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占星

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: astrology

Senses:

  • The practice of divination based on astral phenomena, such as electional astrology and horoscopy. The earliest examples of proto-horoscopes are from the fifth century BCE in Babylon. In the 2nd century BCE in Hellenistic Egypt prediction of life on the basis of horoscopes cast at birth was developed, combining Egyptian calendars and religious practices, Hermeticism, Pythagorean sacred mathematics, and the philosophies of the Stoics and middle Platonists. Between 400 BCE–200 CE Babylonian astral science was transmitted to India through Greek and Persian conduits followed by the introduction of mature Greek models. These models were initially represented by an Alexandrian text on Hellenic astrology from around 100 CE which was translated into Sanskrit by Yavaneśvara in 149/159 and preserved with the title Yavanajātaka. Although both the sutra and vinaya traditions present the Buddha as generally forbidding astrology, such knowledge was incorporated within Buddhist texts. One example is the Śārdūlakarṇâvadāna, probably composed in the first century CE. This was was translated into Chinese in two versions: the Mātaṅga-sūtra 摩登伽經 (T 1300), said to have been translated in 230 by Zhi Qian, and the Shetou jian taizi ershiba xiu jing 舍頭諫太子二十八宿經 (T 1301) translated by Dharmapāla 竺法護 in 308. The former text reveals distinctively western features such as having the month commence from the new moon (in India a month was counted from a full moon), and spring (the first month of the year) from the 1st day of the 2nd month (the extant Sanskrit and Tibetan versions state it is from the rainy season or pravṛt), whereas the latter has no such influences, being a close translation of the extant Sanskrit original. Sometime during or after 396 (before 586) the Mahāsaṃnipata-sūtra 大方等大集經 (T 397) was translated by Dharmakṣema/Narêndrayaśas, which introduced the twelve zodiacal houses 十二宮, originally a Babylonian concept. Astrology only became popular among Chinese Buddhists in the Tang dynasty. In 759 there was the Chinese compilation of the Xiuyao jing 宿曜經 (T 1299) based on teachings of Amoghavajra 不空. The initial draft was done by Shi Yao 史瑤, though it proved difficult to read for contemporary scholars and so in 764 it was revised by Yang Jingfeng 楊景風. The appearance of his text signaled the beginning of widespread Chinese interest in foreign astrology. Further concepts such as 'aspect' were introduced with the translation of the Douli yusi jing都利聿斯經 in the Zhenyuan 貞元 period (785–805). By the late Tang such knowledge and concepts were incorporated within common Buddhist esoteric practices related to star worship (particularly of the seven stars of the Big Dipper 北斗七星) and apotropaic dhāraṇī-s and mudrā-s. The Xiuyao yigui 宿曜儀軌 (T 1304) and Fantian huoluo jiuyao 梵天火羅九曜 (T 1311), both attributed to the eminent monk and astronomer Yixing 一行, are examples of this. Horoscopy for commoners was likewise available as seen with items from Dunhuang.

    The practice of astrology is generally either electional astrology or horoscopy. The former is the prescription of action or non-action based on astral convergences 直日. The latter is the drafting of birth charts likewise based on astral convergences which predict the proclivities of a person and their destiny in life. In Babylon and Greece attention was paid to convergences in the twelve zodiacal houses whereas in India it was primarily with the twenty-seven or twenty-eight constellations 二十八宿, though with the import of Hellenic models both the zodiacal houses and constellations were considered together with one zodiacal house being assigned altogether nine quarters or pāda-s 足 from three of the twenty-seven constellations.

    Buddhist astrology and its texts were transmitted to Japan during the early Heian period. From the eleventh century the Sukuyō-dō 宿曜道 tradition emerged, based primarily on the Xiuyao jing 宿曜經 which had been brought to Japan by Kūkai 空海 (774–835) in 806. Xiuyao jing 宿曜經 was again transmitted to Japan by Tendai monks Ennin 圓仁 (794–864) in 847 and Enchin 圓珍 (814–891) in 858.

    Reference:

    Hunger, Hermann, and David Edwin Pingree. 1999. Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia. Leiden; Boston:  Brill.

    Pingree, David Edwin. 1981. A History of Indian Literature. Astral and Mathematical Literature Vol. Vi, Part Iii. Fasc. 4, Vol. Vi, Part Iii. Fasc. 4,. Wiesbaden:  Otto Harrassowitz Verlag.

    Yano, Michio. 2004. “Planet Worship in Ancient India.”  In Studies in the History of the Exact Sciences in Honour of David Pingree. Leiden:  Brill.

    ----. 2013. Mikkyō Senseijutsu 密教占星術 . Tokyo:  Toyoshoin.

    [Jeffrey Kotyk; source(s): LinYutang]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Dai kanwa jiten No. 2780.54, p. 1695

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    Entry created: 2014-11-02