Why is that Qi-tien
(Heaven of Spirit) and Xiang-tien
(Heaven of Matter) will have ends?
In Qi-tien, there are yin and yang. The interactions between yin and
yang result in changes. Since there are changes, there must be births
and deaths. Since there are births and deaths, there must be beginnings
and ends. Confucius said, “All objects have roots and
branches; all
events have beginnings and ends.” Heaven, Earth, the sun, the moon,
ghosts, deities, mankind, matters, animals, plants, etc; are objects;
therefore, they all have roots (origins) and branches (destinies).
The flow of the four seasons, the changes in weather, the sunrises
and sunsets, the syzygies of the moon, etc; are events; thus, they
must have beginnings and ends.
In the Song dynasty, Shao Kang-jie explained the theory of
“Xian-tien I” which calculates the changes and fate of Heaven,
Earth, and all beings. He wrote Huang-ji Ching-shi which recounts
the past progressions and foretells the future development of the
cosmos. As stated in Huang-ji Ching-shi and Si Ji, there are
one-hundred twenty-nine thousand and six-hundred years
(129,600 years) from the beginning to the end of Heaven and
Earth. This period is called a Cycle or Yuan. A Cycle has twelve
Phases (hui); each Phase lasts ten-thousand and eight-hundred
years (10,800 years). A phase has thirty Trends (yun); each Trend
lasts three-hundred and sixty years (360 years). A trend has twelve
Generations (shi); each Generation lasts thirty years (30 years).
The twelve Phases are named as Zi, Chou, Yin, Mau,
Cheng, Si,
Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai.
The first six Phases (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mau, Cheng, and Si) are the
period of birth and growth of Heaven and Earth. During these
Phases, the universe progresses from non-existence to existence.
The last six Phases (Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai) are the
period of decline and death of Heaven and Earth. During these
Phases, the universe regresses from existence to non-existence.
The yang increases and the yin decreases in the progression Phases.
The yin increases and the yang decreases in the regression Phases.
The beginning of the progression Phases, Zi, is represented by the
hexagram “fu” which has only one yang symbol at the bottom. As
the progression continues, more and more yang symbols appear.
The end of the progression Phases, Si, is represented by the hexagram
“qian” which has six yang symbols signifying the peak of yang. The
beginning of the regression Phases, Wu, is represented by the hexagram
“gou”, which has one yin symbol at the bottom. As the regression
continues, more and more yin symbols appear. The end of the regression
Phases, Hai, is represented by the hexagram “kun”, which has six yin
symbols signifying the peak of yin.
Within each Cycle, Heaven is created in Zi Phase and destroyed
in Xu Phase. Earth is created in Chou Phase and destroyed in You
Phase. Mankind is created in Yin Phase and destroyed in the Shen
Phase. Seven Phases have gone by since the beginning of Heaven
and Earth. Presently, we are at the transition period from Wu Phase
to Wei Phase. In this period the yin expands and becomes more
significant. This means we are at the peak of the human civilization
and climate of the scientific technology. Whatever reaches the peak
must deteriorate; thus, now is the time that all souls must return to the
Origin. In Shen Phase, mankind will disappear from Earth. In Hai
Phase, Heaven and Earth will merge together and become
indistinguishable. After ten-thousand and eight-hundred years
of chaos, it reaches Zi Phase of the next Cycle, and Heaven will
be created again. This Cycle repeats indefinitely.
The foregoing discussions prove that Qi-tien has beginnings and
ends. If Qi-tien has beginning and ends, it is obvious that Xiang-tien
must also have beginnings and ends. This can be supported by
examining many cyclical changes in the environment. For example,
in the Chinese clock, a day has twelve Watches; each Watch last two
hours. The daytime is yang and the nighttime is yin. There are twelve
months and four seasons in a year. Spring and summer are yang, and
autumn and winter are yin. Thus, we experience the cycle everyday
and every year.
From the above examples, it can be induced that a Cycle has twelve
Phases, half is progressive and the other half is regressive. In Zi Phase,
yang starts to rise. In Wu Phase, yang starts to decline. Wu Phase in a
Cycle is analogous to noon in the day. Zi Phase in a Cycle is analogous
to midnight in the day. Thus, Wu Phase is one of the two most important
turning points in a Cycle, and the changes in Wu Phase are also
extremely major and important. Based on this reasoning, we can predict
tomorrow based on today, and the next year on this year. We can also
infer the previous Cycle and predict the next Cycle based on the present
Cycle of Heaven and Earth.
The above statements are proven by many generations of Saints
through their inspirations. These are also verified by
Zhu-Tien-Shen-Sheng (all Gods in upper and lower Heavens)
and direct messages from God. Thus, they are the Absolute Truth.