding of the Yi and raise our levels in interpretation of the prognostications.
Yi diviners do not have to believe me; you can try it out sometime given the opportunity. Hopefully it helps in your progress in Yi divinations until you can divine like a spirit. By then nothing on earth and in heaven remains hidden, since all you need is to consult the Yi.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
The vastness of Tao
We often hear of Daoists saying that Tao is vast. But how vast Tao is, no human can say for sure.
If we look up at the sky, we may say to ourselves, wow, heaven is so vast, and we are so minute. Heaven contains the planets, the stars and everything as far as the eyes can see. Therefore how can anything be greater than heaven?
With the advance of science and the advent of space telescopes, we now know there are many more galaxies like ours in space. According to accompanying explanations, to the pictures taken in space, by the experts – the scientists and the astronomers - these galaxies contain many colorful stars of various shapes and sizes never seen before by humans.
What if I tell you that the space telescopes have yet to reach places where Daoist heavenly immortals reside? Most readers would not believe me even if it is Christmas time? Therefore that story will be reserved for the esoteric.
To get a measure of how vast Tao really is, perhaps we can turn to Lu Dongbin, one of the famous eight immortals (Ba Xian) for help.
Master Lu-tsu said: In comparison with heaven and earth, man is like a mayfly. But compared to the great Way (Tao), heaven and earth, too, are like a bubble and a shadow.
[Secret of the Golden Flower –W/B]
Readers would certainly agree that heaven is vast and earth broad. Compared to their size, man can be considered minute. In the same breath, Lu Dongbin indicated that compared to Tao, heaven and earth is also very small, ‘a bubble and a shadow’.
To intellectuals, Lu could be using the comparisons as figurative ways of speech to impress upon students of the vastness of Tao. To this student and I suggest, he could be telling us the truth seen with his eyes from where he resides.
Have we ever explored from the angle that ancestor Lu is telling us just like it is? Remember he is a Daoist heavenly immortal, and he still teaches his disciples in Daoist temples from time to time. Coupled with the proven scientific fact that there are galaxies beyond ours, does it not infer that there are no boundaries and limits to Tao.
When Chen Tuan drew the Wuji Tu (Diagram of the Infinite) at the beginning of the Song Dynasty, did he not realize something most humans between his times - more than a thousand years ago - and now, would not know? How could students understand the vastness of Tao and the explanations given by Laozi in the Tao Te Ching without actually seeing space? How is it possible that Laozi, Chen Tuan and the Zhen Ren could see something that others don’t? The answer no doubt lies with meditation just like what Laozi and Buddha had taught.
While thinking through whether Lu Dongbin is telling us the truth or not, if interested, readers can also try to figure out where the Daoist deities and heavenly immortals (ShenXian) reside. It can be a fruitful exercise or it can come to nothing. I do not hold the answers, and I hope some readers, especially those from the Far East, can enlighten me with one. It beats telling a good ghost story anytime.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
If we look up at the sky, we may say to ourselves, wow, heaven is so vast, and we are so minute. Heaven contains the planets, the stars and everything as far as the eyes can see. Therefore how can anything be greater than heaven?
With the advance of science and the advent of space telescopes, we now know there are many more galaxies like ours in space. According to accompanying explanations, to the pictures taken in space, by the experts – the scientists and the astronomers - these galaxies contain many colorful stars of various shapes and sizes never seen before by humans.
What if I tell you that the space telescopes have yet to reach places where Daoist heavenly immortals reside? Most readers would not believe me even if it is Christmas time? Therefore that story will be reserved for the esoteric.
To get a measure of how vast Tao really is, perhaps we can turn to Lu Dongbin, one of the famous eight immortals (Ba Xian) for help.
Master Lu-tsu said: In comparison with heaven and earth, man is like a mayfly. But compared to the great Way (Tao), heaven and earth, too, are like a bubble and a shadow.
[Secret of the Golden Flower –W/B]
Readers would certainly agree that heaven is vast and earth broad. Compared to their size, man can be considered minute. In the same breath, Lu Dongbin indicated that compared to Tao, heaven and earth is also very small, ‘a bubble and a shadow’.
To intellectuals, Lu could be using the comparisons as figurative ways of speech to impress upon students of the vastness of Tao. To this student and I suggest, he could be telling us the truth seen with his eyes from where he resides.
Have we ever explored from the angle that ancestor Lu is telling us just like it is? Remember he is a Daoist heavenly immortal, and he still teaches his disciples in Daoist temples from time to time. Coupled with the proven scientific fact that there are galaxies beyond ours, does it not infer that there are no boundaries and limits to Tao.
When Chen Tuan drew the Wuji Tu (Diagram of the Infinite) at the beginning of the Song Dynasty, did he not realize something most humans between his times - more than a thousand years ago - and now, would not know? How could students understand the vastness of Tao and the explanations given by Laozi in the Tao Te Ching without actually seeing space? How is it possible that Laozi, Chen Tuan and the Zhen Ren could see something that others don’t? The answer no doubt lies with meditation just like what Laozi and Buddha had taught.
While thinking through whether Lu Dongbin is telling us the truth or not, if interested, readers can also try to figure out where the Daoist deities and heavenly immortals (ShenXian) reside. It can be a fruitful exercise or it can come to nothing. I do not hold the answers, and I hope some readers, especially those from the Far East, can enlighten me with one. It beats telling a good ghost story anytime.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
2007 Bull Run not too kind to retail investors
While the KLSE composite index has risen by about 30% for 2007, I understand that quite a number of retail investors have lost money or are holding huge paper losses in this Bull Run. It is not surprising if we survey the number of low liner stocks across the board that are hovering around or had closed at 52 weeks lows, last Friday, December 21.
