Today I have briefly read the Ma Qian Ke comprising of fourteen (14) separate prophecies or omens attributed to Zhuge Liang, a renowned Shu Han strategist of the Three Kingdoms era, and commented on by a Buddhist priest named Shou Yuan of White Crane Mountain. And preliminary translated and commented by Steve Moore with technical assistance from Steve Marshall. (Also see other credits given in the translation)
This preliminary translation (in PDF format) is made available to readers at the following web address on the Yijing Dao website:
http://www.biroco.com/yijing/Maqian_ke.pdf
It is the first time I have been able to read this text and the accompanying commentaries in its entirety, with thanks to Steve Moore.
Notwithstanding my brief comments on the Ma Qian Ke or ‘quick prophecies’ by Zhuge Liang aka Kongming as a whole, readers should take into account the various research done by Steve Moore on the authenticity and reliability of this text, especially as to the originality of attached hexagrams and fortune indications to the cryptic verses.
These are my first impressions (which may be refined with further research into the respective hexagrams concerned):
1) Apart from the first omen on Zhuge Liang himself and the Wei Dynasty, apparently each omen refers to a dynasty or a specific era in China.
2) The cryptic verses are similar to those given by Daoist celestial immortals.
3) Those familiar with interpretations of accurate prognostications or Yi omens could know the authenticity of the respective hexagram accompanying each prophecy.
4) I have done a quick check on the first and the 12th prophecies after reading the entire text and found the accompanying hexagrams genuine, since they do bear some relationship with the respective cryptic verses therein.
5) While whether it was Zhuge Liang himself or not who attached the accompanying hexagrams is debatable, whoever has had added them in, certainly possessed the know how to interpret omens. (Also see No: 4 above)
6) This lends additional support to my observations that the correct interpretation of Yi prognostications and omens are repeatable by the very experienced, even though they are from different ‘worlds’ or eras.
7) The accompanying fortune indications are similar to those on Guan Yin Oracles, some or all of which could be later additions. Steve Moore could perhaps do some research into the advent of fortune indications to ascertain the timeline of their addition, if any.
8) While some of the fortune indications look suspect to those familiar with good, average, and bad hexagrams having acquired such experience through extended Yi divination over the decades, one can still learn something from them.
9) Though I know from such extended divination experience which are the best (shang shang), the average (zhong zhong), and the worst (xia xia) hexagrams in Yi prognostications, the subtle and slight variations (shang zhong, zhong xia, for example) presented are not much different from my table self-made on July 9th, 1993 on good, average, and bad hexagrams for investments. This table comprising of the 64 hexagrams in the Book of Changes also contains slight variations in the expected returns on investments for each particular good, average, or bad hexagram.
10) On double checking with this table, the fortune indications on the 9th and the 12th omens appear corrupted. The other twelve fortune indications are appropriate.
11) In my books, the 9th omen, Hexagram 35 Jin / Progress fortune indicated as zhong shang (above average) should rank zhong xia (below average) or lower. And the 12th omen, Hexagram 28 Da Guo / Preponderance of the Great favorably fortune indicated as shang zhong (good) should be ranked xia zhong (bad) instead. Of course my divination experiences would differ from the personage who added in these two fortune indicators. Therefore readers should take in my comments in this particular paragraph with a bit of salt.
12) Hexagram 12 Pi / Stagnation (the 5th omen) is indeed an omen in my books. That was how I knew, again through extended divination experience and observations, about the expected exodus of foreign funds from Asia before it happened. (In early May I have already blogged about my sell down of shares to a very manageable level.)
13) A final comment. If Yi aficionados think that trigrams would indicate good, average, or bad fortune, they could be using incorrect ideas for the interpretation of Yi prognostications. But how would I know?
