Xue Wen and Zhi Shi

There are two terms in Chinese that people usually cannot distinguish. They are:

Xue Wen 學問 - learn and ask
Zhi Shi 知識 - know and understand.

The latter can be translated as knowledge but the former has no English equivalent. This term is also interesting in the order of the two words Xue 學 coming before Wen 問. That is to say, you have to learn before you ask. Isn't it the right order?

A lot of people ask questions before they learn. When they take a course and encounter difficulty in reading the course book, they ask immediately. This is not the right thing to do because they ask without first learning. The term is Xue Wen and not Du Wen 讀問 (read and ask). The reason why you should learn before you ask is because by doing so, you will understand the answer much better. Sometimes, you don't even have to ask because you will find the answer yourself even though it may not be explicitly given in the textbook. This is the way I learn and therefore also the way I teach.

The other term is Zhi Shi (know and understand). Knowledge is not just something you know. It must be something you understand. What you know is just information given to you. From books and the internet, you can get information but not knowledge. Information can be transformed into knowledge through learning and asking. Of course whether this is successful will depend on the information provider and the knowledge acquirer.

JY

Four Pillars 四柱

"Bazi 八字" is the abbriviated term used to mean the more academic term "Si Zhu Tui Ming Shu 四柱推命術". The term "Four Pillars" is the translation of "Si Zhu 四柱" and is, in fact, more picturesque.

Each year, month, day and hour is represented by a binomial of Tian Gan 天干 and Di Zhi 地支 which is to be distinguished as their functions and implications are different. We can say that one is the more visible part while the other is the more important background. Each part can represent a person/people or a situation/event.

The natal chart tells us the spiritual structure of a person, his character and the likely limits of achievement. This is largely influenced by the 10 year Pillar and each 1 year Pillar that comes after the person's birth. This accounts for the new environment and people the person will meet.

It is quite obvious that the character of the person leads to the probable reaction to what he encounters. However, we must not forget that education and experience can change the character of a person. This is why there is a part of life that we can control. In Chinese, there is a saying "人定勝天" (Man can surely win over Heaven). This does not mean that Human force can beat Heavenly force. It tells us that we can change the outcome of a situation brought to us by Heaven through our determination and effort.

Heaven can decide what to give us but cannot determine how we react and thus the outcome.



JY

What we face and our reaction

The link brings you to an insightful pps file:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/t6xvht

The author is Stephen Covey.

No matter whether it is life reading or divination, what is revealed is the 10% - things that are going to happen to you. The outcome depends on the other 90% - how you react to the things happening to you.

If we know the 10% that is beyond our control, we can plan the best reaction to get the most favourable outcome. This is the value of life reading and divination.

If you are the coach of a football team, divination about the game will give you the analysis of what your team is facing. Whether your team will win depends on how your team reacts. If you are just an onlooker, since you do not know how the team reacts, your divination will not tell you the outcome. If Qi Men Dun Jia is used, then it also reveals whether the coach is doing the right thing as well. However, QMDJ is not really divination treated as communication between the diviner and Heaven. It is the analysis of the multi-dimensional field of qi. It may cover much more than 10% as the probable reaction is also revealed in the study.

JY

Over the Rainbow

A double rainbow

Yin and Yang and Life

In Feng Shui, we do not deal with "dead" yin and yang. We are interested in how yin and yang intercourse 陰陽交媾 to generate life. It is inappropriate to try to create a rigid definition even when we compare two parts of a picture to see which part is yin and which part is yang. Rather, we can use models to help appreciate the concept.

The flower and the bee - which is yin, which is yang?

The bee is the one in action to make pollination a success. Therefore, the bee is yang while the flower is yin, right?

However, the flower sends out the message to attract the bee and is actually the one that initiates the action. The bee only responds to the message to come over. Therefore, the flower is yang while the bee is yin, right?

This is an example illustrating the teaching in

Qing Nang Jing:
Yang originates from yin. Yin breeds yang. Heaven follows form. Earth is attached to qi. This is what is known as the origin of transformation.

陽本陰 陰育陽 天依形 地附氣 此之謂化始 — 青囊經

JY

No movement, no divination 不动不占

The word "movement" points at the movement of the mind (heart). When nothing bothers one's mind, there is to be no divination.

When someone is bothered by something, his mind sends a strong message to the Universe, which is considered an "intelligent entity" in metaphysics. The Universe will send back a reply of guidance. A diviner is someone who can pick up the message and is versed in interpreting the message. It is, however, not fortune-telling.

A journalist asked me whether I have divined for the outcome of the lawsuit over Nina Wang's estate. As I am not interested in who will win the lawsuit, there is no movement in my mind. Therefore, I cannot do the divination. If either party requests me to do the divination, then the message is strong as there is movement of the mind of the enquirer. However, as I am an expert witness in this litigation, I cannot be the diviner because an expert witness is not supposed to do anything in favour of any party. To divine on behalf of someone is to ask the Universe to give guidance to the enquirer. Therefore, an expert witness cannot divine for any party.

It is a common mistake to view divination as disclosing the outcome. It is, in fact, not a game to satisfy one's curiosity. Divination is to ask for guidance from the Universe to obtain a favourable outcome.

JY

Teaching in Moscow

Here are some photos taken during my recent teaching tour in Moscow.