I counted about 116 of them which include index linked stocks. A majority of losers were from the Mesdaq board. If we include stocks across the boards that have fallen by fifty percent or more from their 52 weeks high, the number would increased to about 250 counters, representing roughly 25% of stocks quoted in the KLSE.
Retail investors who had insisted to ‘stand in the middle of the mountain’ in October by averaging down low liners or hold onto stocks, have probably found themselves free falling into the chasm of Kun / Earth after the mountain imploded. Whether the fall (of their stocks) has hit finally rock bottom or not into the depths of Earth is quite impossible to tell. (Refer my entry on ‘Stand not in the middle of the mountain’, October 13) And there could be more losses around the corner.
However when the low and second liner stocks hit rock bottom, there could be a rebound. There is always such hope.
Take for example, the Australian quoted company – Centro Properties Group – which bought 700 US shopping malls in 2005 and 2006 for US$ 9 billion. The Company lost 86 percent of its market value within two days this week as it struggles to renegotiate debt. Its market value had fallen from A$ 4.8 billion to A$ 680 million during the rout. A day or two later, its shares rose 63% after the company announced plans to sell down properties. (Source – Bloomberg.com)
Weaker investors who had bought the stock just before the plunge could have suffered a heart attack. So could someone who had sold the stock when it hit rock bottom. Does this Centro example not remind us of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 where multimillionaires literally turned into paupers overnight?
An investment analyst from an established bank had the cheek to revise down the Centro stock to A$ 1+ from his earlier recommended target price of A$ 7+. So much for professionalism, don’t you think? This is a good example of a Xiao Ren (inferior man) in my books and someone to avoid at all costs. Since those who bought the particular stock based on his earlier recommendation of A$ 7 would have lost a ‘bomb’.
For those retail investors or traders who had weathered the major upheavals in the KLSE in 2007, expect more turbulence next year.
Meanwhile I am searching for stock investments for 2008 that could double or more in value by bottom picking. How? By doing the necessary homework and consulting the Yi, of course. It would not prove difficult if the bulls and foreign fund managers decide to storm back to the KLSE in time for the Chinese New Year rally.
Obviously it would be nigh impossible to find a twenty fold increase in share price again, for example the GT stock, unless they have gone dirt cheap. By then many a retail investor would have been busted.
I counted about 116 of them which include index linked stocks. A majority of losers were from the Mesdaq board. If we include stocks across the boards that have fallen by fifty percent or more from their 52 weeks high, the number would increased to about 250 counters, representing roughly 25% of stocks quoted in the KLSE.
Retail investors who had insisted to ‘stand in the middle of the mountain’ in October by averaging down low liners or hold onto stocks, have probably found themselves free falling into the chasm of Kun / Earth after the mountain imploded. Whether the fall (of their stocks) has hit finally rock bottom or not into the depths of Earth is quite impossible to tell. (Refer my entry on ‘Stand not in the middle of the mountain’, October 13) And there could be more losses around the corner.
However when the low and second liner stocks hit rock bottom, there could be a rebound. There is always such hope.
Take for example, the Australian quoted company – Centro Properties Group – which bought 700 US shopping malls in 2005 and 2006 for US$ 9 billion. The Company lost 86 percent of its market value within two days this week as it struggles to renegotiate debt. Its market value had fallen from A$ 4.8 billion to A$ 680 million during the rout. A day or two later, its shares rose 63% after the company announced plans to sell down properties. (Source – Bloomberg.com)
Weaker investors who had bought the stock just before the plunge could have suffered a heart attack. So could someone who had sold the stock when it hit rock bottom. Does this Centro example not remind us of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 where multimillionaires literally turned into paupers overnight?
An investment analyst from an established bank had the cheek to revise down the Centro stock to A$ 1+ from his earlier recommended target price of A$ 7+. So much for professionalism, don’t you think? This is a good example of a Xiao Ren (inferior man) in my books and someone to avoid at all costs. Since those who bought the particular stock based on his earlier recommendation of A$ 7 would have lost a ‘bomb’.
For those retail investors or traders who had weathered the major upheavals in the KLSE in 2007, expect more turbulence next year.
Meanwhile I am searching for stock investments for 2008 that could double or more in value by bottom picking. How? By doing the necessary homework and consulting the Yi, of course. It would not prove difficult if the bulls and foreign fund managers decide to storm back to the KLSE in time for the Chinese New Year rally.
Obviously it would be nigh impossible to find a twenty fold increase in share price again, for example the GT stock, unless they have gone dirt cheap. By then many a retail investor would have been busted.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Companions of the Way
While Laozi said that his Tao was easy to learn, he had also mentioned that many people, down the ages or during his time, love the bypaths. In his Tao Te Ching, he had indicated many signposts to reach the Way. Few seemed to understand his profound classic, let alone see the various signposts.
And students trying to grasp the meaning of Tao are often bewildered by the many claims of modern ‘Daoist masters’ on the net and in books that they found or know the Way. If Tao was that easy to attain, there will be countless sages, immortals, and Buddhas down the millennia.
Therefore students learning Tao should try to find some good companions (fellow travelers) of the Way. Good companions or guides – the living or divinities - are those who see or have seen the signposts indicated by the great sages and who know more about Tao than us. Seeing and feeling the various signposts of the Way served as important confirmations that our meditation practice is indeed correct, and not one of the bypaths.
