The Blind Master of Fate
Author: Candao Ren
Since meeting the master of bone-touching divination, Mr. Gao, I have developed a great interest in the techniques and masters of the blind school. I feel that the techniques of the blind school have been passed down from ancient times, containing much truth and secrecy, which cannot be understood from books on the market. Precisely because it is the bread and butter of the blind school, they strive for excellence. Many survival skills, if they cannot be tied to one's livelihood, are hard to reach a high level, as people will not make up their minds about trivial matters. My teacher said, "If you don't touch the skin, you can't touch the soul." This statement has deep meaning! Many small things in life can illustrate this profound principle. Once, an old man selling balloons came to the yard. He was about 70 years old, tall and thin, blowing long stick-shaped balloons with his mouth, then shaping them into various forms by hand. He sold them for 1.5 yuan depending on size, and many children bought them to play with. I found it interesting and tried to blow one with my mouth, but the balloon was too hard. I almost got swollen cheeks and couldn't blow it up. Curious, I asked the elder. I said, "How can you blow it up while I can't?" The old man expressionlessly replied, "You're not lacking food..." One sentence made me realize something. Alas! Truth! People can endure any hardship, but only enjoy blessings they don't deserve. If you haven't reached that point, you won't achieve it...
Blind school predictions generally focus most on the eight characters (Ba Zi) fortune-telling, though there are also some unique skills like the bone-touching divine appearance, but these are rare. The majority still rely on Ba Zi. However, within Ba Zi, there are levels of skill. Lower-level practitioners use many mnemonic phrases, such as a set of rhymes: "Year of righteous wealth, ancestral business passed down, guarding wealth and prosperity in the homeland; if wealth and officialdom come to assist, noble character and promotion; marriage harmony for both men and women, husband thrives and wife is virtuous; body strong and wealth abundant, accumulating money at a young age..." But teachers with true high skills in the blind school are worlds apart. Initially, without using a perpetual calendar to arrange the eight characters or major luck cycles, they predict annual luck cycles, officialdom, wealth, marriage, illness, and disasters, all calculated mentally, speaking out predictions, especially detailed predictions of annual events, indicating which year will be good or bad, what kind of luck will come, not only accurate but also detailed, as if personally witnessed, quite magical. Some even precisely predict details of certain experiences, and can even predict a person's spouse's surname, zodiac sign, and exact marriage and divorce years, or even the year of first cohabitation, leaving people no choice but to admire the principles of fate...
The blind school is most skilled and advanced in several divine methods. One is passing three checkpoints. Of course, these are real checkpoints, not street tricks. Parents' situations, how many brothers, how many children, quick and accurate. Two is marriage. Not vague back-and-forth talk. Which year of first cohabitation, which year of marriage, spouse's surname and zodiac sign and direction, which year of divorce or widowhood, second marriage spouse's surname and zodiac sign and direction, peaches and infidelity. Three is the year of success and industry. Lifetime career determination, promotion year, demotion year, wealth year, loss year, total wealth, total officialdom. Four is illness and disaster. Accurately predicting lifelong injuries, illnesses, and unexpected disasters, even the corresponding years and months. Five is the time of birth and death. Death situation, method of death, time of death, whether help is available, whether parents are present at one's own death and whether one's children are present at one's death, weather at the time of death. These five points are the signature skills of blind school masters, the pinnacle of the art of calculating destiny. It is said that Shao Fuzi's Iron Plate Divine Numbers and Emperor Divine Numbers can calculate very subtle details, like Mr. Liaofan in the Four Teachings of Liaofan, but it is hard to see this calculation method in the current world. There are still some high-level recluses in the blind school, but the rule that the blind school does not pass on its secrets to sighted people makes this art increasingly worrying.
