Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

神數

“Shen Shu”, Spirit Numbers 337-360

Numbers
1-24
25-48
49-72
73-96
97-120
121-144
145-168
169-192
193-216
217-240
241-264
265-288
289-312
313-336
337-360
361-384

337 Destiny

萬事不由人計較
一生盡是命安排
莫疑猜
命裡有時總有分
何須碌碌混塵埃

You can’t haggle about everything
One’s life is entirely planned by destiny
Do not doubt
In the end you will have your share
if you are destined to have it
Scurrying around unnecessarily
stirs up the dust

-

  The measure of what you can achieve is within yourself. How you fare compared to someone else is not important. Instead of contending it is better to concentrate on doing and to put all your powers and talents into it. Then your accomplishments will be your own and worthy of your pride.

*

338 One single plan

一片憂心未肯休
花蓬春雨艷難留
得意歸休
失意歸休
仙家只此一籌謀

A small anxious heart is not yet ready to stop
For flowers it is difficult to stay beautiful
in the spring rain
Proud of oneself one takes a leave for rest
Disappointed one takes a leave for rest
The immortals only plan and prepare once

-

  Some things simply happen, and it is useless to fight against them, like fighting the rain or fighting time. If you cannot accept the flow of life it will just exhaust you. Do your best to reckon with it when you make plans but leave it at that. It is how the immortals manage to live so healthy and so long.
  一片 Small: one slice.

*

339 Two yin one yang

兩女一夫
上下相袪
陰氣乘陽
用是耗虛

Two women and one man
Above and below drive each other away
Yin energy takes advantage of yang
Therefore consuming it and emptying it

-

  When someone tries to take charge without the necessary power or wisdom, everything will deteriorate. The same happens when natural followers don’t acknowledge a born leader. When the need to appoint a ‘boss’ arises, it is a sign that the natural and harmonious order has been disrupted.

*

340 A pair of swallows *

雙燕歸南國
來尋王謝家
華堂春晝靜
造此托生涯

A pair of swallows returns to the south of the country
They come to seek the home of the Wang and Xie families
The magnificent halls are silent in the spring days
This place used to support their livelihood.

-

  Nature gives and nature takes. Human creations are temporary, even fame which lasts for centuries will fade eventually. Nature is timeless, she works in cycles. She takes back what had its time but supports everything which follows cycles. Imitate her whenever possible.
   燕 Swallow also means pleasure.
   This poem is about the swallows of Wang and Xie

*

341 Lamentation

命運蹇兮時違
災殃及兮身疲
望皇天兮不我顧
嗟我親兮病斯危

Destiny is obstructed - the time is averse
Calamity and disaster - my body is exhausted
I gaze upon Heaven - it does not look after me
I am sighing dearest one - sick and therefore a danger

-

  Find the real cause of things. Complaining is only useful to make things visible. Once they are, then recognize what is really happening and take the right measures. Some things are beyond your grasp, but other things can be handled by you. Maybe it will not save you, but it will save your honor.
  Full moon or: looking up at the ancestors.

*

342 Master Liu *

採藥天臺路轉迷
桃花流水賦佳期
春風啼鳥多情思
寄語劉郎且莫歸

Gathering medicinal herbs in Tiāntāi, I was lost at a turn of the road
Peach blossoms and flowing water compose a beautiful moment
In the spring breeze many singing birds make you think of love
Pass on the message that Master Liú will not return for the time being

-

  When you have a wonderful encounter or find yourself in a beautiful place, then don’t blindly answer to habit or duty. Is this important enough to forsake those habits and duties for the time being? This moment will not return, if you let it go, it is gone. What is most important to you?
  Identical to LingQiJing 334.
  This poem is about Liu An and Tiantai

*

343 The ferry of salvation

出溫入寒
被薄衣單
去我慈航
難解橫愆

Coming from the warmth into the cold
Clad only in thin clothes
I go to the ferry of salvation
It is hard to solve flagrant mistakes<

-

  Sometimes life is so hard, or mistakes so big, that the only solution can be found in what is bigger than the everyday world. Where guilt returns to before the end of innocence, and life is a gift instead of a burden. Close to the origin of all values, to eternal gods and symbols and rituals.
  慈航 boat of love, 〈Budd.〉 the ferry of salvation

*

344 Self-sufficiency

三五三口
放在一斗
滿而溢
子自得

Small amounts
Put them in a bowl
Full and even overflowing
Self-sufficiency

-

  Small steps can cover long distances, small amounts can grow into large quantities. If you master the art of letting the small work for you, you can survive most anything or anywhere. It can be done with things, with words, with feelings, with gestures. Many small things become one sturdy big thing.

