Concept of divination still practised in Asia

By Amal HEWAVISSENTI

Divination is by all counts, an interesting concept practised throughout the world at all times. What exactly is divination? It is simply the act of predicting unforeseen events or of unravelling hidden or secret things by real or alleged supernatural means. It might be a prediction or conjecture as to the future. However, its accuracy, precision or fallibility is beyond proof in spite of its continuation unhampered by religious or scientific theory.

The concept of divination comes into play in the early life of the Buddha recounted vividly even in the school syllabus of Buddhism. As children, we read the early accounts of Prince Siddhartha which described how the great prince conceived in his mother, queen Mahamaya accompanied by a strange dream.

On the conception of Prince Siddhartha, the queen dreamt that she was taken by gods to the lake of Anothatta and bathed by her consorts. There, she was anointed with the best perfumes and embellished with flowers before she was taken to the golden mansion in the silver mountain near by.

As she lay there, a white elephant circumambulated her bed thrice and entered her womb.

On consultation, the royal predictors prophesied that the dream signified the birth of a prince who would one day become a universal monarch or a Buddha. After the birth of Prince Siddhartha, his father commanded eight brahmans to interpret the bodily signs of the prince using their expertise on interpreting one's future by one's bodily signs.

Their astrological interpretations claimed that the prince would abandon royal luxuries and become a Buddha. This tale carries the idea that the astrological interpretations of position of stars, and the explication of bodily signs and dreams came into widespread practice during Buddha's time in India.

During the Buddha's time, forms of divination and other allied arts were practised by Brahmins and recluses in jungles. The Brahmajala Sutra exegetically describes the forms of divination that were prevalent in India. The science of divination gave primary to foretelling events by different signs and omens, interpretation of dreams, fortune telling on the specific marks of the body and determining whether a land for a proposed house is lucky or not.

The Sutra says that Brahans and recluses forecast matters regarding rainfall, harvest, food or pestilence in agricultural pursuits.

They foretold the number of years that a man has to live and made interpretation on the language of certain creatures.

Their forms of divination involved obtaining oracular remarks from a possessed person and arranging auspicious times for marriages and other affairs. These predictions included victory and defeat of armies and influences of sun and moon eclipses on a person's life and the world on the whole.

Their science of interpretation placed luck or ill luck on garments, gems, men, women, boys, girls, elephants, bulls, weapons and other animals.

Where it is practised

Nonetheless, the Buddha discouraged the practice of divination. Yet it is in full practice among Bhikkhus in Mongolia, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burma. Divination is placed universal among the Mahayana Buddhists. In China the divination practices have been influenced by Indian astrological elements. Divination has reached its climax in Tibet and Mongolia where the Bhikkhus have become "tsi-pa" (calculator). The "tsi-pa" are the most learned and respected members of the temple.

In Tibet, divination practices are rather aboriginal than Buddhistic. The Bhikkhus practising divination use a magic mirror and an arrow to interpret dreams and omens. The mirror is meant to reflect the future.

In Sri Lanka

Interpretation of dreams, fortune telling, interpretation of bodily marks and similar superstitious rites have become common elements of divination in Sri Lanka. People adept in interpreting lines on palms and other marks on the body used to visit people and capitalise on the credulity of the people.

During the time of ancient royalty, divination had flourished as a science and the Kings too had faith in it. Historical sources say that the mother of King Parakramabahu had had a dream that was identical with that of Queen Mahamaya.

In the third century AC, three friends became rulers of Sri Lanka making a blind man's prophesy realise, according to Mahavamsa.

Three young friends were on their way to the King's Palace in Anuradhapura. At the sound of the footsteps of these friends namely Sanghatissa, Sangabodi and Gotabhaya, a blind man lying on the shore of Tissa Wewa cried out "The ground bears here three rulers of the earth." Later the three young men actually became rulers of Sri Lanka as illustrated by the historical chronicles.

In Sri Lanka, divination is practised in the form of fortune telling, sooth saying, horoscope readings, ordeals, oaths, sorcery, all forms of magic and rituals in Devales. In China, about hundred thousand oracle bones probably made during the famous Shang period, were discovered with engraved evocation made to the spirits. These bones with engravings offer a vivid landscape of Chinese society that was influenced by considerations of good luck and bad luck. Thus, divination was prevalent in China even from the earliest recorded history where almost every aspect of personal life was influenced by practices of divination.

Impressive instance

The Buddha's attitude to the practice of divination was negative and he discouraged such arts as "Low Arts" ("I, the Buddha, hold aloof from such low arts"). The Mangala Jataka includes interesting incident of divination and Buddha's own disparagement of the 'flourishing art.'

During the time of the Buddha, there was a Brahmin who earnestly believed that rat-eaten clothes were a symbol of disaster and brought ill-luck. One day, he found one of his clothes eaten by a rat and ordered his son to discard it to the charnel ground without even touching it. He had also instructed his son to wash himself before returning home.

The Buddha, seeing the Brahman's son throwing away the cloth, picked it up in spite of the son's repeated warnings of possible ill-luck. After hearing what happened, the Brahman immediately asked the Buddha to throw away the garment which would have brought ill-luck. The Buddha said to the Brahman.

"O Brahman, I have renounced the comforts, luxuries and pleasures of the world and I am totally content with the rags that lie by the road side, or are discarded in dust heaps or in the charnel houses."