Chapter 24: Rules of Fortune Telling
Chunlai glanced at the newcomer and said with a smile, "Sir, I'll test you. I'm just an apprentice, currently doing an internship. If I can't hit the nail on the head, then I'll take my master's advice as the standard."
The man smiled and said, "Okay. Let me see how much you've learned."
Chunlai gritted his teeth and said, "You are under a lot of pressure right now. You need to find someone the girl trusts to go to her home and do some work to get her married."
The visitor said, "The young master is quite good and quite skilled. I noticed that my girlfriend is a little hesitant. Mainly because her family doesn't quite agree with our marriage."
As a master, I have to give the visitor something more surprising.
I said, "Your girlfriend with short hair loves you from the bottom of her heart. She's not hesitant or wavering, but in pain and needs to think calmly."
The visitor was shocked: "How do you know she has short hair?"
I didn't answer, but taught him a few principles on how to get along with your girlfriend's parents. He left satisfied.
Next is the conversation between master and apprentice.
I asked, “How do you interpret this word?”
Chun said: "Cui = mountain + 隹. The mountain is pressing on top, which means there is pressure. In addition, you taught me the character [隹], which means a bird with a short tail.
The short-tailed bird is his girlfriend, and the "mountain" exerting pressure is her parents. So he needs to find someone who has a good relationship with her to do the talking. "Ren" + "Cui" = "Cui," meaning "to urge marriage."
I said, "This analysis is correct. This young man is teachable."
Chunlai asked: "If you were to analyze it, how would you judge it?"
"I'll be more precise. On the one hand, the image you just described will pop up in my mind: the immense pressure and the need to rush into marriage. On the other hand, I'll change the word."
"How?"
"山" (mountain) is half of the character "出" (out). "隹" (隹) is half of the traditional Chinese character "進" (之+隹). This creates a sense of being half in and half out. I would say: "This character 翠 (Cui)" is like a person standing at the threshold, wanting to come in and wanting to go out, a state of being half in and half out."
If it's your problem and you don't want to get married anymore, you should tell the woman clearly that you can't delay. She also needs to find another partner.
If it's the woman's fault, you have to find someone to work on it. At this point, I was waiting for his answer.
Based on his answer, I will teach him how to do it specifically.
This turns it into a heart-to-heart talk. You're counseling him psychologically. His emotional knot is untied, and your fortune telling becomes meaningful."
Chun said, "We use fortune telling to help others."
I dragged out my voice and said, "Right—otherwise, what's the point of fortune-telling? Learning Taoism is about helping yourself and others."
Chunlai nodded.
I said, "I'm going to teach you the principles of fortune-telling right now. Why now? Because you'll understand better when you're practicing."
Chunlai asked: "What are the principles of fortune-telling?"
"First, let me tell you a crucial principle - to tell fortunes for others, there must be a need for it.
In other words, he needs you to explain the problem to him before he can tell the fortune.
For example, except when joking, I never take the initiative to tell fortunes for others.
Chunlai blurted out: "Because others don't need it."
"That's right. If others don't have a demand, you can't predict accurately. What's the first thing for everyone who comes to us and is willing to pay for a fortune telling?"
“He’s having a hard time.”
"Yes, he's not in trouble. Does his money have to be bloated? Does he feel comfortable only when he gives it to you?"
Chunlai smiled.
I said, "It's not impossible that someone is just having fun. That means there's no need. They're just testing you. In that case, the measurement may not be accurate."
For example, Master has several groups, and people often ask, "Sir, please help me predict a word." Many people do this for fun and want to verify whether the prediction is accurate.
"So you are unlucky."
I said seriously, "Without demand, there's no way to get accurate results. Many people don't even know what fortune telling is. They don't even tell me if they're a man or a woman, but just ask for career predictions. So I'll teach you the second principle of fortune telling."
Spring is looking at me.
I said, "When fortune-telling, each thing is discussed separately. It's about a specific thing, so it can't predict long-term things. You can't fortune-tell the same thing twice. If you write a word today and another word tomorrow, and you're fortune-telling the same thing, you're just kidding."