If students are unable to find a living fellow traveler in their part of the world, and only have hazy notions of what Laozi and Buddha had indicated in their respective classics, we can perhaps spend some time reading what Daoist immortals and/or Zhen Ren had written on the cultivation of Tao, since they too have left behind some important signposts of the Way, unless we verily doubt their sincerity or disbelieve in their existence. If students doubt their sincerity and disbelieved that Daoist immortals ever exist, the real question to ask ourselves will be how much do we know about Tao and why do we want to learn the Way.
While you faced that question, since it will soon be Christmas, I quote some quotations of signposts and confirmations from some of my ‘companions’ of the Way as ‘gifts’ to fellow travelers:
That which exists through itself is called the Way (Tao). Tao has neither name nor shape. It is the one essence, the one primal spirit. Essence and life cannot be seen. They are contained in the light of heaven. The light of heaven cannot be seen. It is contained in the two eyes. Today I will be your guide and will first reveal to you the secret of the Golden flower of the great One, and starting from that, I will explain the rest in detail.
In comparison with heaven and earth, man is like a mayfly. But compared to the great Way, heaven and earth, too, are like a bubble and a shadow. Only the primal spirit and the true nature overcome time and space.
There are many kinds of confirmatory experiences [signposts]. One must not be trivial and irresponsible in heart, but must strive to make deeds prove one’s words. Now there are three confirmatory experiences which can be tested.
[Lu Dongbin – The Secret of the Golden Flower – W/B]
The subtlest secret of the Tao is human nature and life (hsing ming). There is no better way of cultivating human nature and life than to bring both back to unity. The holy men of ancient times, and the great sages, set forth their thoughts about the unification of human nature and life by means of images from the external world; they were reluctant to speak of it openly without allegories. Therefore the secret of how to cultivate both simultaneously was lost on earth.
[Liu Huayang – Hui Ming Ching – W/B]
Can I have a photocopy of your newspaper cuttings of the stars and distant galaxies for my records? I have also seen the same during meditation.
[A Quanzhen friend]
And students trying to grasp the meaning of Tao are often bewildered by the many claims of modern ‘Daoist masters’ on the net and in books that they found or know the Way. If Tao was that easy to attain, there will be countless sages, immortals, and Buddhas down the millennia.
Therefore students learning Tao should try to find some good companions (fellow travelers) of the Way. Good companions or guides – the living or divinities - are those who see or have seen the signposts indicated by the great sages and who know more about Tao than us. Seeing and feeling the various signposts of the Way served as important confirmations that our meditation practice is indeed correct, and not one of the bypaths.
If students are unable to find a living fellow traveler in their part of the world, and only have hazy notions of what Laozi and Buddha had indicated in their respective classics, we can perhaps spend some time reading what Daoist immortals and/or Zhen Ren had written on the cultivation of Tao, since they too have left behind some important signposts of the Way, unless we verily doubt their sincerity or disbelieve in their existence. If students doubt their sincerity and disbelieved that Daoist immortals ever exist, the real question to ask ourselves will be how much do we know about Tao and why do we want to learn the Way.
While you faced that question, since it will soon be Christmas, I quote some quotations of signposts and confirmations from some of my ‘companions’ of the Way as ‘gifts’ to fellow travelers:
That which exists through itself is called the Way (Tao). Tao has neither name nor shape. It is the one essence, the one primal spirit. Essence and life cannot be seen. They are contained in the light of heaven. The light of heaven cannot be seen. It is contained in the two eyes. Today I will be your guide and will first reveal to you the secret of the Golden flower of the great One, and starting from that, I will explain the rest in detail.
In comparison with heaven and earth, man is like a mayfly. But compared to the great Way, heaven and earth, too, are like a bubble and a shadow. Only the primal spirit and the true nature overcome time and space.
There are many kinds of confirmatory experiences [signposts]. One must not be trivial and irresponsible in heart, but must strive to make deeds prove one’s words. Now there are three confirmatory experiences which can be tested.
[Lu Dongbin – The Secret of the Golden Flower – W/B]
The subtlest secret of the Tao is human nature and life (hsing ming). There is no better way of cultivating human nature and life than to bring both back to unity. The holy men of ancient times, and the great sages, set forth their thoughts about the unification of human nature and life by means of images from the external world; they were reluctant to speak of it openly without allegories. Therefore the secret of how to cultivate both simultaneously was lost on earth.
[Liu Huayang – Hui Ming Ching – W/B]
Can I have a photocopy of your newspaper cuttings of the stars and distant galaxies for my records? I have also seen the same during meditation.
[A Quanzhen friend]
Friday, December 14, 2007
‘Looks to Heaven’
My Daoist friend and I were having a chat over the phone about a stock I had been accumulating over the past few days, when his wife who overheard the conversation asked what business the particular company was in.
‘Tell her, the company's business is “looks to Heaven”,’ I had said with a chuckle. Actually the company has a small information technology business. However, it has been waiting for government approval of several big projects for the past couple of years, the reason for the quip. Furthermore, I explained, the Yi has given Kun / The Receptive Earth as the prognostication for the investment, therefore the adage, ‘looks to Heaven’ is appropriate. Kun looks to Qian / The Creative Heaven for leads!