I first learned about and became curious about the calculations of the blind school through stories told by my mother. My mother told me about her early experience asking Grandma Xila from the Northwest Gate to calculate her fortune, which was quite amazing. She said that a few miles down the dirt road at the Northwest Gate lived a blind old woman whose house was like a cellar, half buried in the ground, surrounded by bushes outside. Just hearing the description of this environment was terrifying. Inside lived a completely blind old woman, white-haired and wrinkled. Born blind, when she was young, her family hired a high-level blind school master to live with them and orally teach her this fortune-telling technique. In the mid-70s, she charged five yuan to tell fortunes, which was quite expensive. She accurately described various aspects of my mother's family as if she had seen them herself. I only remember two clear sentences, which led to a dispute between my mother and the blind grandma. She recited according to the mnemonic, "Others plant trees, you rest under the shade; others bear children, you become the mother." At that time, my mother hadn't even started dating yet, so hearing this naturally upset her, leading to an argument, and they parted ways unhappily. But later, when I was in high school, because Auntie died young and Uncle's family had too many children to support, a cousin was adopted into our family. The cousin came in elementary school and immediately called my mother 'mother,' truly fulfilling the saying "others plant trees, she rests under the shade." My mother was amazed at how accurate Grandma Xila's prediction was! Another incident was when Grandma Xila said my grandmother wouldn't benefit from my mother's care. She said, "Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, when you get close, no sound; sometimes tight, sometimes loose, when you get close, no sound." Later, when my grandmother passed away, my mother watched over her for a day and night. When it was her turn to eat, she just left the house for a short time and received a call saying my grandmother wasn't doing well. Rushing back, upon arrival, my grandmother had already passed away, truly proving that everything is predetermined by fate, nothing is up to oneself! With great reverence, after listening to my mother's story, the next day I took a friend to visit Grandma Xila at the Northwest Gate. But her family said Grandma Xila had passed away many years ago, and no one had asked about her since. Suddenly asking about her was quite startling, and her methods were never passed down because she had no blind descendants. Alas! What a pity!
Later, I met many blind school fortune-tellers, known as "dark gold" in the trade, but none were as miraculous. I thought the blind school's ultimate skills had been lost until I later visited Master Lian, where I truly witnessed the legendary blind school calculation methods. A Daoist friend recounted that she was told by Mr. Lian from County X that her boyfriend of several years would break up with her on a specific month and day, and indeed, on that day, they split. Having experienced Mr. Lian's fortune-telling skills firsthand, she always hit the mark, so she was very frightened and asked him to break the curse. But Mr. Lian said, "Fixed rules, cannot break. Things destined by fate, no one can change." So this woman went to a temple for help. The nuns there explained causes and effects to her, advising her to let go, about compatibility between zodiac signs, following the flow, but she couldn't stop crying, understanding everything but unable to let go. Coincidentally, she met a Buddhist friend practicing esoteric Buddhism who kindly cast a spell for her. After the spell, she said their relationship improved significantly, better than ever, and she felt fine. But on the date Mr. Lian predicted, specifically that month and day, suddenly her boyfriend, as if possessed, fought someone over a minor issue on the street, accidentally stabbing them and being arrested immediately, sentenced to three years in prison. The woman cried and wanted to wait, but her elderly family members disapproved and introduced her to another match, a very honest and considerate man, and they ended up getting married... Later, when her ex-boyfriend was released from prison, she already had a child, and thus her fate changed unexpectedly, unable to escape. People are always like this, thinking they should do this and that, believing they have everything tightly in their grasp, but in reality, they hold onto nothing. All things are temporary combinations of causes and conditions, coming and going unpredictably, impermanent! Hearing this story, I thought Mr. Lian was very miraculous, found out his exact address, and took the opportunity to visit him by car.
Master Lian was a sixty-something-year-old man living in a comfortable apartment building, with a large and beautiful house, clean and tidy windows. When I arrived, the room was filled with countless people. Master Lian charged thirty-six yuan for a male's fortune and forty-eight yuan for a female's, saying female fates were more complicated, perhaps because women tend to be more verbose. Master Lian sat on a large chair with soft backrest and armrests, leaning back comfortably and elegantly dressed in a blue Zhongshan suit with black glasses. While waiting in line, I noticed a young girl always helping organize the queue and maintain order, like a waitress. Master Lian took about twenty minutes to calculate a male's fate and half an hour for a female's, quickly speaking after brief contemplation, cutting through complications like a sharp knife. When my turn came, I listened closely to a few examples. A middle-aged woman consulted her fortune. Master Lian heard her birthday, calculated for about three minutes, and announced the four pillars and branches, then the major luck cycle. His first sentence summarized the entire life of the person. He said, "That woman, you are destined to be a doctor, at least a barefoot doctor." The woman was surprised and confirmed, "Yes, yes, I am a doctor!" Master Lian continued, "For a female's fate, marriage is key. You are destined for divorce, twice. First marriage in year X, this person is a monkey zodiac, surname water-related, divorced in year X." The woman blushed and said, "Correct, my former husband is a monkey zodiac, surname Feng." Wow! Too accurate! Master Lian calmly continued, "Second marriage in year X, this person is a snake zodiac, surname earth-related..." Before he finished, the woman nearly jumped up, saying, "Wow! Truly miraculous! My current husband is a snake zodiac, surname Wang. Master, can you tell if we'll last?" Interrupting rudely annoyed Master Lian, who harshly replied, "I've already told you, your second marriage won't last, divorced in year X... ending up alone until death." The woman was shocked, saying, "I'm getting along well with my current husband, how could this happen?" Master Lian expressionlessly said, "Getting along well means you won't divorce? How many couples end up enemies despite being inseparable initially..." He calculated other aspects for her, and the woman seemed distracted. Another plump man's fortune was equally astonishing. Master Lian said, "You are destined for a blacksmith's life, but with wealth, I predict you must be a big blacksmith..." The man laughed, "Haha! Close enough, I run a casting factory..." Everyone was amazed. Master Lian's other calculations about him were also very accurate, and the man continuously nodded. Later, he calculated the man's marriage. Master Lian said, "You're quite capable! You have what you need in the bowl and pot, multiple wives, impressive!" This comment made the man blush, muttering, "More or less, since having money, we don't lack this..." Everyone laughed. Master Lian expressionlessly continued, "You will eventually die because of this." Then he calculated the man's death date and illness. Master Lian's predictions were highly accurate. According to his calculations, this plump man didn't have a long lifespan and would die of a serious illness. The man deflated, everyone fell silent. The man asked if it could be broken. Master Lian said, "There's absolutely no way to break it. It's fixed in King Yan's book of life and death. Can you change it? Are you more powerful than King Yan?" Master Lian's stern face and deliberate words made him look like King Yan himself.
