Prediction of Changes

By Sheng Bau

This book is intended as a detailed guide to hexagram prediction method using the ancient Chinese classic Book of Changes (Zhou Yi). This writing provides explanations of most of what is called hexagram prediction using the six lines of a hexagram. The author gives information on methods of casting a hexagram, on the use of a cast hexagram to perform a divination, on the use of six relatives, on the use of trunks and branches and on the use of roles of the lines of a hexagram.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Oct 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479725328

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.

Book preview

PREDICTION

OF CHANGES

Sheng Bau

Copyright © 2012 by Sheng Bau.

ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4797-2531-1

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4797-2532-8

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.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

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305048

Contents

PREFACE

1      HEXAGRAM PREDICTION

1.1    The Book of Changes

1.2    Hexagram Casting

1.3    Configurations

1.4    Hexagrams

1.5    Passed Down Sequential Order

1.6    Houses of Hexagrams

1.7    Naming Scheme

2      ELEMENTS

2.1    Essences

2.2    Elements and Orders

2.3    Celestial Trunks

2.4    Terrestrial Branches

3      PHASES

3.1    Elemental Phases

3.2    Integer Congruences

4      PILLARS

4.1    Pillars as Relatives

4.2    Assistance and Obstruction

5      HEXAGRAMS

5.1    Trunks of Hexagrams

5.2    Subject and Object

6      RELATIVES

6.1    Relatives

6.2    Uses of Relatives

6.3    Moving Relatives

6.4    Changing Relatives

6.5    Line Changes

6.6    Deities of Celestial Trunks

7      ROLES

7.1    Advance and Retreat

7.2    Generator, Hindrance and Adversary

7.3    Flying and Hiding

8      CONSULTATION

8.1    Methods of Consultation

8.2    Verification Time

8.3    Emblems

8.4    Numbers

8.5    Body

8.6    Events and Situations

8.7    Date and Time

8.8    Person and Direction

8.9    Chinese Characters

8.10    Sound

8.11    Measure

9      VERIFICATION

9.1    Prediction of Intention

9.2    Time of Verification

APPENDIX

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ENDNOTES

For Hairong, Sana, Nandi, Christine and Marilyn

PREFACE

I rely on the scientific method. On any disputed point there is always one sure answer: Look it up in the Book.

Robert Heinlein: Job: A Comedy of Justice

A prediction is a reasoned speculation about future events. It is an approximation of a future situation. A prediction may be erroneous and may be falsified. Descriptive or qualitative prediction is not an exception. A more severe expectation is usually imposed upon a qualitative prediction. Just like quantitative pre- diction, qualitative prediction is a methodology.

A complete predictability or a complete unpredictability of the future are both incredible. If the future is completely predetermined, then it is not necessary to predict it; and if the future is completely unpredictable then it is impossible and futile to predict it. There are wide variety of quantitative prediction methods, practice and theory. One example is market forecasting. An ex- ample of a qualitative prediction is weather forecast which is also a science and has been amazingly successful. It is the metaphysical consideration of this incompleteness in the predictability of the future that provides a motivation, if not a basis, for attempts of a reasoned and reasonable prediction of the future. A prediction is usually required to be within a tolerable limit of error.

That an event to be may be predicted seems absurd; but what else are there to be predicted? It is natural to attempt to predict a future event with some probability or to predict some part or aspect of a future event. Most of scientific efforts are aimed at such a goal. What and which part of a future event may be predicted with a reasonable probability? This is certainly both a metaphysical and a scientific problem. Will a predictable portion or a feature of a future event also change?

The ancient Book of Changes offered an essentially successful attempt. The first attempt the Book made is a construction of a formal model of things and their changes. The formalism used in the Book turned out to be reasonably adequate for the purpose. A striking fundamental feature of The Book of Changes is a direct use of what is essentially the binary number system, which is clearly adequate for describing interrelated opposite attributes of things and events. Heaven and earth, day and night, light and dark, strong and weak, male and female, positive and negative, active and passive, advance and retreat, are such attributes. As a first rough estimate, 0 and 1 (or yin and yang in terms of the Book) are adequate symbols for these pairs of attributes. By a sequence of combinations with increasing degrees of sophistication, a close approximation of an actual reality may be given. This is not in discordance with modern scientific and mathematical methodology. Attempts of prediction made by a use of indirect means have always been misunderstood throughout human history. Such attempts are widely regarded as superstition. Superstition or scientific effort, attempt to predict has addressed a most fundamental human will, the will to know just a little more about the reality, in particular, about the future.

