Yue Lao Oracle Lot 31 · Fair, steady

設虛，夜靜水寒，魚不餌，笑滿船空載明月。 An empty setup, the night is still, the water cold, the fish will not take the bait, yet you laugh, the boat full of nothing but moonlight.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 流通本文句與原偈出入很大，照錄.

Background: what the original says

The original verse describes a fisherman whose line hangs deep all night while not a single fish bites, so he rows home with a boat loaded only with moonlight, content and without regret.

These lines rework a verse by the Tang-dynasty monk Decheng, known as the Boat Monk (Chuanzi heshang), a disciple of the Chan master Yaoshan Weiyan. After leaving his teacher, he settled on the river at Huating, ferrying travelers in a small boat. According to the Chan records, he asked his fellow disciple Daowu to send him any student of real promise. Daowu sent Jiashan Shanhui, whom the Boat Monk brought to awakening aboard his boat; after passing on the teaching, he overturned the boat and vanished into the water.

His verse describes a thousand-foot line dropped straight down, one ripple setting ten thousand in motion, the night still and the water cold, no fish biting, and the boat returning loaded only with moonlight. The Song monk Huihong wrote that it was recited throughout the monasteries. Later plays used its last two lines as exit verses for a wasted trip. No fish, yet the boat is not empty: that is the image the lot offers.

What it means

This time may come up empty, and the fish may not bite. But even going home empty-handed, you carry a boatful of moonlight, so ease your mind; it was not wasted.

Reminder: When you cannot get what you want, look at what you have gained.

This is a plain reading of the words and their source. How it applies to your own question is best settled with the interpreter at the temple where you drew it.

How to ask Yue Lao for a lot

1. Yue Lao, the Old Man under the Moon, usually has a side shrine inside a larger temple, such as a City God temple or a Mazu temple. Follow the temple's route: pay respects to the main deity first, then go to Yue Lao.
2. Tell Yue Lao your name, birth date and address, describe where you are in love right now, and state the one question you want to ask (for example, "Will this relationship last?" or "When will I meet someone?").
3. 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 and cast again to confirm it. Many temples ask for three yeses in a row; if not, draw again.
4. Collect the slip with the matching number. Yue Lao lots are quotations from old books, so the meaning often depends on the original passage. If it is unclear, ask the temple's interpreter.

Ask about one thing at a time; the more specific the question, the easier the lot is to apply. Yue Lao lots are for love and marriage only; for other matters, use the temple's general fortune poems.

Common misunderstandings

Previous: Lot 30; next: Lot 32.