When it was my turn, I presented the divination fee and sat on a chair opposite Master Lian. Master Lian said, "Report your birth data!" I told him the year, month, day, and time. Master Lian began calculating, muttering under his breath, and announced my eight characters. Upon hearing them, I was impressed, as this skill was quite miraculous, the thick perpetual calendar seemingly memorized. Reporting the four pillars and major luck cycle, the leap months in certain years were crystal clear. Then he gave the first summary of this eight-character life. Master Lian said, "This eight-character fate is destined for monk or Taoist." I asked, "Which is better, monk or Taoist?" Master Lian said, "Looking at your eight characters, fire is strong, with fiery strength and mental Zen concentration, you should be a monk. Fat monks, skinny Taoists, you will become fat-hearted and broad-minded, a worry-free fat monk..." I was already touched by the bone-touching divine appearance teacher's assessment, and Master Lian's Ba Zi reading added to my astonishment. Master Lian continued to calculate other aspects for me, which later proved to be very accurate, including my work and business, family changes, annual events, the year of losing my father, and the circumstances of my father's passing, all extremely precise, especially regarding my father's death, which was very mysterious. Master Lian once said, "This eight-character fate will lose its father in year X, father without support, unable to be present at his passing, no debts in fate, father passes quickly, unable to serve, filial sons and grandsons mourn amidst falling silver snow..." Although I tried my best to guide my father in faith and practice, he was always skeptical and sometimes killed living beings. Later, my father suddenly fell ill and passed away that year, a sudden snowstorm breaking out. My father passed away within a few hours, a regret I carry for life. Raising us was not easy for the elders, it was the perfect time to show filial piety at his bedside, but my father passed so quickly that I couldn't serve him for even a day, heart-wrenching! Around five in the morning, my father complained of hunger, but it was still dark, and there was nothing to eat in the hospital. Yet, my father insisted on eating, seeming very hungry. At the time, the doctor said it was minor, nothing to worry about, and neighboring patients scolded me, so I went out to buy food. Fortunately, a steamed bun shop had just opened, and I urged them to hurry with extra payment. But my heart felt uneasy, tossing and turning uncomfortably. Holding the buns, walking downstairs, I suddenly felt a pang of discomfort, realizing something was wrong! I ran back immediately, only to find my father had already passed away. Recalling Master Lian's prophecy, I felt utterly disheartened. After pondering for half a year, I decided to pursue the Dao to explore the true essence of life. Both High Master Gao and Master Lian predicted I would become a monk, but at the age of twenty-nine, I became a Taoist instead, a story with deeper roots that I will explain later. Master Lian calculated my annual flow, each year's experiences almost predetermined. Looking back, they were mostly accurate, including the nature and duration of relationships with people, all concise and precise. Some things I didn't fully believe at the time or couldn't hear, as I felt differently then, but as time passed, those moments unfolded exactly as predicted. Sometimes I recalled Master Lian's prophecies, feeling as if these years were like acting in a play, always imbued with a sense of drama, accompanied by feelings of suppression and struggle. Regarding the nature and duration of relationships with certain people as predicted by Master Lian, although part of it has already come true, I still hoped to change it through some methods, and from this perspective, one can also observe the effectiveness of cultivation.