After the recent bouts of falls in the Asian stock markets over the past couple of months, inexperienced fund managers in China are getting the jitters and worried about their investments. Who would not? As indicated in the previous entry on stocks, it is easy to make money in a Bull Run but when markets start to plunge, not many know how to preserve capital - by taking profits or cutting losses – instead of freezing up until it is too late to do anything. (Think of US banks and mortgage financiers’ recent attempts to raise fresh capital in the region of billions of dollars. And the ‘early birds get the worms’.)
When we read of comments from captains of industry and industries experts that ‘they had not seen it before’ of their country’s mortgage meltdown and the credit crunch, it means that things are in dire straits in the US. It reminded me of my own ‘I have not seen it before’ remark during the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 even after the Yi gave me three forewarnings using Hexagram 29 Kan / The Abysmal (Abyss upon abyss, or bottomless pits).
Retail investors who are holding stocks in the KLSE with heavy paper losses (say 30 to 50% or more) may not know what to do now. (Sometimes it is worthwhile to listen carefully to what I blogged, it could have saved you a lot of money and anguish if you have listened.) The analysts who had been bullish in September and October are turning bearish on the stock market with a majority recommending sells or caution. Perhaps the ‘trapped’ investors should ‘look to Heaven’, or literally ask the ShenXian, for help.
It had been almost eight months since I last consulted the Yi on stock investments. In this bearish market conditions and amidst dwindling trades, the Zhouyi gave me the go ahead to buy my selected stocks. It does not mean that things are really on the mend, but there is a ray of hope for retail investors in the KLSE next year, if the Yi prognostications turn out to be correct.
While the South Korean Stock Exchange has stopped its free fall, according to my annual Yi chart early January 2008 looks exceptionally horrible.
That is why I am only using the money held with the stockbrokers since September to accumulate the shares for now, in case Malaysian investors want to know my current strategy. The rest, ‘the main army’, sits in the banks waiting for a major call up to join the war.
So far so good for me, lucky, I guess.
‘Tell her, the company's business is “looks to Heaven”,’ I had said with a chuckle. Actually the company has a small information technology business. However, it has been waiting for government approval of several big projects for the past couple of years, the reason for the quip. Furthermore, I explained, the Yi has given Kun / The Receptive Earth as the prognostication for the investment, therefore the adage, ‘looks to Heaven’ is appropriate. Kun looks to Qian / The Creative Heaven for leads!
After the recent bouts of falls in the Asian stock markets over the past couple of months, inexperienced fund managers in China are getting the jitters and worried about their investments. Who would not? As indicated in the previous entry on stocks, it is easy to make money in a Bull Run but when markets start to plunge, not many know how to preserve capital - by taking profits or cutting losses – instead of freezing up until it is too late to do anything. (Think of US banks and mortgage financiers’ recent attempts to raise fresh capital in the region of billions of dollars. And the ‘early birds get the worms’.)
When we read of comments from captains of industry and industries experts that ‘they had not seen it before’ of their country’s mortgage meltdown and the credit crunch, it means that things are in dire straits in the US. It reminded me of my own ‘I have not seen it before’ remark during the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 even after the Yi gave me three forewarnings using Hexagram 29 Kan / The Abysmal (Abyss upon abyss, or bottomless pits).
Retail investors who are holding stocks in the KLSE with heavy paper losses (say 30 to 50% or more) may not know what to do now. (Sometimes it is worthwhile to listen carefully to what I blogged, it could have saved you a lot of money and anguish if you have listened.) The analysts who had been bullish in September and October are turning bearish on the stock market with a majority recommending sells or caution. Perhaps the ‘trapped’ investors should ‘look to Heaven’, or literally ask the ShenXian, for help.
It had been almost eight months since I last consulted the Yi on stock investments. In this bearish market conditions and amidst dwindling trades, the Zhouyi gave me the go ahead to buy my selected stocks. It does not mean that things are really on the mend, but there is a ray of hope for retail investors in the KLSE next year, if the Yi prognostications turn out to be correct.
While the South Korean Stock Exchange has stopped its free fall, according to my annual Yi chart early January 2008 looks exceptionally horrible.
That is why I am only using the money held with the stockbrokers since September to accumulate the shares for now, in case Malaysian investors want to know my current strategy. The rest, ‘the main army’, sits in the banks waiting for a major call up to join the war.
So far so good for me, lucky, I guess.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The concept of duality
According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, dualism or duality is the theory recognizing two independent principles, and it provides examples of duality: mind and matter; good and evil in the universe. The brief definition of duality by the dictionary is clear enough, yet when it comes to the duality concept of yin and yang, Daoist students are quite often stumped.
We are often told by the great sages that metaphysics (the philosophy of mind) cannot be grasped using just the intellect; practice or cultivation is required to complement the understanding of their concepts. Yet Western Daoists tend to think that they first have to understand the duality concept of yin and yang fully before they can put it into practice. Believing in that, a number of them still struggle after spending decades studying Daoist texts trying to figure out this duality concept. And why yin changes to yang and yang into yin upon reaching their extreme states.
Duality in Daoist studies can be quite simple and easy if we do not overanalyze the concept or flogged it to ‘death’.
Perhaps, an easier way to comprehend the duality concept of yin yang is to refer to the basic underlying principles in the two primary hexagrams that of Qian / Heaven and Kun / Earth in the Zhouyi with reference to the Tao Te Ching. Since the holy sages have a deeper understanding of seen and/or unseen phenomena.
