Can Fate Be Predicted?
1. Can fate be accurately predicted?
The short answer is yes—within limits. When used as a predictive art, the I Ching does show a certain degree of accuracy, supported by established methods and internal logic. Whether a prediction proves accurate largely depends on the practitioner’s skill; in theory, it can be done. The well-known Four Pillars of Destiny (Ba Zi) mainly predicts overall trends and major milestones in a person’s life, and skilled practitioners can even forecast month-by-month developments. There are also many other methods, such as Six Lines, Qimen, Meihua, and Ziwei Liu Ren, among others. Some approaches can be quite detailed; for instance, Six Lines can be used to track down lost items, gauge stock market trends, and more. From this perspective, I Ching-based prediction is indeed a deep and far-reaching field of study.
2. To what extent can I Ching prediction be accurate?
Here’s an example. I once met someone who shared the same Ba Zi as mine, yet her life experiences were vastly different from mine. Our education, family circumstances, and health diverged significantly. She had a bachelor’s degree while I had a master’s; her parents were divorced, mine were not—though my parents did go through a rough patch. She had an irregular heartbeat; I did not. There were many other differences, including how our fortunes played out year by year. So where were the similarities?
In 2004, we both encountered misfortune—hers was far more severe. I was robbed while riding my bike and, after also losing my phone, I was out about 4,000 in total, while she was tragically stabbed by a madman. Although both events were unfortunate, I was clearly much luckier than she was. Yet both can be explained through Ba Zi: that year our issues were linked to the interaction of the Shen and Hai branches and the closing of the Yang Blade. In Ba Zi, Shen can symbolize vehicles, knives, metal, and so on. In that sense, my being robbed on a bike and her being stabbed share a common symbolic root, even if the real-world outcomes differed dramatically. What does fortune-telling actually predict? Symbols. The ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches stand for countless symbolic meanings. Thus, people born at the same time will not live identical lives, but the broad ebb and flow of fortune can be outlined. No one’s fate is absolute. Especially in Ba Zi, because there are so many symbols, the margin of error can sometimes be quite large.
Another point: how many people can truly be trusted to predict accurately using the I Ching? Many street fortune-tellers are just con artists—some have never studied the I Ching and get by on patter that barely counts as fortune-telling. How many genuine masters can you rely on? As mentioned, good Ba Zi readers are often experts in symbolism. Even so, the accuracy of I Ching-based predictions is limited. After practicing for so long, I’ve come to feel deeply that the more I calculate, the more confused I become. Why did I learn fortune-telling in the first place? Because I was dissatisfied with the readings others gave me, so I decided to study and interpret for myself. But after learning it, what changed? I still feel lost—very lost.
Without exaggeration, I’ve had my Ba Zi read at least a hundred times by various experts. I’ve consulted countless high-level practitioners. Yet after studying it myself, I truly understand how unreliable fortune-telling can be. My grasp of my own Ba Zi is now unmatched, and still I can’t be certain.
For example, this year I can see that a certain month may bring work opportunities, but I can’t determine what will actually come of them. I know I should take action, but I don’t know why. As for my future, one master says one thing, another says something else. I can read certain symbols, yet there are so many possibilities I can neither pin down nor confirm. I often worry, especially about potential negative events that haven’t happened yet. Once I see unfavorable signs in my Ba Zi—especially anything that might affect my family—how much unnecessary anxiety do I create for myself? Fortune-telling doesn’t bring relief; it often brings more worry.
Some friends of mine who study the I Ching have turned “seeking readings” into a profession of sorts. Their daily routine is to post their Ba Zi in various QQ groups for predictions, consulting one master after another. Even now, every time they meet a master, they still ask, “What else do you need to know?” After so many readings, what could possibly remain unclear?
If fortune-telling could truly resolve psychological issues, then after so many readings, why are you still as confused as before—or even more so? Do you really need to know your fate? I’ve found that many people seek readings to hear good news and feel validated when a master praises their fortune. But when someone points out a flaw, they keep seeking second and third opinions to see if it’s really true. Is that the right mindset? Do you genuinely want to know your fate? Can fortune-telling truly resolve your inner dilemmas?