8 comments:
Dear Allan,
Thanks very much for your interest in my translation of the Maqian ke, and for writing about it on your blog. I read your comments with considerable interest, though I got the impression that when you say that the hexagrams and fortune indications are correctly or incorrectly attributed to the predictions, you were mainly relying on your own experience and intuition. Would that be correct? As you may have gathered, I’m rather more interested in the scholarship of the Yijing than its use for divination, so I was wondering if there’s any systematic or written method of interpretation backing up your judgement.
Thanks for your suggestion about my researching the timeline of the fortune indications associated with different forms of oracle, which I’d be delighted to take up if I could. Unfortunately, as with the Maqian ke, it’s almost impossible to find securely-dated early printed editions of these things which allow the construction of any sort of timeline, especially from London. I fear this will have to be left for Chinese scholars, probably ones with access to university libraries.
Thanks again, and best wishes,
Steve Moore
Hi Steve,
Welcome!
Though I am not a Zhuge Liang, a Shao Yung, or a Liu Bowen, by any means, there is really no harm for any Yi aficionado in trying to determine what Kongming had seen in and indicated from each accompanying hexagram to his prophecies. Sometimes Yi aficionados could happen to be ‘in tune with the music’, so to speak. And can learn more, especially from a famous personage such as Zhuge Liang. Thanks to your translation, I have already learned a few more things from further reading and analyses.
My related fortune indications table was drawn up based on divination experience (from mid 1970s to 1993) and intuition. It is not really that important since they only serve as indications, but I had initially thought you could have the means (based on your bibliography on the Yijing made available in Yijing Dao) to double check the timeline of their existence. The accompanying hexagrams are relatively more important to the prophecies for those who possess the ability to interpret omens. It is apparent, the Buddhist monk, Shou Yuan, possessed that ability.
Scholarship of the Yijing is fine, but the Ma Qian Ke by Zhuge Liang is probably based on the accompanying Yi hexagrams and therefore any translation thereof has to relate to Yi divinations and their related interpretations.
What Zhuge Liang had seen and indicated in his first quick prophecy, I can also see based on my prior experiences since 1990 with various types of omens and their timing, if any. The Book of Changes has been rather kind to this Yi student over the decades!
Except for the name of Wei Dynasty (the last verse), the first prophecy is relatively straightforward. Zhuge Liang has had used a combination of the hexagram, the trigrams, and also their attributes to interpret this prophecy. (Also see my self-taught method below)
I could write a fuller commentary on it instead of a brief one, if you allow me to use some or all of your translated four verses of this particular prophecy. (Credits will be given) And see if it provides more clarity than the commentary given by Shou Yuan, and possibly something in addition for your Yi scholarly work.
From the accompanying hexagram to the twelfth prophecy, like Kongming, I can also see the coming of the sage (Sheng Ren). In addition, I also see which direction the sage would probably come from. Perhaps Zhuge Liang did not disclose this direction to avoid false claims. After I had disclosed the direction, and other things besides, to my Daoist friend yesterday, he jokingly claimed that he is that particular sage to help China! (To emphasize the point on false claims)
It would not be too far-fetched to say that Zhuge Liang had used the same method that I have found useful for interpreting the omens given by the Book of Changes. This self- taught method is elaborate, since I sometimes use the text, sometimes the images, and at other times, the trigrams’ attributes or a combination, coincidentally like what Kongming did, to interpret omens. Each time, after the required pondering and interpretation, the omen comes across clear as day and unfolds accordingly.
But without first getting the Yi to speak, without the requisite experience, without intuition, and without a touch of spiritual clarity (Shen Ming), I verily doubt any Yi aficionado can use the method or possess the know how to determine the timing, if any. In my opinion, self- taught Yi aficionados would probably have to fulfill all the aforesaid requirements to progress to somewhere near to the predictive power of a Zhuge Liang, a Shao Yong, or a Liu Bowen.
However, since Zhuge Liang did not disclose his method of interpretation in the Ma Qian Ke, my self-taught method shall also remain a secret.