The oldest duality concept of nature is that of light and dark represented by unbroken and broken lines respectively that form a trigram and/or a hexagram in the Book of Changes. This ancient classic also differentiates between what is good and what is evil (another duality). The holy sages take the Junzi (superior man) and the Da Ren (great man) as examples of the good while the Xiao Ren (inferior man) represents the evil – which has nothing to do with religion; unless you want to hear what the Daoist heavenly immortals say about good and evil in the universe.
By the time of the Warring States in China, yang was inferred to represent light while yin represents dark. Because yang is light it can represent hot while yin being dark represent cold. Since the Great Treatise discussed light and dark spirits, later Daoists use metaphors to describe humans as ‘yang ren’ and ghosts as ‘yin kuei’ to differentiate between the living and the dead. By now the duality concept of yin yang has become so popular with the Chinese that they extend it to myriad things. Yet can we not see the duality of the dark and the light better than yin and yang?
The Heaven hexagram comprise of six unbroken or light lines while the Earth hexagram is made up of six broken or dark lines. Nature has it that Heaven provides light to brighten up dark Earth. Together, this means that Heaven represents pure yang (light) while Earth represents pure yin (dark), with humans (men and women – also a duality in later day usage) in between, just like Qi (breath or energy) that pervades the universe. In addition, ‘emptiness’ represents the imagery of Heaven (xu) and ‘stillness’ represents the image of Earth (jing). (See later.)
According to Daoist tradition, after the fall from Tao, by cultivating essence (meditation) and bodily life (virtues) humans can return to the Center (Zhong), the place where Heaven and Earth, and the ten thousand (myriad) things metaphorically resides.
With continual cultivation, humans can then progress from the Center to return to Heaven and Tao. Upon reaching Heaven and attaining Tao, man becomes an immortal with eternal life just like what Laozi indicated in his TTC chapter 16 using ‘empty’ and ‘still’. The metaphors, ‘empty’ (xu) and ‘still’ (jing) in chapter 16 infer to the practice of meditation. Read together with TTC chapter 42, the meditation involves breath (Qi) control. If we venture and read TTC chapter 14 on forms and formless, we may then understand what Laozi had seen during meditation. But if we ignore TTC chapter 18 on the cultivation of virtues after the fall from Tao, we could miss the return to Tao, like Zhuangzi of old even though this ancient sage had highly valued meditation in his writings.
In case students still do not understand the simple concept of duality in Daoist studies, cultivators use breath control meditation to merge or harmonize the duality of yin yang into one. No, this ‘one’ does not represent the Tao. More like the Center (Zhong). Unless you insist that the comment in the Great Treatise (Da Zhuang) that ‘One yin, one yang is Tao', is correct? Then perhaps you may have misunderstood the duality concept or that of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji tu or Bagua).
However you can obtain a better understanding of the duality concept if you can stumble upon forms and the formless (or emptiness) during breath control meditation as indicated by the great ancient sages – Laozi and Buddha – in their teachings.
But how would you know, if you do not cultivate or practise meditation?
We are often told by the great sages that metaphysics (the philosophy of mind) cannot be grasped using just the intellect; practice or cultivation is required to complement the understanding of their concepts. Yet Western Daoists tend to think that they first have to understand the duality concept of yin and yang fully before they can put it into practice. Believing in that, a number of them still struggle after spending decades studying Daoist texts trying to figure out this duality concept. And why yin changes to yang and yang into yin upon reaching their extreme states.
Duality in Daoist studies can be quite simple and easy if we do not overanalyze the concept or flogged it to ‘death’.
Perhaps, an easier way to comprehend the duality concept of yin yang is to refer to the basic underlying principles in the two primary hexagrams that of Qian / Heaven and Kun / Earth in the Zhouyi with reference to the Tao Te Ching. Since the holy sages have a deeper understanding of seen and/or unseen phenomena.
The oldest duality concept of nature is that of light and dark represented by unbroken and broken lines respectively that form a trigram and/or a hexagram in the Book of Changes. This ancient classic also differentiates between what is good and what is evil (another duality). The holy sages take the Junzi (superior man) and the Da Ren (great man) as examples of the good while the Xiao Ren (inferior man) represents the evil – which has nothing to do with religion; unless you want to hear what the Daoist heavenly immortals say about good and evil in the universe.
By the time of the Warring States in China, yang was inferred to represent light while yin represents dark. Because yang is light it can represent hot while yin being dark represent cold. Since the Great Treatise discussed light and dark spirits, later Daoists use metaphors to describe humans as ‘yang ren’ and ghosts as ‘yin kuei’ to differentiate between the living and the dead. By now the duality concept of yin yang has become so popular with the Chinese that they extend it to myriad things. Yet can we not see the duality of the dark and the light better than yin and yang?
The Heaven hexagram comprise of six unbroken or light lines while the Earth hexagram is made up of six broken or dark lines. Nature has it that Heaven provides light to brighten up dark Earth. Together, this means that Heaven represents pure yang (light) while Earth represents pure yin (dark), with humans (men and women – also a duality in later day usage) in between, just like Qi (breath or energy) that pervades the universe. In addition, ‘emptiness’ represents the imagery of Heaven (xu) and ‘stillness’ represents the image of Earth (jing). (See later.)
According to Daoist tradition, after the fall from Tao, by cultivating essence (meditation) and bodily life (virtues) humans can return to the Center (Zhong), the place where Heaven and Earth, and the ten thousand (myriad) things metaphorically resides.
