The Chinese Taoism believe that Heaven and Earth gave birth to Humanity. Change of the energy of Heaven and Earth will also reflected in the human circumstances. The Chinese Fengshui (风水）study have lend us the knowledge of Threes Cycles and Nine Periods. According to this theory which as went back for thousands of years in practices, we are at about to enter the last Period (the Ninth phrase 离卦) of a Sequence that started on 1864, as each Period is about twenty years in manifesting the archetype of one of the Nine Flying Stars. You can gain some of the understanding by reading the article Things to know about Period 9 (九运, Jiu Yun) in Fengshui (风水). But one thing is the energy of the Period Nine Fire is going to be very different from Period Eight of Earth Energy.
As the season changes, we also noticed many important people has recently passed away. First was Chinese Prime Minister Li KeQiang had suddenly left us because of heart attack. Then two days ago, investment sage Charlie Munger passed away at 99 years old, and then yesterday, former US secretary of state, national security adviser and long term U.S diplomat, Henry Kissinger Passed Away at 100 Years Old. These are very important people who have far reaching impact to the world affairs. Their pass away may be signalling of the ending of Period Eight that started 1984, according to the theory of Three Cycles of Nine Periods.
With so much social political conflict domestically and internationally everywhere, no one can totally avoid the criticism and argements. Buddhism believe our personal life circumstance is the reflection of deeds of past life, and the future life will be reflect this life’s deeds. And we produces our karma by action, speech and mental perceptions. 欲知前世因，今生受者是，欲知后世果，今生作者是. There is an metaphysical principle in operation, including each of our destiny and karma. As the The Buddha Speaks The Sutra On Cause And Effect In The Three Periods Of Time says:
Wealth and dignity come from one's destiny
From causes planted in lives in the past.
People who hold to this simple principle
Will reap good fortune in lives in the future.
Same is taught in the Sutra of Infinite Life: 《无量寿经》云： [人在世间，爱欲之中，独生独死，独去独来。当行至趣，苦乐之地，身自当之，无有代者。].
Great Master Chin-Liang stated in his commentary of Avatamsaka (Flower Adornment) Sutra (P63) that” one who has not yet severed one’s afflictions or become awakened, find his or her extensive knowledge leads to erroneous viewpoints. It is essential to be balanced in both cultivation and understanding. A dharma lecturer who does not cultivate often will have erroneous thoughts and viewpoints and will therefore mislead others. This person uses his or her own viewpoint which distort the Buddha’s teachings into worldly viewpoints. ” Knowledge and enlightenment is two different thing. Here are some excerpts from Kodo Sawaki (1880-1965)’s Book To You may shed you some insights into the confusions.
I must admit I am guilty of that criticism quoted above myself in the first place. I am an Buddhism aspirant, who knows very little about Buddhism theories before 2016, but the confidence in the Chan Masters from my hometown helped me gain certain degree of clarity to maintain my stability and further learn to keep myself afloat at a time when the tsunami of discords and confusion almost engulf us. But I have not been enlightened yet, and I have told you guys I am at the kindergarten level in regard to my understanding of Buddhism. So please pardon me if I have say anything inappropriate or my unconscious wrong viewpoints have somehow negatively affect you. But one thing I am very sure is the invaluable wisdom Buddha had sparked the light in me.
I am also very grateful for all the supports from many teachers and fellow Buddhism practitioners who worked so hard behind the scene to do their best in guiding me under such an circumstances, as well as numerous fellow volunteers who donate their energy and assistance to make this blog happen. Without government subsides, many Buddhist temples are working under very tight buget, unable to provide more programs to help coping the difficulites we are in. I suggest you at least donate to the temples I quoted on my websites if you feel you benefits from my writing since the very start years ago. And I thank you in advance and congratulate you for taking your part towards upgrade our collective wisdom of civilization.
As the world around us increases in technological complexity, our understanding of it diminishes. Computation brings hunanity more darkness than enligtenment: a goblin horde of digital superstituions, invented and unleashed in just half a century. Underlying this trend is a single idea: the belief that our existence is understadable through computation, and more data is enough to help us build a better world. In reality, we are lost in a sea of information, increasingly divided by fundamentalism, simplitic narrative, conspiracy theories, and post-factual politics. From rogue financial systems to shopping algorithms, from artificial intelligence ot state secrecy, we no longer understand how our world is governmed or presented to us. The media is filled with unverifiable speculations, much of it generated by anonymous software, while companies dominate their employees through surveilance and the theat of automation. Meanwhile, those in power use our lack of understanding to further their own interests. Despite the apparent accessibility of information, we are living in a New Dark Age – fearlessly author, theorist, artist and technical visionary, James Bridle, aruges that technology as an open question and urgent problem, nevertheless needs to be confronted in order to think the present and free the future from false algorithmi certainities. Technology is not the answer. Nor is it a solution.
With all that in mind, I certainly do not want to further misled you or adding more bad karma to myself. I have a lot of repentance to make and I need time to practice and gain personal insight on Buddha’s teachings myself. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single first step. And with so much resources online, in bookstores available to the western public, and even more auspiciously, more and more Buddhist Masters arriving to the West, we all are blessed with great conditions to find out our own spiritual path and become wiser. With Period Nine coming, I Wish You All the Best on Your New Endeavor to Ignite Your Fire of Wisdom! We all can Beginning Anew! Just remember that our Collective Awakening and Purification takes a Process!
Namo Amituofo! Namo Amituofo! Namo Amituofo!