*

345 Home

誰說故鄉無滋味
飄零湖海在天涯
任咨嗟
中秋月隱
春雨淋
花多謝
征人長憶家

Who says that a home town has no flavor
Drifting about alone across lakes and seas
to the far corners of the earth
You’re allowed to sigh
At mid-autumn the moon is hiding
In spring rain is pouring
Many flowers wither
Travelers on a long journey
always remember home

-

  As long as everything is easy, being far from home might be no problem. When trouble hits, people are nasty or the weather is awful, then suddenly home seems so beautiful. Or the other way around, you long for home and ‘far-away’ begins to look gloomy. Home has its own special place in your heart.
  天涯 heaven's border. Drifting about: the fade and fall of leaves.
  中秋 mid-autumn (Festival).

*

346 One arrow

雲散月當空
牛前馬後逢
張弓方抵禦
一箭定前功

The clouds disperse and the moon is high in the sky
When the ox in front and the horse behind meet each other
Stretch the bow and support the defense
In the past one arrow decided the result

-

  When people have to leave the plow and saddle up for war, they need very different skills in order to succeed both in fighting and in surviving. So widen your skills beyond the ones you need for what you do now. When circumstances change, and they always will, you should be ready.
  Or: You meet in front of the cows and behind the horses.
Another possibility: when the fast horsemen and the slower footmen meet: the army gathered and ready for battle.

*

347 Everything has its measure

馬進徐行似有程
月沈西海口東升
運來何必勞心力
風送江湖萬里清

Horseback riding and strolling
each have their measure
The moon sinks in the western sea
and the sun rises in the east
When fortune aligns why trouble yourself
with mental or physical effort
The wind escorts you
over a great distance of clear rivers and lakes

-

  No need to ponder or worry about things which move along in their own pace. It is useless to make them speed up or change course. The more you go along with them, the more peace you will find. Things will go smooth if you allow both yourself and them to move at their own pace.

*

348 A gentleman does not hate

雲橫山際水茫茫
千里長途望故鄉
蹇厄事來君莫恨
倚門惆悵立斜陽

Clouds transverse and mountains divide
waters are indistinct
From far away you long for your hometown
When obstruction or disaster comes
a gentleman does not hate
Or lean on the gate sad and dejected in the
slanting rays of the setting sun

-

  As long as your emotions and surroundings govern you, they dictate your moods. If all things are to you like the clouds, they exist without changing your emotions. When they affect your moods, you are alone, when they don’t, you are part of all there is. It is less exciting, but it will be larger and all yours.

*

349 A quiet stream

風波今已息
舟楫遇安流
自此功名遂
何須歎白頭

Now wind and waves already stop
Boat and oar pass a quiet stream
From then on honor and rank succeed
You do not need to sigh about old age

-

  When things take a turn for the better, then turn with them, concentrate on the future and don’t look to the past anymore. If you carry regrets or worries with you into this new time, you will just interfere. Good fortune is not only outside, it is very much inside yourself as well.
  舟楫 Boat and oar can also mean capable assistants.
  風波 Wind and waves: disturbances.

*

350 Swift like the wind

已到平安地
江山萬里程
綠揚芳草處
風快馬蹄輕

Anxious to arrive in a safe and sound land
Rivers and mountains for thousands of miles
Green fragrant herbs swaying
Your nimble-hooved horse
is swift like the wind

-

  If you are in a place where you are not happy, then do anything you need to do to reach better pastures. The stronger your wish, the faster and farther you will be able to go. The place where you are will affect a large part of your life. So tackle the dangers, endure the hardships, it’s worth it.

*

351 Vulture and hawk

鵑鶚當秋勢轉雄
乘風分翼到蟾宮
榮華若問將來事
先後名聲達九重

In autumn the powers of vulture and hawk
turn imposing
Riding the wind with wide spreading wings
toward the toad’s palace
If you ask about glory and splendor in the future
Successively your fame will extend nine fold

-

  A prediction of unparalleled success. There is a ‘but’ though - you need to get the timing right, and you need to put all your energy into it. There is no success without a reason for it, and this time it is certainly not just a lucky strike. So, go for it, soar as high as you can get, may sky and moon assist you.
  Identical to Lingqijing 023.

