Mazu Fortune Stick No. 34 · Kun Hexagram
人生定業固無訛，引頸迎刀復奈何，若向空門閑寄蹟，恩波雨露不勝多。 The karma fixed for a life is surely no mistake; if you stretch your neck to the blade, what then? But if you find a quiet place at the temple gate, grace will fall on you like endless rain.
The poem
人生定業固無訛
The karma fixed for a life is surely no mistake;
引頸迎刀復奈何
if you stretch your neck to the blade, what then?
若向空門閑寄蹟
But if you find a quiet place at the temple gate,
恩波雨露不勝多
grace will fall on you like endless rain.
| Lot | Hexagram |
|---|---|
| No. 34 第三十四首 | Kun 坤 (The Receptive) |
No. 34 in the Baishatun system
The hundred-poem set used at Baishatun Gongtian Temple, Ganghu Tianyuan Temple and some others has twelve different poems at numbers 25 to 36. In that system this number reads:
君來未卜我先知
Before you draw, I already know:
欲向前途問險夷
you want to ask if the road ahead is rough or smooth.
好待桃花春浪發
Wait for the peach-blossom floods of spring;
龍門一躍是良期
the leap through the Dragon Gate is your moment.
If you drew your lot at one of those temples, go by that temple's poem.
Readings by topic
| Topic | Reading |
|---|---|
| Career & exams | Behind the last name on the list; do not hope for too much 孫山之外 不須奢望 |
| Business | Take it lightly; do not scheme for gain 淡然而已 不必貪謀 |
| Pregnancy | Wishing for heirs, yet in the end nothing 欲求後裔 到底空空 |
| Marriage | Not meant to be; hard to pair 不是緣分 難以匹配 |
| Travel | Rough roads; the path runs out at dusk 路多崎嶇 途窮日暮 |
| Household | Old grievances; do good deeds quickly 舊有宿冤 急宜作福 |
| Seeking wealth | A rough road; sought but not found 命運乖舛 求而不得 |
| Luck of the times | Truly hard to get; seeking is useless 實足難求 求之無益 |
| Lost items | Such is your luck; it will not come back 運該如此 無法回籠 |
| Farming & livestock | Crops wither; livestock bring nothing 田禾皆枯 六畜無利 |
| Lawsuits | Wronged, yet unable to clear your name 有冤屈時 無法伸志 |
Readings follow the Grand Matsu Temple website; the English is our translation. The temple's list also has an "illness" reading; we leave it out. If you feel unwell, please see a doctor.
What it means
Some things in life are fated and cannot be changed. If you let go of your attachments and turn to spiritual practice, you will find a great deal of grace.
Background: In the Baishatun poem, carp that leap the Dragon Gate on the Yellow River are said to turn into dragons; it stands for a sudden rise in fortune.
Reminder: When something is beyond your power to change, learn to let it go.
This is a plain reading of the words. How it applies to your own question is best settled with the interpreter at the temple where you drew it.
How to draw a lot
- Light incense and tell Mazu your name, birth date and address, then state clearly the one matter you are asking about.
- Cast the moon blocks (jiaobei, two crescent-shaped wooden blocks) to ask whether you may draw. One face up and one face down means yes; then pull one stick from the cylinder.
- Cast the blocks again to confirm that this is your stick. Many temples ask for three yeses in a row; if not, put it back and draw again.
- Collect the poem with the matching number. Read the whole poem, then find the topic below that fits your question. If it is unclear, ask the temple's interpreter.
Ask about one thing at a time; the more specific the question, the easier the poem is to apply.
Common misunderstandings
A gloomy poem means the matter is doomed.
Most poems are reminders and directions. The same poem means different things for different questions, so look at the topic that matches yours.
You can keep drawing on the same question until you get a good poem.
By custom you ask once per matter. If you are still unsure, ask the temple's interpreter, or wait a while and ask again.
Previous: No. 33; next: No. 35.
A straight word: fortune poems are a matter of faith, and the meanings here are ours
The Chinese text, hexagram names and topic readings follow the Grand Matsu Temple of Tainan, checked line by line against three other sources; we only corrected obvious copying errors, and every page shows the temple's original wording wherever we changed it. The English translations and the plain-English meanings are our own reading of the words, not the temple's official interpretation. For a real reading, ask at the temple where you drew the lot. For legal, medical or financial questions, see a professional, and if you feel unwell, see a doctor. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Beyond the poem: your own chart
Enter your birth date to cast a free BaZi Four Pillars chart and see your Five Elements and Ten Gods.
Mazu fortune stick No. 34: questions
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 34 say?
「人生定業固無訛，引頸迎刀復奈何，若向空門閑寄蹟，恩波雨露不勝多」 In English: The karma fixed for a life is surely no mistake; if you stretch your neck to the blade, what then? But if you find a quiet place at the temple gate, grace will fall on you like endless rain. It is paired with the Kun hexagram.
What does Mazu fortune stick No. 34 mean?
Some things in life are fated and cannot be changed. If you let go of your attachments and turn to spiritual practice, you will find a great deal of grace. Reminder: When something is beyond your power to change, learn to let it go.