The meaning of number 4 in Tao or Buddhism...

[ChiForce]

This number has been bothering me. Why? I became aware of this number because I woke up from a dream in which I was in a public bathroom and about to take a shower. There was supposed to be a woman in there. When I checked, she was gone. Then, this man, an European man, put up his 4 fingers before me. Ever since that dream, I have been seeing this number everywhere, in my dreams and my work. The number usually associates with the color black (yin), homosexuality (I am not gay and have no problems with people being gay). I have done some work for a gay organization, which in hindsight I really enjoyed helping them. And this early morning, I have a dream in which I was in a subway. I then realized that I was on a number 4 train.

 

In Chinese superstition, number 4 means death. What is death in Tao and the teaching of the Dharma? Just another impermanence.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

Breath.


Breath is all. all breathe. Tao is breath, breath is four.

Yin yin, yin yang, yang yang, yang yin.

The black dot in the white field, the black field facing the white field, the white dot in the black field and the white field facing the black field.



Relax the breath, this is springtime. you breathe autonomously and effortlessly. Relax. Begin cultivating a garden.

Inhale and draw breath into your body, this is summertime. you prepare energies for the harvest.

Exhale and expel the waste and stagnated energies, this is Autumn, when the harvest reaps all that you have sown.

Binding and retaining the state of breath is winter, when everything is frozen and locked. nothing in, nothing out. Suffocation, as a reminder of the fragility of life.


But when it reaches its extreme, polarity is reversed and autonomous relaxed breath returns.




4.

[hydrogen]

In Chinese superstition, number 4 means death. What is death in Tao and the teaching of the Dharma? Just another impermanence.

 

It's only supersition of Cantonese people because their prononciation of 4 is the same as death.

 

In north part of China, 4 is a good number. In a wedding, either 4 or 8 dishes are served (in the old days). Now it's more likely 16 dishes.

[thelerner]

In the orient I thought it was connected to death, thus we have ni(2nd) dan, san (3rd), but no chi(4th) dan, fourth degree belt is yo dan.

 

Double checking myself I found this:

The pronunciation of the number 4 is a homophone for the word "death"in Chinese and Japanese (C: 'si' falling tone = 4, 'si' low tone ="death"; J: both are pronounced "shi"), and possibly other languagestoo, and is naturally enough avoided as bad luck.  14 is a homophonefor "it's death" in Chinese (but not Japanese) ('shr si', rising thenfalling tone = 14, 'shr si', falling then low tone = "it's death").

[hydrogen]

 

In the orient I thought it was connected to death, thus we have ni(2nd) dan, san (3rd), but no chi(4th) dan, fourth degree belt is yo dan.

 

Double checking myself I found this:

The pronunciation of the number 4 is a homophone for the word "death"in Chinese and Japanese (C: 'si' falling tone = 4, 'si' low tone ="death"; J: both are pronounced "shi"), and possibly other languagestoo, and is naturally enough avoided as bad luck.  14 is a homophonefor "it's death" in Chinese (but not Japanese) ('shr si', rising thenfalling tone = 14, 'shr si', falling then low tone = "it's death").

 

The official language in China is Mandarin, not Cantonese ( a province out of 30).

 

The majority of Chinese people won't be happy if you continue promoting Cantonese somehow. I don't think all the American people like to be called "Yankee", especially people from south.

[ChiForce]

The official language in China is Mandarin, not Cantonese ( a province out of 30).

 

The majority of Chinese people won't be happy if you continue promoting Cantonese somehow. I don't think all the American people like to be called "Yankee", especially people from south.

Hahahaha....I don't know. Does it mean I would die soon? I thought one of the hall mark of a highly cultivated person is the ability to predict one's death.... Oh well.....

[C T]

'14' in Cantonese can mean 'sure death' or 'sure to die', and, in the Hokkien and Hakka dialect it also could imply the same.

 

In Buddhism, however, i think '4' is an auspicious number.

 

For example, there is the 4-pronged vajra.

 

The buddhist swastika has 4 bent arms.

 

Then there's the Four Heavenly Kings.

 

For years now, i have a palpable sense of being constantly guarded by 4 armor-clad very big yet invisible warrior-like protectors, each facing one of the 4 cardinal points.

 

I would not regard 4 as being suggestive of anything negative. On the contrary, i think its a very powerful number. A complete number. For certain, death is part of this completeness.

Edited May 16, 2013 by C T

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

... for reference, what are the 4 noble truths?

[Protector]

In the Bible number 40 is associated with transformation. Jesus has been meditating for 40 days. It has rained for 40 days and nights for the flood. blah blah, here's a list for these who cares http://www.40day.com/40_in_the_bible.html

Death is not that bad if it's followed by rebirth, eh

[ChiForce]

Ok, I will try to pay close to attention if the number 4 is associated with the Tao or the teaching of the Dharma... One thing I read about is that a person who is stuck in his life, he tends to see and dream about the number 4 a lot. Yeah, I am stuck in my life. More like trying to make sense with my cultivation path and making good use of my fruits in this world. So far, I am not able to make the connection.

[daojones]

I would look into Jungian and kabbalastic/gnostic theory on the number 4. I believe it represents a sort of perfect completion, and evolution from 3 (the egoic self). 4 is important in sacred geometry - see tetrahedron. And the name of God in hebrew is known as the tetragrammaton.

My experience with 4 is positive. Also back to Jung, he has good stuff for dream interpretation, which sounds like it could help for this one, especially. with the numerology thing. He uses mandalas (4 components) to represent the personality, where a complete male or female personality has 4 developed archetypes each. The capstone for the male is the old wise man...really don't remember about the rest. Also, jungian theory has variations of ideas on similar topics, so look around.

 

 

 

[C T]

... for reference, what are the 4 noble truths?

yeah!

[hydrogen]

'14' in Cantonese can mean 'sure death' or 'sure to die', and, in the Hokkien and Hakka dialect it also could imply the same.

 

Are you sure "4" is a bad number for Hakka people? My dad is pure Hakka from the heart of Hakka region. Now he lives on a house address 4. Apparently he didn't think 4 a bad number.

[ChiForce]

Are you sure "4" is a bad number for Hakka people? My dad is pure Hakka from the heart of Hakka region. Now he lives on a house address 4. Apparently he didn't think 4 a bad number.

Of course not... There are enough favorable meanings on the number 4 to out weight the superstitious of it.