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Bushi Zhengzong · The Orthodox Tradition of Divination
Golden Counsels · Seeking a Teacher and the Teaching School
Read in English. Switch to Original for word notes, or select text to ask a question.
Seeking a Teacher
Giving money and providing food, education and upbringing depend on the father. Understanding goodness and recovering one’s original nature depend entirely on guidance from one who has awakened first.
Whenever seeking a teacher, look to the line of writing and learning.
If the Useful Spirit occupies weakness, the teacher cannot provide a model. If it occupies flourishing strength, the teacher can be honored and emulated.
Meeting Penalty and Harm, the teacher likes to wield the authority of the disciplinary rod. Meeting the year and Body, the teacher makes a livelihood from teaching fees.
Dui Metal and Zhen or Xun indicate miscellaneous learning. Li Fire and Qian or Kun indicate specialization in a classic.
In the original image, the same locality and the inner hexagram, the teacher is not far from home. In another palace, a different locality and the outer hexagram, the teacher is far away across administrative boundaries.
In a relation of Generation with Self, the teacher is either a relative or a friend. Changing into Officer, the teacher is either eminent or honored.
Still and combining with the Blessing line, the teacher offers patient, skillful guidance. Moving with Dragon Virtue, the teacher may display formidable severity.
Parents entering Tomb resembles Bian Xiaoxian, fond of sleep and reluctant to read. Documents upon Body resembles Li Lao Dan, widely versed in antiquity and the present.
Reading note: The supplied text has Li Lao Pin and “antiquity and the command.” The parallel classical transcription reads Li Lao Dan and “antiquity and the present.” Documents is retained from this source rather than replaced with the other transcription’s Wealth.
Parents changing into Descendants indicates skill in poetry and rhapsody. Ghost joined to a Brothers malefic indicates much fraud and deceit.
In Void and moving, the teacher says one thing and thinks another. Strong on both Self and Response, the teacher is invited by one household and sought by another.
Response occupied by Parents and generating Self indicates a teacher borrowed from elsewhere. Parents outside and combining with Blessing indicates a teacher carrying a traveling bag.
Ghost changing into Documents and controlling Self means litigation arises through the child’s schooling. Blessing and Virtue supported by the month and generated by the day means the pupil surpasses the teacher.
Penalty and Control injuring both father and child will bring harm. Do not accept assistance that combines with and generates Officer and Ghost.
Parents meeting a blow or Clash will not remain long. Self Body meeting Void or sinking weakness means the engagement will not succeed.
Wealth changing into Parents means the wife’s relatives will recommend the teacher before long. Parents hidden beneath Blessing and Virtue means the teacher taught in a monastery in earlier years.
Search the six lines without error and think carefully in seeking the principle: among all undertakings, none is more precious than reading.
Reading note: The supplied closing sentence is compressed and uneven. It is rendered as an exhortation to careful interpretation and study, without supplying another divination rule.
The Teaching School
Learning from an enlightened teacher can continue the Cheng tradition throughout the classroom. But a teacher without a suitable school can hardly expect teaching income to fill the granary.
To make a living by the pen, first consult the yarrow stalks.
Self is the teacher’s western seat: with Parents, the teacher understands the classics. Response is the eastern host: with Officer, the patron serves as a clerk.
Approaching Office indicates youth and vigor; Rest and Imprisonment, a poor household. Tomb or Storehouse indicates advanced age; flourishing strength, a wealthy person.
Earth or Fire in Void means no parents. Metal or Water at Extinction means few children and grandchildren.
Without mutual support or harmony, host and guest will not agree. With mutual Generation and Combination, their feelings and intentions accord.
Wealth represents teaching fees and should not change into Brothers. Parents represents the schoolhouse: how could it suitably meet Void?
Ghost moving and combining with Body requires recommendation by a Noble Person. Brothers or Descendants on Response means many competitors encroach upon the arrangement.
If Officer is hidden, there is no one to organize the school. If Response is in Void, there is no patron inviting a capable teacher.
A moving image on Wealth is hard to find satisfactory. An empty line holding Self can hardly fulfill one’s wishes.
If Body is injured, even a concluded engagement is unfavorable. If an intervening line moves, even an auspicious engagement is difficult to conclude.
Ghost changing into Brothers calls for a preliminary gift to the person recommending the school. Self changing into Ghost calls for asking someone to recommend you to the patron.
Self without Generation or Combination encounters repeated disdainful looks. Flourishing Blessing promises a crowd of blue-collared students.
Decline receiving support brings more pupils carrying their book bags each day. Movement meeting a Clash that opens the bond brings fewer students holding their classics.
Meeting Dragon means handsome and intelligent pupils. Meeting Tiger means stubborn, forceful and unruly pupils.
A yang hexagram and yang line at Nourishment places a child prodigy like Liu Shu before the teacher. A yin palace and yin image changing into Wealth places female musicians like Ma Rong’s behind the curtain.
Self moving on the Wife line means personally doing the household work. Response generating a Wealth line means meals are provided.
To seek payment of teaching fees, examine Wife and Wealth. If it lies hidden, seek support from friends.
Appearing without injury, flourishing and receiving Generation is called auspicious. Entering Void without rescue, in Rest, Imprisonment, Death or Extinction is called ominous.
Changing into Parents means the teaching debt will be paid in goods. Changing into Brothers means the inkstone field will yield a poor harvest.
Body, Response, Wealth and Blessing in Void means the time will be wasted. Control from the month, day, moving lines or changed lines threatens Penalty and injury.
Ghost changing into Wealth and giving Generation means either litigation or loss of the teaching fees. Descendants joined to Parents means schooling improves literary talent.
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