Chapter 24 - The Eight Trigrams Divination

The Eight Trigrams [Pa Kua] are a set of diagrammatic symbols invented by Fu Hsi [the first legendary emperor of China]. The origin of the Chinese written language can be traced to the Pa Kua. The Pa Kua symbols are ch'ian, tui, li, chew, hsun, k'an, ken, and k'un, which correspond to trigrams made up of combinations of three broken or unbroken lines. Ch'ien is three unbroken lines, tui is two unbroken lines under a broken line, li is one broken line between two unbroken lines, chew is one unbroken line under two broken lines, hsun is one broken line under two unbroken lines, k'an is one unbroken line between two broken lines, ken is two broken lines under an unbroken line, and k'un is three broken lines.

The objects symbolized by the eight trigrams are: ch'ian=heaven; tui=watery exhalations (vapors); li=fire; chen=thunder; hsun=wind; k'an=water (rivers and lakes); ken=mountain; kun=earth.

The combination of any two of these trigrams into diagrams of six lines each, later gave rise to the sixty-four hexagrams which are used for divination. The term "Pien Kua" refers to changes or new developments in an event that is predestined. Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States taught me that, before making any divination, I need to wash my hands, light an incense, and chant the following,

"In prostration, I invite the founders of the Pa Kua system: Fu Hsi, King Wen, Duke of Chou, Confucius, the Five Sages, the Ghost Valley Immortal, the P'ai Kua Tung Tzu, and the Ch'eng Kua Tung Lang. Disciple Lian Shen of the Three Purities School, now practicing the Primordial Ultimate Correct Dharma, respectfully invites the deity on duty and all deities travelling through this space, to provide me, from one of the sixty-four hexagrams, a prognostication of the matter on hand."

To generate the hexagram, prepare three gold coins. Place the first coin in a special divination box and toss it in the air. Determine which side lands face up. Follow this procedure with the second and then the third coin. The engraved side of the coin is yang (an unbroken line) while the reverse side is yin (a broken line). The lower trigram is determined first, followed by the upper trigram. When the two trigrams are put together, one obtains one of the sixty four hexagrams. There is an even simpler method using rice. After placing a tray of rice in front of the shrine, one first lights an incense stick and chants a prayer. One then uses two fingers to pick up some rice grains. One grain of rice indicates the trigram "ch'ian" and three grains of rice indicate the trigram "hi." If there are more than eight grains, then the number eight is subtracted from the total. For example, when one picks up ten grains, one subtracts eight from ten. The result is two or the trigram "tui." If, on the second attempt, one obtains five grains, it would be "hsun." The first attempt produces the lower trigram while the second attempt provides the upper trigram. If one picks up three grains of rice (li = fire) the first time, and five grains of rice (hsun = wind) the second time, the result is the hexagram called "The Family" (Wind above, Fire below). There are other divining methods using a Chinese chess set or a Go chess set. They are similar to the rice method. The Chinese chess set method is unique in that the different pieces (general, bodyguard, chancellor, chariot, horse, cannon, and pawn) can be used to foretell the fate of a business or career. I have also learned how to use rocks, flowers, stars, dreams, and the Chinese characters to make divinations. All of the above divination methods can be described as one aspect of the study of the psychics. In fact, in these divination methods, one is inviting the deities in the realm of the spirits to lend some of their invisible power to help one predict the future. The Pa Kua method is a high form of divination art employed in the I Ching. Its ability to make a prognostication of the future should not be underestimated. Whether one employs the Pa Kua divination using rice or chess pieces, one must pay attention to the following points:

1) The selection of time.
The quietest hour in a day is neither noon nor midnight, but around four in the morning. At that hour, most people are deep in their dreams, and the impure air that has been churning throughout the day has finally settled down. At six o'clock, housewives will get up and begin cooking, and the smell of food being prepared will begin to spread into the atmosphere. That is why some Buddhists propose that the chanting of the Surangama-mantra be done at 4 a.m.. Four in the morning is also the best time for making divination. At this pure and quiet moment, when all surrounding activities have come to a halt and only the lights from the stars are faintly discernible, one can tune into the realm of the psychic and completely divulge the problem one has in mind. When one tunes into the center of all phenomena, there will be a flash of intuition, and the outcome of any endeavor can easily be determined.

2) Sincerity produces the most effective result.
Divination is not child's play and should be approached with the utmost sincerity. It is best to keep a vegetarian diet, rinse one's mouth, and wash one's hands, before lighting the incense. This seriousness and sincerity will move the deities to descend and inspire one to make the right divination. My attempts at divination are always carried out in honest sincerity. When I manoeuver my soul to the spiritual realm in an attempt to communicate with the higher beings who are crossing my path, they always respond with sparkling lights, and I immediately obtain an accurate answer to my question.

3) The selection of a locale.
Divination is best carried out in the open air. If it must be indoors, in front of a shrine is next best. Looking out of a window that is inside a study room would be the third choice, if one does not have a shrine. Avoid making divinations in a bedroom, kitchen, or bathroom.

4) Accessories for the divination may include a pair of candles (omit if it is windy), three cups of fragrant tea, a censer, three or five pieces of fruit, and the divination box. Once I promised to help a visitor find out if his mother would recover from an illness.

That night before I went to bed, I prepared everything for the divination. At around four a.m., I was awakened by the alarm clock. I got out of bed, walked outside the house, lit an incense, and prayed to the realm of the spirits. After placing the incense in the center, I manoeuvered the soul inside my body. Suddenly, I discovered a swirl of dark shadow prostrating under the table. Taken aback, I quickly asked, "Who is that under the table?"

"I am the deceased woman, Chang Pi Chu."

When I heard her name, I realized that she was the subject of my divination tonight!

"When did you pass away? Why did you come here?" I inquired.

"This morning at 2:00 a.m., my soul struggled and became detached from the body. I was in a trance when suddenly someone called out my name. I followed the sound and came here. Then I saw the octagonal mirror on the table. The light from the mirror was so strong that I became afraid. That was why I hid myself under the table. I wonder how you know the date of my birth?"

"Your family has asked me to make a divination to inquire whether you can recover from your illness. There is no need for that now. You should leave as your family is probably arranging for the monks to chant the Buddhist sutras for you now!" The soul floated away from under the table and disappeared around the enclosing wall.

The next day, I found out from her family that she had indeed, passed away at 2:00 a.m....

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