這世界啊！法爾如是！人總在那兒爭，爭權奪利，這一幫下臺，那一幫又上臺了，就這麼天下事，合久必分，分久必合。

《易經》對中國，尤其是中國的政治，影響很大。八卦，什麼都可以推算出來，不但人生的道理，連國家的命運，也可以這樣推算出來。好像清朝的時候，就屬水，所以它有三點水。民國就屬木，共產黨來，就屬火了；木生火。火生土，將來是中國佛教大興，因為火能生土，土生金，金生水。

◆你拿刀槍，那拿棍子的就不好使，這叫金剋木。
When some people started using swords and spears, those armed with sticks found their sticks ineffective; this is known as metal overcoming wood.

說到這個戰爭呢，現在是水戰了，以前是火戰。最上古的時候，是什麼戰呢，那就是土戰了。怎麼是土戰呢？你一拳，我一腳，沒有什麼東西打人，兩軍陣前，也是你一拳、我一腳這麼打，這叫土戰；因為人都屬土，是四大假合的，所以叫土戰。土戰以後，木剋土，這用木戰。怎麼叫木戰？木戰就是你拿一個棍子，我拿一個棍子相打，也沒有槍刀，所以說是木戰。木戰又過了一個時期，就是金戰了，你拿刀槍，那拿棍子的就不好使，這叫金剋木。以後就是槍彈、火藥、洋炮。生火了，洋炮那時候是用火藥，這種東西就是火戰了。那現在這個戰爭呢，火戰又過去了，就水戰，好像原子彈、氫氣彈，這都是水，由水的精華造出來的。以後又會回歸到土戰了，因為土剋水。現在的戰爭是水戰，將來彌補這個水戰還是土，不是處處都波及水戰，有的地方不受氫氣彈、原子彈損害，那地方就還有生物存在。所以，毀滅這個世界的就是水。

這水很厲害的，水大了，土也沒辦法。雖然現在各國已經決定不許再爆炸原子彈了，可是說是這麼說的，到爆炸的時候，還是一樣爆炸的。他們都自己在那兒掩耳盜鈴呢！誰能管得住啊？到時他發狂了，發癲了，這個東西一下子給你爆炸了，你有什麼辦法？哪個國家能管得了他？好像以前國聯有什麼用？中國被日本打，侵略了，他們在那兒看著，按兵不動，名存實亡。現在又是聯合國，這世界還不是這麼亂七八糟的？它一定能管得了了嗎？管不了的！這世界就這麼回事，大家造的惡業，都在那兒擠到一起了，一定爆炸了。所以明白這道理，這世界啊，法爾如是！人總在那兒爭，爭權奪利，這一幫下臺，那一幫又上臺了，就這麼「天下事，合久必分，分久必合」。

藥性與五行

人有人性，阿修羅有阿修羅性，畜生有畜生性，餓鬼有餓鬼性，地獄有地獄性，那麼藥就有藥性。性，就是它本來所具有的這種性質，這種體性。

◆相生：木生火，火生土，土生金，金生水，水生木
The mutual production of the five elements: Wood produces fire, fire produces earth, earth produces metal, metal produces water, and water produces wood.

藥性有相生相剋，這是先要明白五行的性；你要懂得藥性，先要懂得五行性。在中國這個「五行性」，是妙不可言的，你無論什麼都離不開這個五行性。這五行性，就是這個法界裡頭的一個組織，由這個金木水火土組織成的這個法界。所以，你若懂得金木水火土這五行相生相剋，你就能把什麼道理都懂多一點；你若不懂這五行相生相剋這種道理，你就不容易懂其他的道理。

怎麼叫相生呢？五行，就是金木水火土。相生，譬如這個木，木性就是木頭的木，木性你看它這麼很堅硬的，可是它能生火，你把木頭用火一點它，就著起火來了，這叫木能生火。那麼火呢？是很熱的東西，它能生什麼呢？火能生土，這火熄了，變成灰；這灰就是土。地上有很多土，土又能生什麼呢？「土能生萬物，萬物土中生」，所以在這土裡頭，什麼都能生出來。那麼土能生萬物，現在主要說的是土能生金，在土裡頭能生出金子來。那麼金子又能生什麼呢？金就能生水，你用一塊金子在那個地方，它就會反潮、反暈，這是它生水的一個道理。你若用火一燒這個金子，金子就變水了。金子變成水，這也是金能生水的一個道理。那麼金能生水，水這就是我們人人都知道的，水又能生什麼呢？水能生木。你看那個木頭，它活著的時候，一定要有水來養著它；若沒有水，它就乾了，就死了，沒有用了。所以這叫「順生」，順生法；金木水火土順生法。

◆金可以把木頭剋制傷了，壞了它。
Metal can be used to harm and damage wood.

