Professor Wang Yang M.D (CHINA) - Special Techniqes of the i Ching

Special Guest from Chin: Professor Wang Yang M.D (CHINA)

Prof. Yang is a scholar, writer and practitioner of I Ching, Qing Gong, Astrology, Feng Shui and Oriental Traditional Culture.

His current position is Professor at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Chongqing.

Professor Yang is teaching a seminar on his special technique of the I Ching (just published in English) and the 4 Pillars astrology.

The Authentic I Ching - The Three Classic Methods of Prediction
By Dr Wang Yang & Jon Sandifer - 278 pages, Watkins Publishing, London 2003-09-14

This book is not just another translation of the I Ching (or Yi Jing, for those who are more familiar with the pinyin transliteration), in fact this part of the book occupies just 64 pages at the end of the book. The key to the essence of the book is in its sub-heading, for it expands the usual Western perception that there is only one way to consult this ancient Chinese classic.

Every Westerner who has ever skimmed through an edition of the I Ching knows that divination is performed by casting 3 coins six times, or by shuffling a bunch of yarrow sticks. From this one of the 64 possible hexagrams is discovered. This is looked up in the book, and a divinatory meaning interpreted straight from the text of the I Ching. Then a further hexagram is generated if any of the 6 lines of the hexagram flip to their opposite (i.e. yin to yang or vice versa). This second hexagram is then interpreted as an outcome, from the corresponding text in the book. The authors refer to this as the Classical method of divination, but it is far from being the only method.

So far so simple. What Jon and Dr Wang have done in this book is to open the readers' eyes a bit further, by unveiling two other ways of dealing with the I Ching. These two methods are called the Mei Hua Method and the Na Jia Method. As far as I am aware neither of these important methods are available in currently published books in English. And these are not just two other methods of divination, but a doorway to the understanding of the use of the I Ching in China, and indeed the mechanics of luck.

This book also introduces the West to a further dimension of feng shui. The I Ching is fundamental to feng shui, with its usage of trigrams and their changing lines to describe changes in the tides of ch'i, and hence of the distribution of luck in a particular building or site. By becoming aware of the significance of individual lines in the hexagram you prepare yourself for an understanding of the important Da Gua feng shui technique. In fact the first 56 pages are an excellent summary of basic ideas behind both the I Ching and feng shui, including Stems and Branches, and the calculation of a Four Pillar (ba zhai) chart.

It is often said by Western commentators that the I Ching is good at predicting, but does not give exact times. The reverse is in fact true, and this ancient book can provide exact dates and time. The Mei Hua Method generates its hexagram from the time of the question, and analyses separately the top and bottom trigrams of the hexagram so generated. In fact this method is quite like Western horary astrology, a part of astrology that has fallen out of favour over the last two centuries. Far from being an obscure method, the Mei Hua is one of the most popular divination methods in China today. Jon provides some pretty amazing examples of how this method has given very specific answers, even in terms of numbers or dates to specific questions.

Na Jia relates the trigrams to time as expressed by the Chinese solar calendar (specifically the Four Pillars), and to the hidden Heavenly Stems which are an important part of feng shui theory and practice. The Na Jia method is even more important, dating back over 2000 years, and is known in China as the 'orthodox school's great method'. It is not nearly as reliant upon the text of the I Ching as the other methods. There is greater depth to this method than is revealed in this book, but this book is definitely the place to start.

The Authentic I Ching is unique in giving access to these methods, and should be read by anyone who wants to widen their knowledge of the I Ching beyond the fairly narrow perspective currently available in the West.

REVIEW BY
- Stephen Skinner

BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF FOUR PILLARS METHOD - CONFERENCE LECTURE with Prof Yang
1. Background on four pillars
Four pillars method is one of the most popular school and tool of oriental astrology. It based on the fundamental basic theory as same as Feng Shui. It also closely linked with Traditional Chinese Medicine. A number of most eminent Chinese politicians, scientists and scholars were/are good at using this skill to seek auspicious fortune and achieve success, and prevent/escape from risk or bad luck. Some great master of Feng Shui stated that this theory and method is so important that every Feng Shui practitioner in China must learn it firstly and master it, then put it into Feng Shui practice. It is safe to say that the 4 Pillars Method is one of the greatest miracles in the mankind history.