Chunlai nodded seriously.
"For example, the person just now was fortune-telling about the character [Cui]. If he didn't have any problems to solve and was just laughing, two people would come in at the same time and say, 'Sir, please help me fortune-tell about the character [Cui].
Then, you have to analyze that he has difficulties in his marriage and there must be some things that are inconvenient to say. He will definitely not bring other people with him unless they come with his parents.
If a colleague comes in with you, it's just a joke, come and try yours.
If he asks about marriage, you answer: You are getting married, your sister is getting married."
Chunlai's eyes widened and he asked, "How did you know?"
"The word Cui, as I just explained, is half out and half in. Half in, half out. He's marrying his wife, and his sister's getting married, isn't that half in, half out?
He's joking, so you should be joking too."
Spring comes and I suddenly realize.
I warned Chunlai, "Don't proactively tell fortunes for others, and don't tell fortunes for people who are just joking. Only answer questions when they are genuinely asking.
Don't predict long-term things for people, because fortune-telling is a subconscious choice, an immediate psychological one, and it is only useful for specific things.
For example, if someone asks me to predict his career, I feel embarrassed about it. It would be better for me to ask him to tell me his zodiac sign and his eight characters, and then guide him on where his wealth is.
Chunlai nodded.
I said, "If you're poor, calculate your horoscope; if you're rich, burn incense." This explains in a very simple way the two ways to seek psychological comfort.
If you ask someone to tell your fortune, it means you are facing difficulties.
Going to a temple to burn incense is definitely to ask the Bodhisattva to protect one's current status and property from being harmed, or to seek further development.
What's the point of a person living a good life? Unless he wants to play a game. So, our job is to give advice to people who are in trouble."
Chunlai nodded and said, "Master, if you teach me through practice, it will be easier for me to understand."
“To be precise, we are strictly different from those street vendors.
They have a formula: they give you a round, say some clichés, take your money, and you leave. This is a master with a bit of conscience.
The heartless one opened his mouth and couldn't close it for a long time, his eyebrows arched, his eyes widened, and he said with a look of great shock, "Brother, you are in great trouble."
Chunlai was amused by my imitation of a fortune teller trying to cheat people out of money.
"The fortune teller's constant jolts frightened the person, leaving him bewildered. He simply asked for money and instructed them to burn something made of paper.
We are different. When others encounter difficulties, we offer psychological comfort.
For any physical condition, we will do our best to prescribe a prescription, give him acupuncture, or perform acupressure.
Therefore, our roles are more like [psychological counselor + doctor]. This is called Xi Dao."
Hearing this, Chunlai left his seat and bowed. Standing up, he said, "I may not surpass Master in skills, but I will definitely learn to be a better person like Master."
I said, "Skill lies in frequent tests and accumulation. When doing fortune telling, one must observe the person first. This is also a principle. Only when you do the fortune telling in person can you prescribe the right remedy. This is why I don't often do fortune telling for people online."
We can communicate face to face, because even God is not omnipotent.
Someone posed a challenge to God. He was asked to create an unbreakable stone. If God couldn't create it, he wasn't omnipotent. But if he did create it, no one, including himself, could break it, proving he wasn't omnipotent.
Therefore, believing in God is not as good as seeking the Tao. Seeking the Tao that soothes the soul. Believing in God is not as good as seeking medicine that relieves the pain of the body.
As individuals, I'd appreciate some guidance from experts on basic principles. It's more about learning knowledge and skills to transform myself. I used to be an atheist, so I started making noodles, hoping to work hard to make good noodles and then open a noodle shop.
My master discovered that I was eloquent, willing to learn and insightful, so he introduced me to the business of helping people resolve their doubts and confusion, which changed my destiny.
Let me turn Wanchaofen into Wanenke."
Chun Lai Zai Ruo left the table to bow, but I stopped him and said, "You can't treat me like a god. My name is Wan Shan Hong, and I'm just an ordinary person."
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