Jade Chest of Treasure

By Sheng Bau

This book is an English translation of the ancient Mongolian prediction manual called Jade Chest of
Treasure (Erdeniyn Has Haircag). The book has been used in the herdsmen household on the Mongolian
grassland spreading over Northeast Asia. The manual covers astrology, numerology, omenology and divina-
tion as used by herdsmen of the steppes. The original was in four books which are now translated into a
single volume with some omission.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: May 29, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477108185

Sheng Bau

Sheng Bau was born in eastern Inner Mongolia in 1959. He received an MSc and a PhD in mathematics from the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand in 1988 and in 1991 respectively. He works as a professor of mathematics in the School of Mathematics, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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Copyright © 2012 by Sheng Bau.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Contents

Preface

Book 1

Constellations

Wedlock Wheel

Book 2

Deities

Elements And Constellations

Deities For The Sixty Appellations

Eight Houses

Auspicious Or Inauspicious Wedlocks

Mother-Child Relations

Years Of Man And Wife

Book 3

Kongming’s Predictions

Omen Of Months

Miscellaneous Omens

The Upper-Middle-Lower Prediction

Ariyabol Divination

Lost Items

Heaven’s Gate

Nine Emblems Of The Sixty Years

Elements Of Seasons

Nomads Of Seasons

Eight Trigrams (Houses)

Book 4

Essences And Elements

Years And Constellations

Months

Remarks

PREFACE

The ancient Mongolian book Jade Chest of Treasure is meant to be a manual for prediction which is a collection of prediction methods and texts known to the original author(s)/compiler(s)/editor(s).

There was a family version of the book before the cultural revolution. The book was buried near a fruit tree by my father just as he felt that it might be a target of the red guards of Mao, found by the red guards later and destroyed in flames in early winter of 1967, the second year of the evil and accursed cultural revolution of China. In 2007, I found a new print of the book from a private bookshop in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia during one of my short visits. After reading it, it occurs that this printed version is as authentic as the old version that belonged to my family. A translation into English would no doubt preserve its content.

Jade Chest is a prediction manual used by Mongolian herdsmen who reside in present day Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of China. The book existed as manuscript copies since 17th century and in early 20th century several printed versions appeared. Parts of the book was transmitted through oral tradition from generation to generation, parts of the book was extracts from a book entitled Ganjuur, generally addressing metaphysical revelations of nature. The book differs greatly from the Chinese classic of the same title Notes in a Jade Chest by Yang Tianshi, which contains passages exclusively of omen reading.

The title of the book, Jade Chest of Treasure, might suggest the way in which the original of the book was kept: in a chest made of jade. No one knows now, but one may speculate that when the four books kept in the chest were transformed into manually copied versions, the title Jade Chest of Treasure was adopted. In Mongolian it says: Image21992.PNG Xac Image21998.PNG ¹ This is the reason for the title of my English translation.

The reason for an English translation is not that I recommend this book highly to interested academics or practitioners, but that an English translation might stand a chance of preservation of this cultural relic. In the translation I use a modest and neutral tone, preserving the content but not exactly the linguistic subtleties peculiar to semi-classical Mongolian of the steppes. Different versions in different parts of Inner Mongolia also differed in linguistic idioms and styles. This may be due to the mode of transmission as manuscript copies prior to printed versions. A neutral translation atoning with modern everyday English may therefore be justified. One advantage of this is that it is easier on the readers part, and another is that a more or less untainted content should be preserved in English.

The editorship of the new edition I found from a private bookshop is anonymous. It may be conjectured that this is due to the fear of another cultural suppression as that during the cultural revolution of China, as stable or unstable as its society may seem from abroad. The book is just a cultural relic from times past and from a nomadic steppe people. The preservation of a little cultural relic does not seem to do any harm to any society. On the other hand, there is a keen interest in recent times in eastern mythology. Chinese mythology and ancient texts are widely studied in the West. Cultural relics of other peoples of Asia, particularly those of northeast Asia are not well studied. This is amazing for an age with modern computers, internet and information technology.

Here comes, therefore, a translation of this (indeed part of this) ancient classic as transmitted through households and people instead of formal publication or strong propaganda of a state.

The commentary produced in footnote size fonts and illustrations are my own additions.

Friends and acquaintances often ask whether I believe in divination. My answer is usually no. But I do make use of predictions. The future is neither completely known nor completely concealed. Predictions that give any hint about future events is useful in human actions and decisions.

Medical or retirement insurances are common practice in modern time. There also exist a wide range of other systems and mechanisms designed against contingencies. Systems and organizations exist which take advantage of indeterminacy of future. Most philosophers think that risk aversion is a rational preference of man. A manual for divination and for predication has almost the same aim. This is probably why a manual such as Jade Chest survived through bumps and pits of time. I make use of the manual often, just as I also make use of the Chinese classic prediction manual Zhou Yi. As I have already mentioned earlier in this preface, the reason of a translation and publication is to preserve and disseminate a little bit of cultural relic that has been used through time by Mongolian and Jurjin people of the north Asian steppe. Another reason would be that this translation may be useful for academics and scholars in the West who investigate culture and mythology of the East, that is not completely the same as the Chinese which is very well studied and documented.