*

352 Cat and mouse

鼠為患
終宵不得甯
貓兒一叫
幾夜太平
人豈識如獸
其理甚分明

Mice troubling you the entire time
All night not granting you peace
One mewl of a kitten
Several nights of peaceful tranquility
How can people not tell apart these beasts
Their features are very distinct

-

  If there is trouble, then find the right remedy or helper. It takes experience or insight to distinguish between the people or things which cause problems and the ones you need for solving problems. Finding the right one and discarding the wrong one is up to you.
  Features: 理 principles

*

353 “dé, achieve”

兩人在旁
太陽在上
照汝一寸心
仙機曾否明

Two people at the side
Sunshine from above
Shining on a one-inch heart
The suggestions of the old immortals were not bright

-

  This is a character-riddle rather than a useful answer. It is like that sometimes. The oracle gives an answer, an image, even a meaning, but it is not possible to draw any understanding from it. So the only thing you can do is what it literally says: achieve. Do what you should do, and do it well.
  This verse is about the character 得 'achieving': move + sun + inch.
  仙機 The prophetic or suggestion made by a god.

*

354 Smart merchants

君子道消
小人道長
陰氣鬱鬱
陽氣不揚
如何如何
良賈深藏

Gentleman’s Dao is disappearing
Petty people’s Dao is growing
Yin’s energy is lush
Yang’s energy is plain
What to do what to do
Smart merchants don’t show off

-

  Adapt to the time. Sometimes strong action works, other times careful planning or hiding is better. Choosing the wrong attitude might even be dangerous, especially when being conspicuous calls up suspicion. Take the safe course when in doubt, not calling too much attention to yourself.
  良Smart, good, intuïtive.

*

355 Destination

去到長安
東北轉角
逢著天門
便有下落

Go to Cháng’ān
On a North-eastern streetcorner
You come right upon the gate
of the Heavenly Palace
And that is the place to be

-

  If you have a dream, then find out where to search for its realization. Consult an oracle, ask your intuition. Or go for a pilgrimage, a real one or in your imagination or on a divination board. When your mind finds itself in unfamiliar places, you will encounter clues, help and inspiration.
  長安 Cháng'ān: capital of China in the Han/Tang dynasties.

*

356 Healing herbs

徐少人天台
為見好消息
採藥有仙童
洞府列春色

Slowly walking into Tiāntāi
For information to get better
There is a recluse collecting healing herbs
His abode surrounded by spring scenery

-

  Good fortune needs your efforts to come to fruition, you cannot sit back and expect miracles. If you need anything, or something went wrong, then do something about it. Help yourself or find the right help, and the gods will join in. They will open your intuition and give suggestions or hunches.

*

357 Just do it

思量一夜
不如打幹一番
若還錯
煩惱及肺肝

Turning it over in your mind during one night
Is inferior to carrying out one work
In addition it appears to be a mistake
Irritation and anger reach lungs and liver

-

  There is a big difference between thinking and worrying. Thinking about a problem can be useful, worry never is. It pulls you down and takes your energy away. Overrule dark thoughts by doing something which engages your mind. Even small chores are an effective remedy against worries.

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358 Focus

心細膽粗
可勝上將之任
勇往前行
成敗何必在心
胸中把持得定
敵人自能受困

Being careful and brave
You can succeed in a general’s position
Advance courageously
Why concern your mind with success or failure
It is the heart which secures focus
The enemy will have a hard time

-

  Success depends on skills like courage, intelligence, authority and the ability to oversee a situation. But one of the most important skills is the art of concentration. To focus on a goal, on a wish, or on a duty. The relentless pursuit which never falters. It makes the difference between good and best.

*

359 Heaven cares

天念苦修人
終不落紅塵
清心能見道
擾擾喪真靈

Heaven cares for people who practice asceticism
So they don’t end up fading away
in the world of human society
Then they have peace of mind and can see Dao
In disturbance one loses one’s true spirit

-

  It seems for asceticism one has to give up a lot. Most people don’t know that the rewards are much larger than anything lost. Heaven gives those who serve it intangible jewels, insight in many things unknown to others, peace of mind, deep happiness, and the truth of their Dao.

*

360 Fish on the mountain

捕兕於淵
求魚於山
從朝至暮
功負力捐
改弦易轍
庶可圖全

Catching rhinos in deep waters
Seeking fish on mountains
From morning till dusk
Achievements get lost and strengths are abandoned
Change course
You have the ability to complete numerous plans

-

  If you don’t have any strategy in your undertakings, they will amount to naught. Working hard is fine, but you need a direction and a sensible road to reach a goal. So, use your brain, get information, gather what you need, look at possibilities, all before you start and from there right to the end.

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