I remember a master once saying that if your cultivation has no effect, encountering a good fortune-teller like Mr. Lian, who predicts everything accurately, you're still wasting your time. This statement is truly realistic! The karmic forces accumulated from past lives form today's fateful encounters, and changing them isn't easy. Moreover, wanting to improve invites misfortune. In Buddhism, one must transcend the four marks—no self, no person, no sentient beings, no longevity—in Daoism, one must return to the Infinite, transcending the three realms, not bound by the five elements, only then can one say "My fate is determined by me, not heaven!" Master Lian rarely smiled, and it was seldom one saw him laugh. He always looked expressionless, as he put it, "Nothing to laugh about, nothing to cry about." Despite his dislike for idle chatter, during that period, I often bought things he liked to try to engage him in conversation, always visiting at dusk when no one else was around, staying in a small inn at night. Even so, Master Lian didn't talk much, but I clearly remembered his words, which I couldn't understand at the time but now seem quite meaningful. The young girl who helped maintain order every day turned out to be Master Lian's cohabiting lover. Master Lian had married twice, both widowed, sending two wives to their graves. Speaking about these matters, he was very calm, as if calculating someone else's fate. Each wife passed away exactly as he predicted, everything proceeding orderly and prepared beforehand, so Master Lian said he never cried because there was no need. The young girl living with Master Lian drew criticism from neighbors, but he didn't care. He said she was a small star in his fate, lazy and unwilling to work, seeing that he had some money, willingly came to him, destined by fate to have these connections. He told everyone not to worry, "By year X month X, she'll leave on her own accord." Later, it was indeed verified that at that time, the girl suddenly disappeared with Master Lian's money. Everyone suggested reporting it to the police. Master Lian said, "What's the point of reporting it? It's a fixed matter. This girl ran off with a dog zodiac boy to the south. I owe her fifteen thousand yuan in my fate, plus her usual help, so she took twenty thousand. She's a pitiful girl, not a good match, likely to be sold! Prostitute fate, nothing can be done!" Master Lian remained calm, as if discussing tea-time gossip.
Sometimes I asked Master Lian why things couldn't be changed. Master Lian said, "Saying it can be changed is deceiving people. If it can be calculated accurately, it's set in stone. Changing it means it wasn't calculated accurately. No ambiguity, fate is like farming. Planting eggplants can grow chili peppers? Heaven and King Yan record the Book of Life and Death, who can change it? Are you more authoritative than Jade Emperor?" I then asked about monks and Taoists who couldn't calculate accurately.
Master Lian said, "I've calculated the fates of many monks and Taoists. Only one was inaccurate, the rest were the same as ordinary people. Wearing those robes doesn't mean anything special, taking them off, you're still the same person! A bald head doesn't necessarily mean a monk, it could be a bald person, long hair doesn't necessarily mean a Taoist, it could be a crazy person! Only one old monk I miscalculated, because I predicted he would die in year X, but three years earlier, he began meditating and sitting in seclusion, living ten years longer, shocking me so much I stopped telling fortunes for over a year. Later, I realized, human fate revolves around three basics:禄马羊 (income, horse, sheep). Income is what you're entitled to enjoy. When income ends, so does life. When you run out of air to breathe, you die. When life ends but income remains, becoming a vegetable still consumes resources. Resources not exhausted cannot lead to death. That old monk extended his life because of meditation, not consuming resources while sitting still. Time length cannot be changed, but time width can. Therefore, I believe in conserving blessings as taught in Buddhism!" I asked why the blind school doesn't pass on knowledge to sighted people. Master Lian expressionlessly replied, "Because calculating is cruel. If you can see the pained expressions on people's faces, subjective thoughts arise, probably making calculations inaccurate. The Way of Heaven is merciless!"
Unfortunately, Master Lian's system was not entirely passed down. A nephew in the same clan lost one eye and learned a bit but wasn't very proficient, possibly because he could still see a little.
In his own predicted time and manner, Master Lian experienced months of illness before quietly passing away. The doctor said that if anyone else had his condition, the pain would be unbearable. But Master Lian showed no signs of great suffering, merely slightly furrowing his brows in tolerance, without loud cries or screams. He could face all joys and sorrows with equanimity, drawing an equal sign between himself and fate, perfectly portraying the role of a blind school calculator. In this grand script composed of collective karma, Master Lian was a true actor!
All things are formed by karmic causes and conditions, inherently illusory dreams. So what joy is there in gaining? What sorrow in losing? It's just a movie. Ancient sages said, "A watery moon on the stage, Buddha affairs in dreams, mind and body in the world are all illusions, do not cling, do not fantasize." Strive in your practice! Hard work pays off for the diligent, believing that the clouds will eventually part and the moon appear!