三. 何以知道氣天象天有壞 ?3. Why is that Qi-tien and Xiang-tien ends?

三. 何以知道氣天象天有壞 ?
3. Why is that Qi-tien and Xiang-tien ends?
氣天有陰陽, 有變化, 有變化就有生死, 既有生死就有始終. 孔子說: 「物有其根本(體)與枝節, 事亦有其根本與始終. 」天地日月, 鬼神人物, 天上飛, 水中潛, 地各類動植物都屬於物類, 所以有根本與枝末.
In Qi-tien, there are yin and yang. The interactions between yin and yang result in change. Since there is change, there must be birth and death. Since there is birth and death, there must be beginning and end. Confucius said “All objects have roots and branches; all events have beginning and end.” Heaven, earth, the sun, the moon, ghosts, deities, humankind, matter, animals, plants, etc., are objects; therefore, they all have roots (origins) and branches (destinies).
天上的四季循環, 春夏秋冬, 風雨陰晴, 日月盈虧, 都是事物, 因而有終結與開始.
The flow of the four seasons, the changes in weather, the sunrises and sunsets, the waxing and waning of the moon, etc., are events; thus, they must have beginning and end.

宋朝卲康節, 完成先天易以計算天地萬物人事的變化和數, 著有皇極經世, 以推算開天闢地以來世運的演進.
In the Song dynasty, Mr. Shao Kang-jie explained the theory of Xian-tien Yi, which calculates the changes and fate of heaven, earth, and all beings. He wrote Huang-ji Ching-shi which recounts the past progressions and foretells the future development of the cosmos.

史記和皇極經世所記載:
As stated in the Huang-ji Jing-shi and the Si Ji:
天地終始之數是十二萬九千六百年, 稱為一元.
There are one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years from the beginning to the end of heaven and earth. This period is called a yuan or a Cycle.
一元有十二會.
A Cycle has twelve Phases (hui).
一會是一萬零八百年.
Each Phase lasts ten thousand eight hundred years.
一會有三十運.
A Phase has thirty Trends (yun).
一運三百六十年.
Each Trend lasts three hundred and sixty years.
一運有十二世.
A Trend has twelve Generations (shi).
一世三十年.
Each Generation lasts thirty years.
十二會以子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戌、亥為代表.
The twelve Phases are named Zi, Chou, Yin, Mau, Cheng, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, Yo, Xu, and Hai.

前六會自子至巳為天地開物期, 自無而有, 後六會自午至亥為天地的閉物期. 自有至無,開物期陽進陰退, 閉物期陰進陽退.
The first six Phases (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mau, Cheng, and Si) are the period of birth and growth of heaven and earth. During these Phases, the universe progresses from non-existence to existence. The last six Phases (Wu, Wei, Shen, Yo, Xu, and Hai) are the period of decline and destruction of heaven and earth. During these Phases, the universe regresses from existence to non-existence. The yang increases and the yin decreases in the Phases of progression. The yin increases and the yang decreases in the Phases of regression.
開物期之始是子會, 可用復卦來代表, 復卦一陽生, 至乾卦而陽全盛(即開物期之結束), 閉物期之使是午會, 可用後姤卦來代表, 姤卦一陰生, 至坤而陰全盛(即閉物期之結束).
The beginning of the Phases of progression, Zi, is represented by the hexagram fu, which has only one yang symbol at the bottom. As the progression continues, more and more yang symbols appear. The end of the Phases of progression, Si, is represented by the hexagram qian, which has six yang symbols signifying the peak of yang. The beginning of the Phases of regression, Wu, is represented by the hexagram gou, which has one yin symbol at the bottom. As the regression continues, more and more yin symbols appear. The end of the Phases of regression, Hai, is represented by the hexagram kun, which has six yin symbols signifying the peak of yin.

在一元會中, 天開於子而末於戌, 地闢於丑而沒於酉,人生於寅而沒於申, 迄今已七元會. 現值午未交替之期, 陽漸消陰生閉物之候, 象徵人類文明和科學技術的高峰. 象極必壞, 人類靈魂必須回歸. 申會人空, 至亥會混沌, 經一萬零八百年, 子會又開, 天地再造, 如此元會循環不已.
Within each Cycle, heaven is created in the Zi Phase and destroyed in the Xu Phase. Earth is created in the Chou Phase and destroyed in the Yo Phase. Humankind is created in the Yin Phase and destroyed in the Shen Phase. Seven Phases have gone by since the beginning of heaven and earth. Presently, we are at the transition period from the Wu Phase to the Wei Phase. In this period, the yin expands and becomes more significant. This means we are at the peak of the human civilization and the climax of scientific technology. Whatever reaches a peak must deteriorate; thus, now is the time that all souls must return to the Origin. In the Shen Phase, humankind will disappear from earth. In the Hai Phase, heaven and earth will merge and become indistinguishable. After ten thousand eight hundred years of chaos, it will reach the Zi Phase of the next Cycle, heaven and earth will be re-created again. This Cycle repeats indefinitely.

由上可證, 氣天有始終, 氣天既有始終, 象天更不用說了, 這可由觀察環境中有規律的變化而得證. 舉例而言, 在中國計時中, 一日有十二時辰,一時辰有二小時, 白天屬陽, 夜屬陰, 一日一開一閉, 日日如此, 一年有四季, 正是十二個月, 春夏為陽, 秋冬為陰, 一年一開一閉, 年年如此.
The foregoing discussion proves that Qi-tien has beginning and end. If Qi-tien has beginning and end, it is obvious that Xiang-tien must also have beginning and end. This can be supported by examining many cyclical changes in the environment. For example, in the Chinese clock, a day has twelve Watches; each Watch lasts two hours. The daytime is yang and the nighttime is yin. There are twelve months and four seasons in a year. Spring and summer are yang, and autumn and winter are yin. Thus, we experience the cycle every day and every year.

由上可推之, 一年有十二會, 六會開物, 子會陽生, 午會陽降, 午會猶如日之正午. 子會猶如日之半夜, 所以午會是一元之中極大的關頭, 而午會的變化也是非常重要的. 所以以理推之, 今日可推明日, 今年可推明年,故知此一元會可推前一元會與後一元會.
From the above examples, it can be induced that a Cycle has twelve Phases, half of them is progressive and the other half is regressive. In the Zi Phase, yang starts to rise. In the Wu Phase, yang starts to decline. The Wu Phase in a Cycle is analogous to noon. The Zi Phase in a cycle is analogous to midnight. Thus, the Wu Phase is one of the two most important turning points in a Cycle, and the changes in the Wu Phase are also extremely major and important. Based on this reasoning, we can predict tomorrow based on today, and next year on this year. We can also infer the previous Cycle and predict the next Cycle based on the present Cycle of heaven and earth. The above statements are proven by many generations of Saints through their inspirations. These are also verified by Zhu-Tien-Shen-Sheng (Buddhas, Immortals, Saints, angels, and deities in all the heavens) and the direct messages from God. Thus, they are the Absolute Truth.