Sanshi Arts Err in Using Solar Calendar!
Some clauses in Huangdi Yinfujing also refer to Da Liu Ren and Tai Yi. Thus, the above discussion has serious implications for the sanshi arts, for all three of them, Qi Men Dun Jia, Da Liu Ren and Tai Yi, use the solar calendar and do not use the new and full moon "fortnightly periods" but that of the 24 Solar Terms. By using the solar calendar the sanshi arts of Qi Men Dun Jia, Da Liu Ren and Tai Yi use the artificial two weeks in each Solar Term. They are unable to track and have deviated from the real lunar effects.
There are historic evidence of a switch to the 24 Solar Terms, indicating the real new and full moons were previously used:
- "Operators of the Liuren cosmic board have come to use the 24 fortnightly periods, i.e. 24 positions of the sun along the ecliptic for the day when the calculation is performed, while retaining the ancient Counter-Jupiter cycle to determine the deity at the time. It is interesting from the point of view of the history of Chinese astronomy and history of the Liuren method to note that Shen Gua had already remarked on the Jupiter-Stations, and hence the system of the naming of the year after the imaginary positions of Counter-Jupiter by using the branches was already out of step with the calendar during the eleventh century.
(Ho 2003. p.115-116)
The switch to the 24 Solar Terms was eventually accompanied by deviations in the calendar datings.
Ho had suggested that the Huangdi Yinfujing is a brief text with the essentials of Qi Men Dun Jia. This is not true, as there are many other important aspects of Qi Men Dun Jia not summarised within Huangdi Yinfujing. For Huangdi Yinfujing to merely summarise the esentials of the art would not give the imperial circle any advantages. Why look at a small incomplete text when you can view the whole larger Qi Men Dun Jia? It has to be be that Huangdi Yinfujing contains secrets not found within the usual Qi Mern Dun Jia texts.
The word "Yinfu" means "secret tally". Thus, Huangdi Yinfujing was supposed to be a secret document of the imperial circle. There has always been suspicions that the imperial circle practised superior forms of astrology and Feng Shui which they did not want the common people to know. This suspicion is confirmed by the Huangdi Yinfujing. The imperial circle reading the Huangdi Yinfujing would realise they must use the real new and full moons periods for their astrological calculations. The imperial circle would have their astronomers track the day to day movements of celestial bodies like the Moon.
- But the people, having no access to the imperial astronomical equipment and forbidden to use the planetary tables, would have to use the calendars. The dating of the people would certainly in error!
If the luni-solar calendar had been used, as in Zi Wei Dou Shu, the error would not have been so great. But using the solar calendar inputs an artificial and false "fortnightly periods" into the methodologies of the sanshi arts.