Chapter 1 of 135
星平会海
All people receive their nature from the principles of heaven and earth, and their physical form from the energy of heaven and earth. 🌱 Though nature is the same and form is similar, destiny should logically also be the same. Yet in reality, wealth and poverty, honor and low status, longevity and short life vary immensely. Is it that heaven intentionally shows favoritism or stinginess? Or is it caused by humans themselves? In truth, it is neither. This is because although human form and nature are alike, each individual’s Five Elements destiny principles differ. Thus, Confucius did not attain high rank, Li Guang was not enfeoffed as a marquis, Yan Hui, who ought to have lived long, died young, while the robber Zhi, who deserved a short life, lived long. What intention does heaven have? What can humans do? Some say: Heaven is not involved, humans are not involved—I originally believed this. But why then does the theory of destiny exist today? I have often seen fortune-tellers predict that someone would be wealthy yet they end their lives in poverty, or declare someone lowly yet they eventually achieve prominence. Is the theory of destiny then also illusory? Again, not so. Ending in poverty is because the destiny principle originally indicated poverty and low status; achieving prominence is because the destiny principle originally indicated wealth and honor. As the book says: A destiny full of conflicts will lead to short-lived wives and concubines; a destiny destined for nobility will inevitably produce children who pass the imperial examinations. So-called fortune-tellers’ predictions can sometimes be wrong; fortune-tellers’ judgments can also be biased. This is not because destiny principles are vague, but because books on destiny have not been truly transmitted, and errors have been passed down.
Though I have been in the world for many years, I too have not avoided the flaws of erroneous predictions and biased judgments, which deeply troubles my heart. 🌬 Fortunately, while traveling at Wudang Mountain, I met Teacher Xiayang. Through day and night discussions, he took out a book from his sleeve titled The Complete Book of Destiny Studies. After respectfully reading it, I saw that its explanations of Zi Ping destiny principles and the logic of retention and allocation were as clear as the sun and moon in the sky, no less insightful than Zui Xingzi. Its discussions of the Five Stars destiny principles and the theories of delay, retention, opposition, and retrograde were like Confucius’s saying “look at this,” surpassing even the ancient works of Yi Xing, Yelü, the Qintang Guide, Yaban Qiao'ao Luluan, and Guolao’s Yanqin. Scholars who obtain this book for destiny analysis, I believe, will find its pronouncements on wealth and poverty, honor and low status, fortune and misfortune, all to be remarkably accurate. How could there still be erroneous predictions or biased judgments?
I originally intended to keep this book secret. However, due to repeated pleas from the publisher, I had no choice but to have it printed and published, and I temporarily attributed it to Guan Chengzi at the front. Respectfully written by Yunyang Zhu Huilong, a disciple of Yangcheng Ruchuan in Hongdu.
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