There is a very popular saying in China. Almost every Chinese people know it. It said: There are 3 key factors affecting/determining people's destiny, the first one is fate, the second--fortune, the third--Feng Shui. The first two refer to the four pillars.

When I read the book of Feng Shui Journey by my friend Jon Sandifer, a famous English expert in Feng Shui, I was impressed by the concept initiated by Jon Sandifer, the Inner Feng Shui. If from the point view of Feng Shui, I do agree that the four pillars method is an actual school on Inner Feng Shui. So we need to combine the Inner Feng Shui and Outer Feng Shui (environment surrounding people)together.

By analysing the Four pillars, or analysing the Chi, or 5 elements/Yin Yang, that everybody hold and the relationship between people's energy and that of cosmos, we may do some important things as following:

… Understand people in depth: the strengths and weaknesses (mental and physical characters), therefor make right decision on development of health, academy, relationship, business and so on, and find best partner in varieties of area, e.g. collaboration in business, spouse and so on,

E.g.
1) Health issue
By checking your four pillars, we can predict which organ or system may have trouble with you. E.g. when your wood element is extremely more/less, your liver may easy to get trouble. When you metal element is extremely more/less, your lung may relatively weak. And so on.
1) Personality profile (intelligence quotient (IQ) and EQ and etc)

1) Career selection (particularly useful for young people )
Based on checking relatives element in Four pillars, if your
… Wife element is strong-you may be a successful in business, or become millionaire?
… Parent element is strong- you may be as a teacher, writer, doctor, academic person etc.
… Official element is strong- achieve success in political circle or as a staff in government bodies etc.
… Brother element is strong- become an athlete,
1) Find best partner and improve public relationship: if somebody with very much the element your favourable and you have lot of element his/her favourable, you two may become best partner, and also if there is combine relationship between you two sides, it is much better. E.g. Rat-Ox, Tiger-Pig and so on(in China, many people must do Combining Ba Tze, or combining Four Pillars before marriage, it is based on this principle.)
… Understand and clarify the development process of all life journey and events may happen someday. Therefor make good preparation to cope with these unforeseen situations and choose best direction and time to seek good luck and fortune or enhance the benefit, and avoid/escape risk or bad luck or reduce the bad impact ( including taking effective measures such as Feng Shui remedy and so on).
E.g.
How to pinpoint best time and capture/find good opportunity
… When luck pillars come into favourable element that linked with or associated with money, you may win big money from your career. E.g. you can capture opportunity make a clever investment.
… When that linked or associated with parent element, you may achieve great success in academic actives. E.g. you should try to write more and publish books or do study in university.
… When that linked or associated with officer element, you may be promoted at an important post and hold power.
… When your Luck Pillars combine with your four pillars and it is your favourable element, you may find some good partners. E.g. you should actively set up good relationship with somebody.
How to pinpoint exact time and find out the bad luck and escape from it?
… When luck pillars come into unfavourable element and linked or associated with money, you must not do any important economic activity such as investment, buying stocks etc. and look after your money carefully, otherwise you will lost completely (E.g. your money element is seriously destroyed by unfavourable element).
… When one of your four pillars is clashed by luck pillars, or current year seriously, some important change may happen to you (probably affect you from both sides-positive or negative). However you must pay special attention to yourself about safe and health, prevent accident, vital/critical disease happen and so on (particularly when your favourable element clashed and destroyed by luck pillars or current year. E.g. when I was a young boy, my favourable rat was clashed and destroyed by the house of our luck pillars, I suffered from serious disease and bad luck. And had dangerous experience threatened my life. If we talk about the sudden changing with good outcome, some people may become a millionaire only by making an important decision such as do a clever investment at a very short time. There is a concept in four pillars method: if horse star running on a very rich area, who will become millionaire as quickly as tiger's running speed. It refers to this typical example.)

… Apply Feng Shui remedy much better, by perfectly understanding individual though analysing Yin Yang/5 element from people's four pillars.
E.g.
Enhance the favourable element and reduce unfavourable element by take Feng Shui remedy such as select colour, diet, environment direction etc.