又相剋，相生回來就相剋，相剋就相殺，就是叫它死；剋就是剋傷，令它傷了，傷了它就會死的。那麼這個相剋，正是回頭相剋，隔著兩個，它就會相剋的。好像木能生火，火能生土，土能生金，從土裡生出的這金，金剋木，金會回頭剋木，隔著兩個，它就回頭相剋了。那麼金又能生水，水又回頭來剋火，水剋火，水可以把火熄滅了。這個金可以把木頭剋制傷了它，壞了它。好像你有一棵樹，你拿一把斧頭到那兒，一斧頭把那棵樹就砍斷了，這叫金剋木。那麼木又剋什麼呢？木剋土，你看這泥土，你若是用一根木頭往地裡頭一釘，這地就出個窟窿，這叫把它剋傷了。

為什麼木剋土呢？這都是有一種相仇的意思，金剋木，木就剋土去；剋這個金的母。土就是金的母，這木頭就對土說，你生出個兒子來剋我嗎？我就把你這個媽媽給殺了，啊！木就剋土。這叫回頭相剋。順著就相生，逆著就相剋。木剋土，土就剋水，好像那個水有一些少了，那當然土剋水的；多了，那土也剋不了水了，水因為多了，就勝了。好像少少的水，你若用土把水一披，水就沒有了，這叫土剋水。水呢？就剋火，若有火的地方，你用一點水，那火就滅了。但是火若大了，你用很少的水也滅不了的，這都是要以多為勝。火呢？又剋金，火就會剋金的。木能生火，火就去剋金，火是幫得木的。火剋金，金剋木，這都是輪著的。這麼一輪著，它相剋。

待續

This is just how the world is. People are constantly fighting, contending for power and profit, with one gang coming off the stage and another gang going onstage. In the affairs of the world, after being united for a while, people split up, and after being separated for awhile, they get back together again.

The Book of Changes has had a great influence on China, especially on Chinese government. Using the eight trigrams, it is possible to foretell and calculate anything at all. Not only the events of a person’s life, but even a country’s future can be foretold. For example, the Qing dynasty belonged to the element of water, so the word “Qing” has three dots of water in it. The Republic of China belonged to the wood element, and with the advent of the Communist Party, fire became the leading element, for wood produces fire. Fire in turn produces earth. In the future Buddhism will flourish in China, because fire will produce earth. Earth then produces metal, and metal produces water.

In terms of the kinds of warfare, modern warfare is dominated by water. Before this, war was under the influence of fire. In the most ancient times, what kind of wars were there? Wars under the influence of the element earth. That is to say, people hit with their fists or kicked with their feet, since they didn’t have anything else to hit each other with. When two armies faced each other in battle, they also fought by exchanging punches and kicks. These were called wars of earth, because people belong to the element earth; they are temporary combinations of the four elements. Since wood overcomes earth, wars of earth were followed by wars of wood. What is meant by wars of wood? People would attack each other armed with sticks and clubs. There were no swords or spears, so these wars were said to be dominated by the element wood. After wars had been dominated by wood for a time, they came under the influence of metal. When some people started using swords and spears, those armed with sticks found their sticks ineffective; this is known as metal overcoming wood. Later on, bullets, gunpowder, and cannons came to be used, as the element of fire was produced. At that time, people used cannons filled with gunpowder, and warfare came under the influence of fire. Now the age of warfare dominated by fire has also passed, and currently wars are dominated by water. Such weapons as the atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb belong to the water element, for they are created from the water molecule. In the future, wars will come under the dominion of earth once more, since earth overcomes water. Right now warfare is dominated by water, and in the future that which will repair the damage done by wars of water will be earth. Not every place will be involved in the warfare under the influence of water. Some places will escape the harm caused by the hydrogen bomb and atomic bomb, and the living beings in those places will stay alive. In general, however, it will be the element of water which will destroy the world.