Regards,
Allan
Hi Allan,
Many thanks for taking the time to give me such a lengthy reply. Of course I’d be delighted to see you write a fuller commentary on the first prophecy, or any of the others come to that, and I’ll happily allow you to quote from my translation. I’m very much of the opinion that the best way to increase our knowledge of the Yi is through sharing and cooperation, which is why I made the translation of the Ma Qian Ke freely available on the net and, as you’ll know from the preface, I was very much hoping that someone might be able to step forward and increase our knowledge of the text. The relationship of the hexagrams to the prophecies was one of the problems I was unable to solve myself, so if you can cast any further light on this, then that would be great. I’ll very much look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Still, even though I’m a great admirer of Zhuge Liang, I think it’d take a lot to convince me that he actually wrote the text of the Ma Qian Ke in the 3rd century!
Best,
Steve
Hi Steve,
Thank you for showing some faith on my ability to comment on the Ma Qian Ke prophecies by allowing me free access to quote from your translation.
Hope I would not make a mess, if any, on the commentary. That would be rather embarrassing for not heeding the teachings of Laozi and of Confucius that the ancients were slow to speak.
Therefore, I will only attempt to provide a fuller commentary on the first prophecy in my blog and probably leave the remaining thirteen prophecies for other Yi aficionados to do so. (This also avoids giving free lunches. Please refer to my latest post on that.)
However in the preamble, which could be quite lengthy, to the commentary I will share some of my thoughts with Yi aficionados on how omens can arise and what the ancients said about them. This would probably provide Yi scholars some proof and something to research on.
Trying to convince a Yi scholar without showing any supporting written historical documents as proof could be an exercise in futility!
To appreciate the profound insights and brilliance of Zhuge Liang, one may have to analyze what questions he would have asked before the Book of Changes answered them. Yes, I am quite aware that the questions are not attached. That is why an analysis is required on ‘nothing’, so to speak.
The simplest question, I have always put to the Yi is ‘What is happening?’ whenever I sensed that the Book of Changes want to tell me an omen. A number of the blogged omens arose from this particular line of questioning. If you require proof, besides reading these omens, you can give it a try if you want!
Regards,
Allan
Steve,
On second thoughts and for better presentation in the blog, I would first tackle the full commentary on the prophecy and post the lengthy preamble at a later date. Since the collation of information from the books and online sources together with the gathering of thoughts to write the preamble would probably take several days.
The full commentary to the first prophecy of the Ma Qian Ke will be numbered as post (2). The preamble that appears later will either be numbered as post (1) or treated as such. The flow of thoughts and the logical sequence of the two posts will become obvious by then.
In the accompanying notes to the full commentary I would address some of our concerns. Your comments on the translated verses (in pin yin) may be ‘fine-tuned’. I hope you don’t mind that.
Regards,
Allan
Hi Allan,
First, as I forgot to mention it earlier, I want to say how much I appreciate your courtesy in asking my permission to quote from the Ma Qian Ke translation. As you know, I’m happy to give it, but thanks for asking anyway. Similarly, if you want to present your own ‘fine-tuned’ versions of the verses, then that’s good too. It’ll be interesting to see what changes you want to make, and your reasons for doing so.
Of course I understand why you want to restrict your comments to the first prediction, but that’s no problem. It’ll be your essay, after all, and you should handle it however you feel best, and that includes presenting the preamble in second place, too! Take as long as you like, as well. I spent many months on the Ma Qian Ke (with a gap of several years in the middle!), so I understand how long these things can take.
I’ll look forward to seeing what you have to say, and maybe we can discuss things further then. I’m just glad to see someone picking up the subject and increasing our knowledge of this fascinating text.
Best,
Steve
Alan,
I've been trying to post a lengthy response to your commentary on the first prophecy, but it doesn't seem to want to "publish". Not sure if the problem's at your end or mine, but I notice your latest posting doesn't have a "post a comment" tag. Could you check this out? I don't want this conversation to stop because of a technical fault!
Best wishes,
Steve
Steve,
The post does have a 'comment' tag. Try using Google to post, if all else fails.
However links may not be accepted by blogger.
Regards,
Allan
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