Prediction manuals must have appeared among nomadic farming nations as parts of calendarical almanac. In the case of northeast Asian people such as Mongolians and Jurjins (Manchu), the cultural and religious interactions between Chinese, Mongolian, Manju and Tibetan cultures resulted in a great mixture of divination and prediction methods and manuals. The influence of the Chinese, particularly Taoist mythology made an impact of direct application of predictions to military and practical ends. On the other hand, the Buddhist influence is directed at idealistic applications of directing and improving human ethics and behaviour. It may be conjectured that the famous Chinese Zhou Yi, usually known as I Ching in the West, may have resulted from, or at least been influenced by, an orally transmitted nomadic prediction manual referred to as Crane Divination. Even long before 17th century, during 13th century Yuan dynasty, a great amount of interaction occurred between Buddhism and Crane Divination. Hence, bearing a close relation to Zhou Yi and probably even more ancient Crane, Jade Chest is a divination manual based on the modular formalisms of five elements, 28 constellations, 7 planets, 8 trigrams, 60 pronounciations, 9 emblems, 24 seasonal divisions, 12 months, 10 trunks, 12 branches. The manual aims to provide advises regarding observation of days, observation of potentials of years, adoption of cattle, sowing of seeds, wedding, building of walls or citadels, burial, measuring and cutting of garments, bringing of books and scriptures, reading, legal documents and seals, gathering, feasting and partying, making offerings, initiation of trips and travels, hunting, joining the army, marching to war, and travel.

I thank friends and colleagues who encouraged and understood during the preparation of the English translation of Jade Chest. I thank in particular, expert in Chinese culture and classics, Professor Edward Shaugnessy of Chicago University for his encouragement and comments concerning the translation. I thank my colleagues in mathematics departments of Fuzhou University, University of the Witwatersrand and Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences for their friendship.

I thank my daughters Nandi, Christine and Marilyn for their help in entering and checking the table entries in the translation. I thank my wife Hairong for her love and support.

Sheng Bau

Johannesburg, South Africa

May 8, 2012

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BOOK 1

Constellations

Girdig Fire. Encounter of prospering of Atiya fire.

Margasar Air. Encounter of great force of air of the Angarag fire.

Bornawas Air. Auspicious destiny encounter of Baragsbadi air.

Asalig Water. Encounter of the day light of Sanitsar earth.

Borwapalguni Fire. Encounter of death of Somya and water.

Hasda Air. Encounter of incompatibility of Bodi water and air water.

Sowadi Air. Encounter of non encounter of Shugar earth and air earth.

Anurad Earth. Encounter of burning of Atiya earth and fire earth.

Rowagini Earth. Encounter of Somya water and water earth.

Ardir Earth. Encounter of Bodi water and earth water.

Bus Fire. Encounter of burning of Shugar earth and fire earth.

Meg Fire. Encounter of prospering of Atiya fire and two fires.

Odirpalguni Air. Encounter of forceful Angarag fire and air fire.

Zedra Air. Auspicious destiny encounter of Baragsbadi air.

Shushag Fire. Encounter of burning of Sanitsar earth and fire earth.

Zesda Earth. Encounter of Somya water and earth.

Mol Water. Encounter of death of Angarag fire and fire.

Odarsad Earth. Encounter of non encounter of Baragsbadi air and earth air.

Shirwan Water. Rough encounter of Sanitsar earth and water earth. Sadabis Water. Encounter of Somya water and water fountain.

Odirabadarbad Water. Encounter of Bidi water and fountain of two waters.

Ashuwani Air. Encounter of incompatibility of Shugar earth and air earth.

Borwasad Water. Encounter of Bodi water and the fountain of two waters.

Abiz Earth. Encounter of forming of Sadi of Shugar earth and two earths.

Danisda Earth. Encounter of burning of Atiya fire and earth fire.

Borwabadirbad Fire. Encounter of prospering of Angarag fire and two fires.

Riwadi Water. Encounter of incompatibility of Baragsbad air.

Brani Fire. Encounter of burning of Sanitsar earth and fire earth.

Explanations

1. Encounter of prospering of two fires: beneficial for all prosperous acts such as house and court building, seed sowing, making offerings, and making or building sources and foundations of things.

2. Encounter of fountain of two waters: beneficial for gathering, harvesting, reading the scriptures, longevity rituals and marriage (taking wife).

3. Encounter of Sadi forming of two earth: beneficial for building temples and churches and religious establishments, performing beneficial acts and settlements.

4. Encounter of two airs: beneficial for all affairs of compassion and mercy such as fulfilment of wishes, promises, and benefits and charity.

5. Encounter of Atar of water and earth: beneficial for all affairs of celebration and party such as age rites, pleasures, wearing new garments, decorations and pleasant gatherings.

6. Auspicious encounter of air and fire: beneficial for auspicious encounters, life deity rites, worship of heaven and gods and reading.

7. Encounter of incompatibility of air and earth: meeting with the thieves and pirates, fetching, grabbing and arresting.

8. Encounter of incompatibility of water and air: beneficial for affairs such as divorce, parting and wrong-doings.

9. Encounter of burning of fire and earth: beneficial for initiating suffering, initiation of war and subduing of enemies, suppression of antagonists.

10. Encounter of death of fire and water: beneficial for shortening of life, subduing and suppression of others, insult an curse making and making of poisons.

Acts of the Constellations

1. Girdig constellation: seal taking, worshipping, offering, erection of temples and pagodas, act of brutality, learning of skills, building of new houses.

2. Anarad constellation: if a garment is tailored it will perish in fire, if a girl is born no matrimony,