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The Chinese View of Life

The Chinese divide life work into five different categories: (1) Fate; (2) Luck; (3) Feng Shui; (4) Education/Cultivation; (5) Philanthropic or Charitable Activities. The Chinese believe that success is based on these five areas of influence. They are:

FATE (Ming)

Fate is the supposed force, principle or power that we often refer to as predetermining events in our live, or what we often consider to be the "inevitable" events predestined by this force, the final result or consequence. To most people this also conotates an "unfavorable" destiny. This is not, however, the Chinese view. In the Chinese view, fate is one underlying component of our life, but by itself does not predetermine whether or not our experience or experiences will be happy or sad. For instance, fate may determine that you are to have a short life, but during that short life you may have great fortune and/or fame, and may be very happy. Conversely, fate may determine that your life will be very long, but during that long life you may suffer greatly, have no money and/or be infamous. These latter attributes of your life are often referred to as the "luck" with which you are born.

Fate is seen to be set at birth, and it is thus knowable and predictable. Fate belongs to pre-heaven. It is fixed at birth and difficult to modify. It is what you start with, the car you drive, but not the road you take it down. You want to know a little bit about the car you drive so that you can keep it in good condition and use it most intelligently. Similarly, you have choices in your life, but there are limits. Some options cost too much if you are not willing to work for them, yet are still available on the map in case you are highly motivated. Isn't it better to know the roads upon to you, the choices you can make, and how much you will have to invest to make those any one or more of those choices, not to mention the likelihood of success of your choice?

LUCK (Yun)

In the Chinese view, fate is one of, and often the, underlying component of our life, but in and of itself does not predetermine, for any given segment or period of one's life, whether or not one's experiences will be happy or sad. This latter factor, in the Chinese view, is determined by one's "Luck" during that period. For example, if for the time under discussion, there will be a lot of opposite sex energy that will follow one, Master Hong can advise how to navigate your life boat through this period of time without hitting a reef or even worse, sinking it. Rather, he will guide you in the direction of making positive use of this often volatile energy. Each one of us will go through such a period, in the normal course of one's life; for some it may be short, while for others longer.

If Fate is pre-heaven, then Luck, in the Chinese view, is post-heaven. In the latter view Luck is variable with time, and again is predictable. If you can know the state or condition of Luck, you can base your actions on how strong it is at that time. The Western view, on the other hand, tends to believe that luck is random, where it is defined as "the seemingly chance happening of events which affect one," or a "roll of the dice," if you will. In this view, luck is often thought of as the occurrence of events without apparent cause; an unpredictable event.

Westerners often say that luck involves being in the right place at the right time. The Chinese would not disagree. They would add, however, that there are ways to predict the right time, and also to make the right place.

The Chinese word most frequently used to mean Luck (not specifying if it is good luck or bad luck) is Yun, which means: (1) carry, transport; (2) to move, to revolve; (3) use, wield, utilize; and (4) one's luck or fortune. Like the orbit of planets, Luck is cyclical and predictable, and like any orbit, it passes through space and time in a specific pattern. Thus it is subject to the laws that govern time and space, and this makes it knowable.

Most of us do not know when our luck is going to be good luck, or whether it is going to be bad luck, and for what period of time. If we know our Luck, then when it is good (up cycle) we can go out and take risks, take advantage of opportunities. During these "good luck energy" periods one must also keep oneself in peak performance, peak luck. You are harnessing the (good luck) energies, and reinforcing and extending this good energy luck period, so that you can extend it into the future; and also taking preparatory action for when the energy is going to change - - like harvesting hay when the sun is shining, and at the same time "preparing for the rainy day." When the indication is that our "luck" is not good (down cycle), when this is indicated for any period of time, one can implement two main avenues of balance, one of which is to balance one's own energy, oneself, and the other is to balance outside negative energy, thus minimizing the effect of "bad luck" for these periods, to minimize the risks of action during these periods. This is also a period for self-reflection, introspection, self-cultivation; during which time we engage in activities of this nature, rather than making any major decisions. One can also preserve one's energy at this time by not spending it foolishly or needlessly, such as not engaging in lecturing others, etc. - - not exacerbating one's energy. The overall attitude or posture, during these times (especially in relation to business in general, and in particular to major business decisions, investments, etc.) should be conservative. In terms of activity, there are also special measures one can take to "balance" one's energy at this time. One of these methods is to engage in charitable activities - - for example, the idea here is that good energy goes out and good energy is returned. Another outer energy balancing approach is looking to bring in supporters or benefactors who can help one turn around the crisis. One can also take measures to reduce or minimize one's competitors' or enemies' power to influence one. Finally, it is also important to note that what we sometimes experience and interpret as "bad luck" is actually something that needs to take place, and therefore is actually the prelude prior to "dawn," rather than the darkness of night. Therefore we see that there are many things one can do when one's "energy luck" is not with one.

There is one more meaning of Yun, and that is "a period of time." In Feng Shui the twenty-year construction periods are called Yun. There are ten year periods of time, called Da Yun, the big luck, and annual cycles, called Xiao Yun, the small luck; both of which are part of a much larger cycle of time. In this context, big and small refer to the quantity of time, not the quantity of luck. Luck refers to the characteristic of the time. It does not imply good or bad, which varies with the cycle. So these periods of time (Yun) transport the energy of the time, which moves and revolves. Our relationship to this energy defines our fortune or luck for that period of time. If we know what it is, we can use it to our advantage.

Luck is post-heaven. It fluctuates with time and can be predicted. It is the road on which we drive our car. A road map helps us to get to our destination smoothly. We can decide where we want to go (within limits) and choose the best road to get there.

FENG SHUI

This practice refers to moving in accordance with energy to positively affect Fate and Luck, and includes technique(s) to do this. This also refers to our relationship to environment, and acknowledges the fact that we can manipulate and/or direct both time and environment to reach higher levels, or the highest level, of what our Fate and Luck allow.

EDUCATION and SELF-CULTIVATION (EFFORT)(HARD WORK) [Du Shu]

This Influence refers to the training that we go through, whether it be schooling or otherwise. It really refers to how we can maximize our strengths and overcome our weaknesses. By understanding this Influence one can positively affect Fate and Luck. Even with the best luck, if we sit at home and wait, we will miss out. We must do the footwork - - that is, put to use our other attributes.

PHILANTHROPIC/CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES [Dao De]

By giving you get back even more. There are two levels in terms of doing charitable activities. The first is in putting out positive energy to society, because this is what individuals need, and for this reason it comes back to you, mainly as their goodwill, good feeling or thankfulness. The other level is that by putting it out there it comes back to you from the Universe, and thus you gain support from the Universe (sometimes referred to as "good karma"). Philanthropic and Charitable Activities apply to one's past, present and future lives, and also impacts positively on Fate and Luck.