《中英版》两极哲理之（十一）解预言

两极使者

两极哲理之（十一）解预言




在一本华译的古经书精选里读到一些预言，颇觉有趣，看看想想，便用两极哲理去分析及解开其预言，以下浅述之。
　　
当一个人发出预言，通常是一种感想或感叹，它流露出的包涵了那个人的认知与欲望，当时的遭遇及精神境界等等。你倘要解开这预言，就非得要有与他相似或比他强的经验不可，要不然听了预言就会感到满头雾水而不知所以然。此举一例，当一个聪明的小孩子看到一瓶汽水时，他可能会对母亲说：妈妈我口渴。实际上孩子运用的是善性前极之方法。聪明的母亲也会了解孩子所谓“口渴”其实是想喝那瓶汽水。这孩子“口渴”的预言，她也当然知道怎样去处理，如果合时给孩子购一瓶，也属善性前极。母亲能猜到孩子“口渴”的预言，是因为她非常了解孩子，知道孩子在想什么，实则这位母亲才算称职的母亲，她算善性的母亲。
　　
笔者读中学课文“杨修之死”算是另一例子。中国三国时代里，曹操因为攻不下某个城镇而在营帐里沉思时，刚好下人端上一碗鸡汤，曹操见了鸡汤就发出了“鸡肋、鸡肋”的感叹。碰巧曹操有一位聪明的谋士名叫杨修，他听到曹操这句“鸡肋、鸡肋”的感叹预言后，知道曹操快要退兵，就马上通知其他人开始收拾行李。曹操后来果然退兵。有人就问杨修为什么知道曹操要退兵呢？杨修说：鸡肋者，食之无肉、弃之有味。所以在这种情况之下退兵方是良策。曹操因为此事将杨修处死。有人说是曹操忌才，因为杨修比他聪明才知道他脑子里想些什么。曹操的“鸡肋”预言所以被杨修解破，是因为他们的心智相似，军事知识与经验也很接近之故。而曹操处死杨修则属恶性前极，导致聪明者谁也不敢以真言相对。这不就是曹操失去人心的开始吗？
　　
说回那本古经书，虽然不知道是谁写的预言，但我猜是集合了许多人的预言。有其中一这则预言“当天体（的秘密）被揭露的时候”，可解为：人类才会和平与安宁。因为人类要得知天体的秘密，他们就必须有很高的智慧，有很高智慧的人都爱好和平和安宁的。另一则预言“精纳（大人物）和人（普通人）的群众啊！假如你们能越过天地界限，那么，你们就越过吧，但除非具有权威，你们决不能越过”。可解为是一位得道者的感叹，这位得道者可能是一个普通百姓，他希望所有的人都信仰他心中的主，而得到“精神境界”，在这境界里他越过了天地界而无限的喜悦。
再看看另两则预言，它们似曾相识：做一微粒善事的人，将看到它“（善报）”，及“做一微粒恶事的，也将看到它“（恶报）”。这两则可解为上帝的奖赏及惩罚，写的人企图在告知人类什么是上帝的力量。以上而言实则均属两极哲理，有善性前极必有善性后极，反之亦反，所以说似曾相识。
　　
那么假如有圣人预言：我会复活。可解为一位和我（圣人）一样完美的圣人会出现并做我（预言圣人）同样的工作。“我会复活”的“我”意思是指完美的圣人，“复”即是出现，“活”则是指做同样神圣工作的意思。自古以来圣人者皆不自称为圣人，所以有谁自称复活的圣人者，皆非圣人也。此说也符合两极哲理，即有好的想法或动机，就带来好的作法，而最后的结果也当然是属于善之范围内的善性后极啦！
注：本篇提及之古经书是指《古兰经》。古兰经仍最先出自先知默罕穆德口述，先知逝世多年之后，才由多位门徒默写而成。
英文版
Part Eleven: Interpreting Prophesies
Once I read some prophesies in a selected classical works translated into Chinese. Greatly interested, I tried to analyze and interpret them with LEE.

A prophesy is an exclamation or reflection, revealing the prophet’s cognition, desire, his experience and spiritual state. Interpreting a prophesy requires that you have experience similar to or even more than that of the prophet, otherwise you will feel at a loss as to how to interpret his prophesies. In our daily life, when a child sees a tin of coke, he may tell the mother he is thirsty and the mother knows he wants a coke. How can the mother interpret the child’s intention? The reason is she knows the child well, and understands what is in his mind. As a good mother, she will surely knows the need and buy a coke for the child.

Another example is seen in the "Death of Yangxiu", a story in the Three Kingdoms Period. Cao Cao was busying planning an attack upon a small town when his chef served him a bowl of chicken soup. Seeing the soup, he exclaimed, "Chicken ribs! Chicken ribs!" Yang Xiu, one of the wise advisers happened to have overheard Cao Cao’s exclamation, thus anticipating Cao Cao was about to retreat. So he ordered his men to get prepared before the order was actually issued by Cao Cao. It turned out Cao Cao really gave the order to retreat. Other advisers could not help wondering why Yang Xiu could foretell. "Well," explained Yang Xiu, "Chicken ribs, are skeletal, though pitiful to discard; it is by no means tasteful. Hence, to launch an attack upon this small town is like chewing chicken ribs. Thus it is only best to retreat." Unfortunately Cao Cao had him executed for this anticipation. Some say Cao Cao was jealous of Yang’s outstanding wisdom. Whether or not this is true, is another matter.

The fact that Yang Xiu could interpret the "chicken rib" implication is because he possessed knowledge and experience comparable to that of Cao Cao, their wisdom being at the same level.

In terms of LEE, the execution of Yang Xiu, a negative starting event, held back those witty men who could on many occasions have told Cao Cao the truth, but did not.

Coming back to the classical works I had read, I do not know who authored it, which, I guess, might be a collection of prophesies by different authors. One of them goes like "when the secret of heavenly bodies is disclosed". The implication may be: mankind will enjoy peace and harmony. This is an inference from the fact that great intelligence is required to disclose the secret of heavenly bodies, and intelligent people are mostly peace-loving. Another prophesy goes like "Those VIPs and ordinary beings! Provided you could go beyond the demarcation line between heaven and earth, go beyond. Yet, unless you have authority, otherwise never". It could be the exclamation of a sage who was originally an ordinary being. He hoped that all the people could believe his God and reach the state of spiritual world in which he himself had experienced the joy and excitement. The following are two more prophesies which have identical implications. "Those who have done even one single good deed will get it (positive/reward)". "Those who commit even one tiny bit of sin will get it (negative/punishment)". The prophet was trying to convince mankind of the great power of God, that is, The "positive/reward" and "negative/punishment", administered by God, which actually represent the principle of LEE. That is, positive and negative starting events will surely produce due subsequent events.

If a sage prophesied: "I would revive." It could be interpreted as another sage perfect as the sage himself will emerge. "I" may not specifically refer to the sage himself. "Revive" could mean the new sage will continue his work which was left unfinished. This is also in conformity with LEE, that is, excellent ideas or motives bring about due subsequent events.


Note: The classical works refer to the Koran, which was the oral accounts of the Prophet Mohammed, later compiled into a holy scripture by his disciples after his death.