Tie ban shen shu
Encyclopedia
Tie Ban Shen Shu is an ancient form of divination
from China
, which is still in use in China, Taiwan
, Singapore
and the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia
. Tie ban shen shu is regarded as among the most accurate and most difficult methods of personal fortune divination. Tie Ban is as well regarded as the collective Three Arts or Three Styles (三式 sān shì), Qi Men Dun Jia
, Da Liu Ren
and Tai Yi Shen Shu
, China's highest metaphysical arts.
, the metaphysician of the Northern Song dynasty, as he is often credited as author of the 12,000 lines of texts used in Tie Ban Shen Shu divination. Those texts were regarded highly enough by Qing Dynasty scholars as to have been included in the Qing Dynasty archive, the Four Treasures Siku Quanshu
四库全书 collection.
Chinese legend holds that at any one time, there are only five people in the world who have mastered the art of Tie (tee – A) Ban. If a new master of Tie Ban happens along, this means that an older one has already passed on.
Chinese legend also holds that learning Tie Ban is problematic, as the literary sources are deliberately obscured to prevent novices from easily gaining this precious knowledge.
For example, text number 3253 states, "Of ten siblings, nine of them will be aristocrats."
The different texts are accumulated through the various calculation methods, and then combined to make a complete reading which covers the lifetime of an individual.
Siku Quanshu
The Quarter Hour difference actually refers to a formula whereby accuracy can be verified on the six relationships, e.g. when the mother is born and will die. In Qing China, one did not record the time of birth since clocks were a luxury.
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
from China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, which is still in use in China, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. Tie ban shen shu is regarded as among the most accurate and most difficult methods of personal fortune divination. Tie Ban is as well regarded as the collective Three Arts or Three Styles (三式 sān shì), Qi Men Dun Jia
Qi Men Dun Jia
Qi Men Dun Jia is an ancient form of divination from China, which is still in use in China, Taiwan, Singapore and the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia...
, Da Liu Ren
Da Liu Ren
Da Liu Ren is a form of Chinese calendrical astrology dating from the later Warring States period.Along with the divination methods Qi Men Dun Jia 奇门遁甲 and Taiyi 太乙—collectively known as the "Three Styles" —Da Liu Ren is considered in China to be one of the highest forms of Chinese metaphysics.It...
and Tai Yi Shen Shu
Tai Yi Shen Shu
Tai Yi Shen Shu is one of the three 三式 predictive arts from China, the others being Da Liu Ren and Qi Men Dun Jia.These arts are basically involved in divination and to a certain extent astrology...
, China's highest metaphysical arts.
History
Tie Ban Shen Shu is associated with Shao YongShao Yong
Shao Yong , courtesy name Yaofu , named Shào Kāngjié after death, was a Song Dynasty Chinese philosopher, cosmologist, poet and historian who greatly influenced the development of Neo-Confucianism in China....
, the metaphysician of the Northern Song dynasty, as he is often credited as author of the 12,000 lines of texts used in Tie Ban Shen Shu divination. Those texts were regarded highly enough by Qing Dynasty scholars as to have been included in the Qing Dynasty archive, the Four Treasures Siku Quanshu
Siku Quanshu
The Siku Quanshu, variously translated as the Imperial Collection of Four, Emperor's Four Treasuries, Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, or Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, is the largest collection of books in Chinese history and probably the most ambitious editorial...
四库全书 collection.
Chinese legend holds that at any one time, there are only five people in the world who have mastered the art of Tie (tee – A) Ban. If a new master of Tie Ban happens along, this means that an older one has already passed on.
Chinese legend also holds that learning Tie Ban is problematic, as the literary sources are deliberately obscured to prevent novices from easily gaining this precious knowledge.
Technique
Tie Ban Shen Shu contains 12,000 individual texts, which are applied to each individual divination, through a series of twelve different procedures. The procedures for arriving at the correct texts are based on the Four Pillars (Ba Zi), which include the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earth Branches, numerology, the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching and the Six Familial Relationships of Chinese metaphysics. Tie Ban’s emphasis on the specific quarter hour (fifteen minute segment) of birth ensures the relatively high degree of accuracy, in comparison with other divination methods.For example, text number 3253 states, "Of ten siblings, nine of them will be aristocrats."
The different texts are accumulated through the various calculation methods, and then combined to make a complete reading which covers the lifetime of an individual.
See also
- Da Liu RenDa Liu RenDa Liu Ren is a form of Chinese calendrical astrology dating from the later Warring States period.Along with the divination methods Qi Men Dun Jia 奇门遁甲 and Taiyi 太乙—collectively known as the "Three Styles" —Da Liu Ren is considered in China to be one of the highest forms of Chinese metaphysics.It...
- Tai Yi Shen ShuTai Yi Shen ShuTai Yi Shen Shu is one of the three 三式 predictive arts from China, the others being Da Liu Ren and Qi Men Dun Jia.These arts are basically involved in divination and to a certain extent astrology...
- Feng ShuiFeng shuiFeng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....
- I ChingI ChingThe I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
- Yijing
- Hexagrams
- Chinese AstrologyChinese astrologyChinese astrology is based on the traditional astronomy and calendars. The development of Chinese astrology is tied to that of astronomy, which came to flourish during the Han Dynasty ....
- Chinese AstronomyChinese AstronomyChinese Astronomy may refer to :* Chinese astronomy, the history of Chinese knowledge and scientific culture about astronomy.* Chinese Astronomy, a periodic scientific journal....
- Chinese Classical Texts
Siku Quanshu
Siku Quanshu
The Siku Quanshu, variously translated as the Imperial Collection of Four, Emperor's Four Treasuries, Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, or Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, is the largest collection of books in Chinese history and probably the most ambitious editorial...
- Monadology - the metaphysical basis for synchronicity provided in 1714 by Gottfried Leibnitz, another student of the I ChingI ChingThe I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
. - Kimon Tonkou - Japanese name for Qi Men Dun Jia.
The Quarter Hour difference actually refers to a formula whereby accuracy can be verified on the six relationships, e.g. when the mother is born and will die. In Qing China, one did not record the time of birth since clocks were a luxury.
External links
- [www.phoenixanddragonfengshui.com/index.asp] Tie Ban Shen Shu website of Jack Sweeney.