Mahjong, Hundun, and Chinese Culture

Xuefeng

Sept. 29, 2007

The root of Chinese culture is “混沌” (“Chaos”), or rather, the major vein of Chinese culture is “混沌” (“Chaos”), culture rather than Confucianism, Buddhism, or Taoism.

“混沌” (“Chaos”) culture is fully aligned with the Tao of the Greatest Creator. However, Chaos implies disorder, which makes it difficult to accurately convey the way of the Greatest Creator. For this reason, I regard the root of Chinese culture as “浑沌” （“Hundun”）culture.

Many Chinese intellectuals have written articles calling for the "Revival of Chinese Culture." After reading their articles, I feel bewildered and ask them in writing, "Which part of Chinese culture do you want to revitalize?" None of them can provide a clear answer or explanation. This shows that those who call for a revival of Chinese culture only have good intentions but lack a clear understanding of what Chinese culture truly is. In essence, Chinese culture is Hundun culture, and the revival of Chinese culture means the revival of Hundun culture.

Fuxi is regarded as the cultural ancestor of the Chinese nation, whose main cultural contributions are the Hetu Luoshu and the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). Traditional Chinese cultural elements such as Taiji, the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), the Book of Changes (I Ching), Liujia, Jiuxing, and Fengshui all trace their origins to his teachings. Hetu Luoshu also forms the foundation for the theory of meridians and acupuncture points in traditional Chinese medicine, as well as for disciplines such as the Book of Changes (I Ching), Fengshui, the principles of yin and yang and the five elements, Bazi (Eight Characters of Birth Time), Ziweidoushu, date selection, divination, and necromancy.

The Hetu Luoshu embodies the Hundunic phenomenon, depicting the cosmic vision Fuxi attained through his spiritual connection and unity with the universe.

The essence of Hundun is the holographic nature of the universe. It is vast enough to encompass everything yet small enough to exclude nothing. Every phenomenon and every object has a Hundunic connection to the universe. Nothing exists independently, and no phenomenon occurs in isolation. To illustrate this more vividly: the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in Alaska may trigger a storm at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, and a cough from an Inuit in the Arctic could cause someone in Australia to fall from a building.

Through my analysis of human thinking, I have discovered that the most profound form of thinking is Hundunic thinking, followed by formless thinking, Taiji thinking, visualized thinking, illusory thinking, and so on. Confucian thinking is materialistic thinking, the most basic level of thinking. Taoist thinking aligns with Taiji thinking, Buddhist thinking corresponds to formless thinking, and Western thinking, rooted in science and technology, primarily consists of image-based and associative thinking. The prevailing New Age thinking, exemplified by works such as Seth's teachings, Conversations with God, The Law of One, The Disappearance of the Universe, and A Course in Miracles, belongs to illusory thinking. Ultimately, humanity must embrace Hundunic thinking, inheriting, continuing, and promoting Hundun culture.

We can approach Hundun culture through four key elements: revelation, the Eight Trigrams, Huzi, and Mahjong.

Revelation means "observing the celestial phenomena in the sky, studying the laws of the earth, studying the patterns of animals and plants, examining oneself and the immediate surroundings, and contemplating external things and the distant world." In other words, it allows direct dialogue with the Greatest Creator. My work The Chapter of Revelation may serve as an introduction for others to explore deeper insights.

The Bagua (Eight Trigrams) illustrate the process: Wuji generates Taiji, and Taiji generates yin and yang. Yin and yang generate the four symbols, the four symbols generate the eight trigrams, the eight trigrams generate the sixty-four hexagrams, and the sixty-four hexagrams give rise to all phenomena in the universe. By comprehending the transformations of the sixty-four hexagrams, one can grasp the interplay between change and permanence and understand Hundunic principles.

Huzi was the teacher of Liezi. Huzi skillfully applied Hundunic principles, and by studying him, we can understand the essence of the Hundunic phenomenon.

Mahjong is a game widely enjoyed by the Chinese. Do not underestimate Mahjong—it is a manifestation of Hundunic principles. A standard set of Mahjong consists of 136 tiles, including four "East," four "South," four "West," four "North," four "Center," four "Fa," four "White," 36 "Tiao," 36 "Bing," and 36 "Wan." These tiles combine to form an astronomical number of possible arrangements. Thus, even if one plays Mahjong every day for a lifetime, they may never encounter the exact same combination twice. The game feels like a labyrinth—you may grasp the outcomes but not the underlying causes. It appears that everything happens by chance, with no discernible order. Each game of Mahjong hinges on luck and uncertainty; no one can predict whether they will win or lose.

However, Hundun is not chaos—it is order. Hundun is governed by meticulous rules, leaving no room for loopholes. What appears random is in fact structured and inevitable. Mahjong players emphasize luck. If they win, they attribute it to having good "shouqi" (hand luck); if they lose, they say their "shouqi" is bad. What is "souqi"? Try it yourself: if you are sleep-deprived, in poor health, or have had sexual activity within 24 hours, your "souqi" will be poor, and you are more likely to lose—unless the other three players are in an even worse condition. Additionally, the direction one faces and the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) of all players affect the outcome of the game.

Thus, to win at Mahjong, one must maintain high energy, good health, and avoid sexual activity for a short period. This increases the chances of having good “souqi.” The question is, why do astronomical numbers of seemingly random tile arrangements align so closely with a player's “souqi”? This is where Hundunic principles come into play.

Now, let’s turn our attention to society. Many wealthy individuals and successful entrepreneurs have little education and do not work particularly hard, yet they accumulate great wealth. Many individuals in politics lack high intelligence or outstanding moral character, yet they encounter numerous opportunities and rise smoothly through the ranks. Conversely, many well-educated, intelligent, kind-hearted, and hardworking individuals remain poor and fail to secure official positions. The secret lies in the principles of Hundun.

"Cleverness can be one's own undoing." Why? Because of Hundunic principles.

Mr. Zhang Baosheng, a renowned figure in China’s field of special abilities, had little formal education, yet his mind operates in a Hundunic state—this is the secret to his abilities.

The more concepts one fills their mind with, the further they stray from Hundun. The more moral doctrines one embraces, the further they stray from Hundun. The more knowledge one accumulates and the more one pursues rationality, the further they stray from Hundun. The more rules one masters, the further they stray from Hundun. The more one seeks, the further they stray from Hundun.

How can one draw closer to Hundun? Laozi advised us to "return to the state of a newborn baby." Jesus Christ urged, "Become like little children." Zhang Sanfeng declared, "To follow the mundane is to remain mortal; to transcend it is to become immortal. The key lies in reversing the ordinary." Buddha taught, "Detach from all forms," and "Let your mind dwell nowhere." These are the most profound methods to approach Hundun.

The Tao of the Greatest Creator is the Tao of Hundun. Lifechanyuan conveys Hundunic information and principles, and it is dedicated to fostering Hundun culture—revitalizing the roots and essence of Chinese culture. This is infinitely profound and endlessly captivating!

Note: Hundun specifically refers to the order of the Greatest Creator and the seemingly intricate yet fundamentally unified and ordered state of the universe.