Shao Yung
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Shao Yung (邵雍) was one of the most remarkable men who has ever probed the hidden, metaphysical secrets of life. But most important, he has passed to us his remarkable discoveries in the form of calculations. 129,600 Earth years are 1 Cosmic Year, which can be used to understand the purpose and flow of our lives. He is also known as So Gangjeol (邵康節) in Korea because of his 129,600 Cosmic Year theory.
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Who is Shao Yung?
Shao Yung was born in 1011 and died in 1077. In the Eleventh Century world of China, Shao was viewed as a philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. He was a classical Confucian scholar, but studied Taoism and Hsiang Shu P'ai (School of Symbol and Number). He later became a leader of this school which viewed that numerical structures in the universe pervaded all of reality. Recognizing and using this numerical basis was the key to the tools which he developed.
These simple, cold statements do not reflect the fact that Shao is considered the Nostradamus of China. His predictions about events and people around him are still legendary. A noted contemporary and friend of his, a philosopher named Cheng I, noted in his writings that Shao could predict when people died. Yet Cheng disparaged Shao for working with an inferior philosphy. Some other leading philosphers also viewed him as being little more than a glorified calendar maker. However, in the modern world empiricism and the ability to predict "unknowable" events is seen as a tremendous advance in understanding. It is eight centuries later, and he still has a prediction series running describing the fate of China.
Shao did not predict the occurrence of events in his own time. He was asked why, and replied as follows:
The wise man does not predict events concerning the government in power. If he interprets good fortune, people will smile and say he is only flattering the authorities. If he interprets misfortune, the authorities will become angry and accuse him of slander and he may meet with disaster. (Translation from Shao's own words by Da Liu in Da Liu, I Ching Numerology, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1979, p. 92.)
Shao lived in the Sung Dynasty period (960-1279). This was a peaceful period for China. China was united, and culture and intellectual pursuits flourished. The clashes of the differing philosophies/religions of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism - each of which reflected some important, fundamental truths to China's people - were beginning to find a way to live together. This modus vivendi later culminated in a philosophical movement known as Neo-Confucianism. Shao's thought can be seen as a forerunner of this school.
Shao was a remarkable man to the people of his times also for the way in which he lived his life. He shunned power over others and treated everyone respectfully. He truly devoted himself to being a teacher and guide to others. His renown gradually spread throughout China. Although essentially a Taoist and Buddhist, he lived such an exemplary life that he was rewarded after his death by the emperor in having a stone tablet with his name placed in the Temple of Confucius along with those of other great sages of the past. He was given an honorific name by the emperor, and was thereafter called Master Shao K'ang Chieh. His life and work were also noted in the official histories and chronicles of the period.
STORIES ABOUT SHAO YUNG
The following stories are traditional and well-known stories concerning Shao. These are excerpted from Da Liu'sI Ching Numerology. Note that there are many other stories which can be obtained from other sources, even in English.
The Borrowing Neighbor
One New Year's Eve Shao and his son heard a single knock on the door. It was a nighbor who had come to borrow something. Shao asked his son to predict what it was using the cues of the single knock and the date and time of the knock. Using the princples of prediction the son calculated that the desired article had metal and was short, and that it also had wood and was long. A hoe, he decided. "No," Shao said, "he wants to borrow an ax!" The neighbor did indeed ask to borrow an ax. After he had left, the son asked for his explanation. Shao replied that in prediction it is also necessary to consider the situation. It was cold and the ground was covered with snow. How could anyone use a hoe now? Also, on New Year's Eve, it is a custom to build a fire in the house. Thus, it is always necessary to apply experience and knowledge to arrive at the proper analysis of any situation.
How Shao Saved His Family
Shao Yung told his son Shao Po Wen that Hunan province where they currently lived would experience turmoil and great disaster in the future, but that Szechuan province would be peaceful and safe. Shao Po Wen took his father's advice and moved his family to Szechuan, where he was appointed a judge. Ten years later Chin soldiers invaded Hunan from the northeast and captured the capital and emperor. There was much loss of life, but Shao's descendants were safe in Szechuan.
The Fate of the Lantern
Shao had bought a glass lantern. Curious, he calculated its fate, and discovered that it would be broken on a particular date at noon. He remembered this date and time, and shorlty before it came, he decided to discover how the lantern would be broken. So, he placed the lantern on a table and sat down to see how it would end. It soon was time for lunch, and his wife called to him to come and eat, but he did not come. In fact, she called repeatedly, and finally, upset she went to find him. She saw him staring at the lantern so intently and ignoring her that she became angry and hit it hard with a stick. Surprised, Shao jumped up and laughed at how the lantern finally met its end right on time!
How Shao Saved His Grave
Shao's end was near, so he told his son about his funeral arrangements. He particularly told him to not place any valuables into his coffin with him - and strangest of all, he told him to be sure that the young daughter of his eastern neighbor witnessed his whole burial procedure from beginning to end. This was done according to his instructions, and the young girl witnessed Shao's body being placed into his coffin and its burial. Eventually she grew into a woman and bore a son. Unfortunately, he became a gambler and wastrel, and his friends were even worse: they were bandits and graverobbers! One day she overheard them discussing Shao's grave and their decision to rob it because, being such a famous man, it undoubtedly contained many valuables. She told them to leave Shao in peace because as a girl she had witnessed the fact that his coffin contained only his body in plain wrappings. [This incident is a well-known fact in the life of Sung Chiang, the leader of these bandits, and (according to Dai Lu) the story has been included in a novel of his life, Suei Hu, which has been translated into English as All Men Are Brothers.]
How Shao "Wrote" His Own Biography
OhYang Fei, a subordinant of a famous statesman and historian named Szu-Ma Kuang, was sent by him on an official mission. Since he was going to be passing through Shao's area, he was given permission to stop and visit him. Shao entertained Oh and told him about his life in great detail. He not only spoke of his work and writings, but also described his family's history and information about his marriage and his sons. Shao even went so far as to repeat all this information several times during Oh's stay. And most peculiar of all, as Oh was leaving, at the gate Shao told him to not forget what he had told him. Many years later Oh was to learn the reason for this. After Shao died the emperor ordered Oh, who was then an official court historian, to write a biography of Shao for the official annals of the dynasty. Oh was able to do this accurately based on the information which Shao had told him years before.
Related topics
See also,
- Jeung San Do
- Sangjenim 上帝
- Taemonim 太母
- Gaebyeok(or Gae-byuk) 開闢
- Tae Eul Ju mantra 太乙呪
- Wunshibanbon(Returning to the Origin) 原始反本
- Haewun(Resolution of Bitterness and Grief) 解怨
- Sangsaeng(Mutual life-giving) 相生
- Boeun(Offering Gratitude and Repayment) 報恩
- Dojeon - Sacred text of Jeung San Do 道典
- Dojang - Dao center 道場
- Cosmic Year - Shao Yung(AD 1011-1077) 宇宙一年
- Euitong - To heal and to unite
- Cheonjigongsa - Renewal of Heaven and Earth 天地公事
- Nam Sa Go prophecy