With continual cultivation, humans can then progress from the Center to return to Heaven and Tao. Upon reaching Heaven and attaining Tao, man becomes an immortal with eternal life just like what Laozi indicated in his TTC chapter 16 using ‘empty’ and ‘still’. The metaphors, ‘empty’ (xu) and ‘still’ (jing) in chapter 16 infer to the practice of meditation. Read together with TTC chapter 42, the meditation involves breath (Qi) control. If we venture and read TTC chapter 14 on forms and formless, we may then understand what Laozi had seen during meditation. But if we ignore TTC chapter 18 on the cultivation of virtues after the fall from Tao, we could miss the return to Tao, like Zhuangzi of old even though this ancient sage had highly valued meditation in his writings.
In case students still do not understand the simple concept of duality in Daoist studies, cultivators use breath control meditation to merge or harmonize the duality of yin yang into one. No, this ‘one’ does not represent the Tao. More like the Center (Zhong). Unless you insist that the comment in the Great Treatise (Da Zhuang) that ‘One yin, one yang is Tao', is correct? Then perhaps you may have misunderstood the duality concept or that of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji tu or Bagua).
However you can obtain a better understanding of the duality concept if you can stumble upon forms and the formless (or emptiness) during breath control meditation as indicated by the great ancient sages – Laozi and Buddha – in their teachings.
But how would you know, if you do not cultivate or practise meditation?
Friday, December 07, 2007
Simple arithmetic
In a stock market bull run it is very easy to make money since prices of stocks seem to go up almost every trading day. However when the market plunges because of external shocks, many retail investors instead of reducing their stock holdings tend to hold onto them or even buy more stocks at cheaper prices to average down their costs of investment. This strategy works well if the overall market rebounds shortly after each heavy fall in prices and if investors have deep pockets and do not trade with margin financing. For example the quick rebounds after the heavy falls in the KLSE on February 27th and on March 5th 2007 caused by the plunge in the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
It also worked for retail investors after the August 17th Asian Stock Markets panic caused by the US mortgage crisis and credit crunch. The rebound started the following Monday as a result of the US Federal Reserve cutting the discount rate the previous Friday.
However in the months of October and November, the Asian stock markets drifted southwards and retail investors in the KLSE who still held onto their stocks or had averaged down during the intermittent falls were not so lucky, this time round; as quite a number of low liner stocks have fallen by 30% percent or more since September with no encouraging signs of activity just yet. Therefore if you had a good hunch or a tip from the Zhouyi that the stock market will fall heavily it would have been better to have cut your losses and run.
Not being sophisticated, I usually do some simple mental arithmetic before deciding to sell down my investments even at a loss during times of uncertainty, or when the Zhouyi gives prior warning of impending crises. (Remember Hexagram 3 Tun / Difficulty in the Beginning?) Somehow, it helps to make the cut loss decisions less painful.
For example, I had bought back a particular stock at 111 sen after it has fallen 20% from its year high. With the Yi’s prior warning, I had sold all the shares at an average price of 100 sen which meant that I have lost 11 sen (111 -100) or 10% per share. And the particular stock in line with the overall market sentiment subsequently fell 30% to 70 sen. (Quite a number of low liners had already fallen more than 50% from their year highs. Pity those who hanged onto those stocks with high margin financing.)
At this point in time, if I buy back the same amount of stock at 70 sen, I would have saved 30 sen per share (100 – 70). The savings of 30 sen can be put into good use – money in the bank, or to buy more of the same stock. If I had sold and bought back say 1,000,000 shares this way, I would have saved 300,000 ringgit (1,000,000 x 30 sen). Nothing to sneeze at, if you are a trader since capital is limited.
On the assumption that I bought back the same amount of stock which was sold earlier and if the share price ever rebounds back to 111 sen, the original cost of investment, I would have made 30 sen per share (111 – 70 = 41 – 11 (the earlier loss) = 30) instead of making nothing, if I have held onto the stock for the past few months.
To me it is simple arithmetic but most traders including the experienced ones cannot do these sums correctly since they are worried that if they cut their losses or take profits, their stocks may go up instead of falling.
Therefore it pays for Yi aficionados cum traders to understand changes and to learn about timing in Yi studies. Without which it could be difficult to work out such simplicity.
It also worked for retail investors after the August 17th Asian Stock Markets panic caused by the US mortgage crisis and credit crunch. The rebound started the following Monday as a result of the US Federal Reserve cutting the discount rate the previous Friday.
However in the months of October and November, the Asian stock markets drifted southwards and retail investors in the KLSE who still held onto their stocks or had averaged down during the intermittent falls were not so lucky, this time round; as quite a number of low liner stocks have fallen by 30% percent or more since September with no encouraging signs of activity just yet. Therefore if you had a good hunch or a tip from the Zhouyi that the stock market will fall heavily it would have been better to have cut your losses and run.
Not being sophisticated, I usually do some simple mental arithmetic before deciding to sell down my investments even at a loss during times of uncertainty, or when the Zhouyi gives prior warning of impending crises. (Remember Hexagram 3 Tun / Difficulty in the Beginning?) Somehow, it helps to make the cut loss decisions less painful.
For example, I had bought back a particular stock at 111 sen after it has fallen 20% from its year high. With the Yi’s prior warning, I had sold all the shares at an average price of 100 sen which meant that I have lost 11 sen (111 -100) or 10% per share. And the particular stock in line with the overall market sentiment subsequently fell 30% to 70 sen. (Quite a number of low liners had already fallen more than 50% from their year highs. Pity those who hanged onto those stocks with high margin financing.)