If you visit an I Ching forum, you’ll find that “masters” there are a mixed bag, with all kinds of people saying all kinds of things. After learning fortune-telling and then looking back, I deeply feel there are far too many charlatans. While there are indeed more sincere students of the I Ching online than there are street scammers, the overall quality is still uneven. Even the most renowned domestic masters often disagree on the same case. Many believers have experienced this firsthand. So I want to ask: do you really think your fate can be precisely predicted? Do you truly need fortune-telling? Do you need a reading—or confidence? Please take a moment to reflect.
3. I Ching does not change fate
Many say feng shui, naming, and the like can change fate; I disagree. I believe that even with favorable feng shui or a good name, you still need to accumulate merit for real change to take hold. Suppose someone suddenly decides to change their fate but lacks sufficient merit, and the feng shui master misjudges the setup or chooses an unfavorable name—who is there to blame? Genuine transformation must begin with merit. I won’t dwell on it, but in the I Ching circle I belong to, two master-level figures passed away in the past six months, both in their prime. They had even predicted their own deaths in advance—yet what could be done? They were powerless to change it. That may be the most unsettling part. Can the I Ching truly change one’s fate?
Historically, how many I Ching masters had a good end? Jing Tu was executed; Shao Yong was paralyzed in his later years. It’s hard to name even one who lived long and was well rewarded. Why is that? Could they not change their fate through fortune-telling? I Ching predictions can help us understand how things unfold, but they cannot help us escape or alter those laws. So what’s the point of merely understanding them? There is a book worth reading on this topic: “Liao-Fan’s Four Lessons.” If you sincerely wish to change your fate, the root lies there. So whenever someone asks me how to change their fate, I always give the same answer: practice Buddhism and do good deeds to accumulate merit. Talking about feng shui or names is futile.
4. The relationship between I Ching and Buddhism
The I Ching is also a study of how the world works. Anyone familiar with Six Lines and the Eight Trigrams knows that when a question is asked, you can generate a hexagram based on the number of words in the question, the clothes the person is wearing, or the time the question is posed. Why is that? Buddhism teaches that phenomena arise from causes and conditions, and that the mind creates all things. This principle is also reflected in fortune-telling: everything around us—and our consciousness—is interconnected.
The moment a thought arises, a reading can begin. Since all things are linked through causes and conditions, nothing is purely random. Once a thought arises, anything can serve as the basis for a reading. In this respect, the I Ching aligns closely with Buddhist ideas. However, the I Ching does not address the root—karma—nor does it provide a path to liberation. No one has ever attained liberation through the I Ching. We should be clear about this. In that sense, the I Ching is of limited use. I left the I Ching community for this reason. Some people may spend their whole lives studying it, only to realize in the end that they’ve been on a futile path. Relying on the I Ching will never change anything—your current fate included. So when I see people calling themselves I Ching masters and feeling proud of it, I can’t help but find it ironic. They devote their lives to something ultimately unhelpful, yet take pride in thinking they grasp the mysteries of heaven and earth. It’s truly a pity.
At its core, fate is cause and effect. By creating good causes and accumulating virtue, you can significantly improve your fate—and there are many examples. But don’t pin your hopes on feng shui or naming to change your destiny. Those who practice Buddhism know the genuine ways to improve their fate. Yes, fate can be predicted with some accuracy—but only within a relative range. For instance, although another person and I, with the same Ba Zi, both faced misfortune in 2004, the severity differed. Buddhism teaches us to thoroughly understand cause and effect and to accept what comes. If there are negative events, they result from our past actions. So why try to change what is bound to arrive? What is meant to happen will happen. If we have sown the seeds, we must have the courage to bear the fruit. From this perspective, fortune-telling is unnecessary. Those who practice Buddhism truly understand fate and know how to face it.