◆相剋：火剋金，金剋木，木剋土，土剋水，水剋火
The mutual destruction of the five elements: Fire destroys metal, metal destroys wood, Wood destroys earth, earth destroys water,

Water is very devastating. When there is a great amount of water, there is no way for earth to overcome it. Although the different countries have made an agreement to prohibit the setting off of the atomic bomb, that’s just a verbal statement; when it comes time to explode, it will explode all the same. They are just trying to “plug their ears and steal a bell"—fool themselves! Who can really control the situation? One day someone might go crazy, and in a split second, there will be an explosion. What can you do about it? Which country is able to stop such a person? For example, we had the League of Nations in the past, but what use was it? China was invaded by Japan, but they just sat there and watched, not making any move; they appeared to exist, but in reality they were already dead. Now we have the United Nations, but isn’t the world still such a big mess? Can it really take care of things? No. This is just how the world is. The evil karma that everyone has created is all crowded together, and there’s bound to be an explosion. Once we understand this principle, we’ll realize that this is just how the world is. People are constantly fighting, contending for power and profit, with one gang coming off the stage and another gang going onstage. Thus it is said, “In the affairs of the world, after being united for a while, people split up, and after being separated for a while, they get back together again.”

The Nature of Medicinal Herbs and the Five Elements

Human beings have human natures, asuras have asura natures, animals have animal natures, hungry ghosts have the nature of hungry ghosts, hell-beings have the nature of hell-beings, and medicinal herbs have the nature of medicinal herbs. The “nature” of something refers to its inherent disposition or essential quality.

The natures of medicinal herbs are also mutually productive and destructive. If you want to understand the natures of medicinal herbs, you must first understand the natures of the five elements. The Chinese theory of the natures of the five elements is wonderful beyond words. There is nothing that is not included within the natures of the five elements. The natures of the five elements are a systematic organization of everything in the Dharma Realm. The Dharma Realm is constituted from the elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Therefore, if you understand the mutual production and destruction of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—then you will have a better understanding of all other principles. If you don’t understand the principle of the mutual production and destruction of the five elements, then it will not be easy for you to understand other principles.

What is meant by mutual production? The five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—give rise to one another. For example, take wood. The wood nature appears firm and hard, but it can produce fire. When you hold a match to a piece of wood, it lights right up; that’s known as wood producing fire. Fire is very hot. What can it produce? It can produce earth. When a fire burns out, there are only ashes left, and ashes belong to earth. There is a lot of earth (dirt and soil) on the ground. What can earth produce? “The earth can produce the myriad things. The myriad things are born from the earth.” All kinds of things are born and produced from the soil of the earth. The earth can produce the myriad things, and in particular, it can produce metal. Metals are formed in the earth. What can metal produce? Metal can generate water. When you set a piece of metal somewhere, it will collect moisture and become damp. This illustrates the principle that metal can produce water. When fire is used to heat metal, metal can also turn into liquid. This is also the principle that metal produces water. Water is something everyone is familiar with. What can it produce? Water can produce wood. You can see that when wood is still in the form of a living tree, it must have water to stay alive. If there is no water, it will wither and die and be of no use. This is known as “production in accord.” This is the dharma of production in accord of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

There is also mutual destruction. After mutual production, there is mutual destruction, which is mutual killing, the causing of death. Destruction also means harming, causing harm to something so that it will die. Mutual destruction really occurs next in line; that is, in the cycle of production, each element destroys the element that is two away from it. For example, wood produces fire, fire produces earth, and earth produces metal, so metal is generated. Metal destroys wood, which is two elements down the line. Metal produces water, and water destroys fire because water can be used to put out a fire. Metal can be used to harm and damage wood. For instance, if there is a tree, you can chop it down with an ax. This is a case of metal destroying wood. What then does wood destroy? Wood destroys earth. You can take a stick and poke a hole in the mud with it, and that’s an instance of harming the earth.

Why does wood destroy earth? There is a sense of mutual resentment involved. Metal destroys wood, and wood then destroys earth. Wood destroys the mother of metal, which is just earth. The wood element says to earth, “The son you produced came to destroy me, so I’m going to kill you, his mother.” So wood destroys earth. This is called “turning back and destroying.” Following the cycle, there is mutual production. Going in reverse, there is mutual destruction. Wood destroys earth, and earth then destroys water. When there is little water, earth will certainly be able to overcome water. When there is a lot of water, then even earth cannot overcome water. Because of its great quantity, water will win out. If there is only a little water and you throw dirt in it, the water will disappear. That’s how earth overcomes water. Water overcomes fire. If there is a fire somewhere, you can put it out with a little water. However, if the fire is very large, then you won’t be able to extinguish it with a small amount of water. In every case, if one element is in great quantity, it will be victorious. Fire destroys metal. It is able to overcome metal. Wood can produce fire, and fire then destroys metal. Fire helps wood. Fire overcomes metal, and metal overcomes wood. So it’s all a cycle. Since they are in a cycle, the elements become mutally opposed.

To be continued

◆水剋火，有火的地方，用一點水，那火就滅了。
If there is a fire somewhere, you can put it out with a little water.

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