At this point in time, if I buy back the same amount of stock at 70 sen, I would have saved 30 sen per share (100 – 70). The savings of 30 sen can be put into good use – money in the bank, or to buy more of the same stock. If I had sold and bought back say 1,000,000 shares this way, I would have saved 300,000 ringgit (1,000,000 x 30 sen). Nothing to sneeze at, if you are a trader since capital is limited.
On the assumption that I bought back the same amount of stock which was sold earlier and if the share price ever rebounds back to 111 sen, the original cost of investment, I would have made 30 sen per share (111 – 70 = 41 – 11 (the earlier loss) = 30) instead of making nothing, if I have held onto the stock for the past few months.
To me it is simple arithmetic but most traders including the experienced ones cannot do these sums correctly since they are worried that if they cut their losses or take profits, their stocks may go up instead of falling.
Therefore it pays for Yi aficionados cum traders to understand changes and to learn about timing in Yi studies. Without which it could be difficult to work out such simplicity.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Summary of the Ten Wings
In writing notes and comments on the Zhouyi, the author would have to make an assumption that those Yi aficionados reading the blog would have acquired a minimum of ten years reading the Book of Changes and also own a copy of the Richard Wilhelm translation. However not all readers would fall under the categories of a minimal ten years of study and/or owning a W/B translation, therefore one has to summarize the Ten Wings for fellow students who would like to know more about the technical aspects of Yi studies, and/or about the Ten Wings.
"In the Wilhelm/ Baynes English translation, Richard Wilhelm explained in Book II – The Material – that The Book of Changes is a work that represents thousands of years of slow prolonged reflection and meditation. The material presented in the second portion of their translation consists chiefly of what has come to be known as the Ten Wings. These ten wings, or expositions, contain in substance the oldest commentary literature relating to the Book of Changes.
The first of the commentaries – the First and Second Wings – is called Tuan Zhuan. The Tuan Zhuan or Commentary on the Decision gives exact interpretations of King Wen’s decisions (judgments), on the basis of the structure and the other elements of the hexagrams. This commentary (made available under individual hexagrams in Book III) is an extremely thorough and valuable piece of work and throws much light upon the inner organization of the hexagrams of the I Ching. The Chinese ascribed it to Confucius.
The Third and Fourth Wings are formed by the so-called Xiang Zhuan, Commentary on the Images. In its present form it consists of the so-called Great Images (Da Xiang), which refer to the images associated with the two trigrams in each hexagram; from these the commentary in each case deduces the meaning of the hexagram as a whole, and from this contemplation in turn draws conclusions applicable to the life of man. Besides the Great Images, this commentary contains also the Small Images. These are very brief references to the Duke of Zhou’s comments on the individual lines of the hexagrams.
The Fifth and Six Wings constitute a treatise that presents many difficulties. It is entitled Hsi Tzu, or Da Zhuan, and likewise has two parts. The title Da Zhuan means Great Commentary, or Great Treatise.
The Seventh Wing, named Wen Yen (Commentary on the Words of the Text), is a very important section. It is the remnant of a commentary on the Book of Changes – or rather of a whole series of such commentaries – and contains very valuable material deriving from the Confucian school. Unfortunately it does not go beyond the second hexagram, Kun.
The Eighth Wing, Shuo Kua, Discussion of the Trigrams, contains material of great antiquity in explanation of the eight primary trigrams.
The Ninth Wing, Hsu Kua, the Sequence – or Order – of the Hexagrams, offers a rather unconvincing explanation of the present sequence of the hexagrams. It is interesting only because the names of the hexagrams are sometimes given peculiar interpretations that are undoubtedly based on ancient tradition.
The last (Tenth) wing, Tsa Kua, Miscellaneous Notes on the Hexagrams, is made up of definitions of the hexagrams in mnemonics verses, for the most part contrasting them in pairs. "
[W/B]
Still, I would suggest that students should only delve deeper into the Ten Wings (mainly made available in Books II and III of the W/B translation) after a minimum ten years of Yi studies otherwise they could be confused.
"In the Wilhelm/ Baynes English translation, Richard Wilhelm explained in Book II – The Material – that The Book of Changes is a work that represents thousands of years of slow prolonged reflection and meditation. The material presented in the second portion of their translation consists chiefly of what has come to be known as the Ten Wings. These ten wings, or expositions, contain in substance the oldest commentary literature relating to the Book of Changes.
The first of the commentaries – the First and Second Wings – is called Tuan Zhuan. The Tuan Zhuan or Commentary on the Decision gives exact interpretations of King Wen’s decisions (judgments), on the basis of the structure and the other elements of the hexagrams. This commentary (made available under individual hexagrams in Book III) is an extremely thorough and valuable piece of work and throws much light upon the inner organization of the hexagrams of the I Ching. The Chinese ascribed it to Confucius.
The Third and Fourth Wings are formed by the so-called Xiang Zhuan, Commentary on the Images. In its present form it consists of the so-called Great Images (Da Xiang), which refer to the images associated with the two trigrams in each hexagram; from these the commentary in each case deduces the meaning of the hexagram as a whole, and from this contemplation in turn draws conclusions applicable to the life of man. Besides the Great Images, this commentary contains also the Small Images. These are very brief references to the Duke of Zhou’s comments on the individual lines of the hexagrams.