In this writing, I have tried to address the method of prediction by means of Yi Jing, the ancient Chinese Book of Changes, in its original form as a divination manual. I have addressed the theory and practice of divination in order to reveal the use of the Book. I have benefited from many sources. The recent general interest in the subject worldwide, and publication of excellent literature such as those listed in the bibliography at the end of the book. In addition to this, to me a very important source is my own divination practice throughout the years since I have learned to use the book and a large number of actual predictions and their prognosis and analysis.

I never make haste as I write, and tend to regard writing to take form on its own. This is very seldom the case today, as social or financial motivation dominate every activity. Profit seeking is the real life of today society. These include financial gains, claim of research funding or attainment of an improved social status such as a promotion. Material or a social motive usually makes an author write in haste. Writing in haste does not necessarily imply a lower quality of work. It implies almost always a reduced readership that such writings deserve. As an author writes in haste the subject matter, the reader and the publisher are usually neglected. A good conveyance of information and insight will be sacrificed in particular. The writing of this book took place spontaneously, as my prediction practice have continued in my own private life over many years. These prediction instances and examples are then examined for their prognosis and verification. A few records are examined and re-examined.

I have always unreservedly provided advices based upon pre- dictions using hexagrams to families, friends and colleagues. When such advices were given the first paragraph of this preface had been quoted in one way or another, making it clear that this is a prediction just like any prediction and there may be errors. As the spirit of the ancient Book goes, active advices have been given without an imposed authority.

The writing has been done in LATEX in the TeXLive distribution running on a dual system with Windows 7 and Fedora Core 17 Linux operating system. The illustrations, with a few exceptions of photographs in encapsulated postscript format, page decorations and cover design were carried out using pgf/tikz package. The material treated in this book has been based on several books listed in the literature and on my own records and notes over several years of prediction instances.

I am grateful to Professor Edward Shaughnessy of the University of Chicago, one of the top experts in Eastern culture, classics and ancient Eastern literature, who kindly took time in email communications regarding the Book of Changes. His classic translation of the Mawangdui manuscript was a source of inspiration during the reading of the Book. All the literature listed in the bibliography were great sources of inspiration to me. I am deeply grateful to the authors of these books and translations, some of whom are ancient and some are contemporary, from the East and the West alike.

I am grateful to my wife Hairong and my daughters Sana, Nandi, Christine and Marilyn, who are joys and drive to work and who endured negligence of a few hours of evenings and weekends in weeks when the work progressed. This book is, therefore, dedicated to my family.

I am very grateful to Mr. Jo Blanco of Xlibris for his efficient administrative work and to Miss Emily Laurel at Xlibris for her very professional and fast editorial service during the publication of this book.

Sheng Bau

Johannesburg, South Africa

September 21, 2012

All is true, if you read them right.

Robert A. Heinlein, Job: A Comedy of Justice

1

HEXAGRAM PREDICTION

Mєτ ρου αριστου. (Measure is best.)

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19804.jpg 1

Scientific prediction is being used in every walk of modern life. Examples of scientific prediction are weather forecast, economic and market prediction. Attempting to know a little more about reality, in particular, about future events is a natural human impulse and action. Impulses and actions to predict manifest since prehistoric and ancient times. An authentic example is the Zhou Yi (Book of Changes ) with a provable documented appearance at least as early as the final years of Shang dynasty (1066B.C.). The proof of this was validated by turtle bone inscriptions found in archaeological excavations discovered at the beginning of the twentieth century. Date, process, results and prognostications of divination using the book were recorded on these bones.

Note that it is only after the accidental discovery of turtle bone inscriptions that modern scholars began acceptance of the existence of such predictions in the early history of humanity. Scholars since Song dynasty including modern experts prior to the discovery of turtle bone inscriptions usually denied existence of such a sophisticated method of divination and attributed the authorship of many of these ancient texts to the later scholars such as those after the Han dynasty (founded 206 B.C.). Even with these critical prejudice by later scholars, texts containing most of these ancient books existed since Han dynasty. Therefore, prior to the discovery of bone inscription these ancient texts were usually agreed widely to have existed at the latest since Han

Reviews for Prediction of Changes

[TRETFCAN · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Buen libro introductorio sobre Wen Wang Gua, sin embargo, la segunda parte del libro trata sobre su propia traducción del Zhou Yi.