The Fifth and Six Wings constitute a treatise that presents many difficulties. It is entitled Hsi Tzu, or Da Zhuan, and likewise has two parts. The title Da Zhuan means Great Commentary, or Great Treatise.
The Seventh Wing, named Wen Yen (Commentary on the Words of the Text), is a very important section. It is the remnant of a commentary on the Book of Changes – or rather of a whole series of such commentaries – and contains very valuable material deriving from the Confucian school. Unfortunately it does not go beyond the second hexagram, Kun.
The Eighth Wing, Shuo Kua, Discussion of the Trigrams, contains material of great antiquity in explanation of the eight primary trigrams.
The Ninth Wing, Hsu Kua, the Sequence – or Order – of the Hexagrams, offers a rather unconvincing explanation of the present sequence of the hexagrams. It is interesting only because the names of the hexagrams are sometimes given peculiar interpretations that are undoubtedly based on ancient tradition.
The last (Tenth) wing, Tsa Kua, Miscellaneous Notes on the Hexagrams, is made up of definitions of the hexagrams in mnemonics verses, for the most part contrasting them in pairs. "
[W/B]
Still, I would suggest that students should only delve deeper into the Ten Wings (mainly made available in Books II and III of the W/B translation) after a minimum ten years of Yi studies otherwise they could be confused.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Clear as day
Two weeks ago before my Daoist friend left for another overseas mission, he asked about the stock market. According to the Yi chart, I had told him, share prices will fall further that week before a rebound the following week – the last week of November. I also suggested that his ancestor master, the Quanzhen heavenly immortal is sending them out of the country at the right time for another extended mission. If the South Korean stock market tumbles, second board counters in the KLSE will go limits down just like in 1997. He asked how could second board counters go limits down when their prices are so low. He raised a valid question, but sometimes unseen phenomena such as timing and changes in Yi studies cannot be easily understood by the rational mind.
While the KLCI rebounded and recovered this last week of November with the re-listing of Sime Darby Bhd as an enlarged merged entity, most low liners fell. Three low liners including a second board counter had gone limit down (30% lower) on Wednesday. The particular second board counter hit limit down again the next day and on Friday. Whether more will follow or not, I cannot tell you since I am not a ShenXian and do not want to be punished for revealing one too many secrets of Heaven. Just be extra careful this coming week.
Over the past couple of months, prices of stocks that I had sold in September had fallen by 30%. So did a number of other low liners. By the week ending Friday, November 30th, some government linked stocks had fallen below their lows during the panics of August 17th and of end February 2007.
Many retail players still cling onto false hopes and beliefs in the vested-interest rumors that the general election would be called shortly. Even when many low liners have fallen by 50% or more from their highs in 2007?
Quite a number of retail players in the Malaysian stock market have been burnt recently by dabbling in numerous available call warrants on Chinese and Hong Kong stocks including the Hang Seng Index. I understand that some have lost ‘new cars or houses’ (or cash equivalent), hope they do not lose the shirts on their backs or start ‘knocking off’ their remisiers (stockbrokers’ assistants) for wrong calls or advices. We still need remisiers for our trades. Stockbrokers could be carrying heavy contra losses since they have started to sue retail players for small debts, in the region of a few thousands ringgit. It was frightening to hear or read about retail players committing suicide during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
If readers have started to consult the Yi for their investments after doing the necessary homework, try to follow the advice given in the prognostications otherwise what is the point of asking for one. Might as well invest ‘blindly’ and hope for the best, even when the divine teacher says in not so many words, ‘Get out of the market, or get rid of that particular stock!’
If the Yi prognostications given to you and published are inaccurate, one would not mention the inaccuracy, but if they are clear as day and you have interpreted them correctly, what more can I add?
While the KLCI rebounded and recovered this last week of November with the re-listing of Sime Darby Bhd as an enlarged merged entity, most low liners fell. Three low liners including a second board counter had gone limit down (30% lower) on Wednesday. The particular second board counter hit limit down again the next day and on Friday. Whether more will follow or not, I cannot tell you since I am not a ShenXian and do not want to be punished for revealing one too many secrets of Heaven. Just be extra careful this coming week.
Over the past couple of months, prices of stocks that I had sold in September had fallen by 30%. So did a number of other low liners. By the week ending Friday, November 30th, some government linked stocks had fallen below their lows during the panics of August 17th and of end February 2007.
Many retail players still cling onto false hopes and beliefs in the vested-interest rumors that the general election would be called shortly. Even when many low liners have fallen by 50% or more from their highs in 2007?
Quite a number of retail players in the Malaysian stock market have been burnt recently by dabbling in numerous available call warrants on Chinese and Hong Kong stocks including the Hang Seng Index. I understand that some have lost ‘new cars or houses’ (or cash equivalent), hope they do not lose the shirts on their backs or start ‘knocking off’ their remisiers (stockbrokers’ assistants) for wrong calls or advices. We still need remisiers for our trades. Stockbrokers could be carrying heavy contra losses since they have started to sue retail players for small debts, in the region of a few thousands ringgit. It was frightening to hear or read about retail players committing suicide during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
If readers have started to consult the Yi for their investments after doing the necessary homework, try to follow the advice given in the prognostications otherwise what is the point of asking for one. Might as well invest ‘blindly’ and hope for the best, even when the divine teacher says in not so many words, ‘Get out of the market, or get rid of that particular stock!’
If the Yi prognostications given to you and published are inaccurate, one would not mention the inaccuracy, but if they are clear as day and you have interpreted them correctly, what more can I add?
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