Guan Yin Oracle 觀音靈籤
Draw one of the hundred Guan Yin lots. Hold your question, shake the cylinder until a stick falls, then confirm it with the moon blocks — the same sequence performed in temples, with the classical verse and its reading.
南無觀世音菩薩 · Goddess of Mercy
觀音靈籤
Goddess of Mercy Divine Lots — hold your question in your heart, shake the sacred lots, and receive Her guidance through one of the 100 poems.
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唵嘛呢叭咪吽
Oṃ Maṇi Padme Hūṃ — the six-syllable mantra of Guan Yin (Avalokiteśvara). “The jewel in the lotus” — invokes compassion and purifies the heart.
Begin when your heart is still.
🎵 Tip: tap “Mantra” for the meditative 觀音聖號 ambience.
How the Guan Yin lots work · 求籤須知
- Settle your heart and hold ONE sincere question — the same lot speaks differently to different questions.
- Shake the bamboo cylinder (籤筒) until a single numbered stick falls.
- Confirm with the blocks (擲筊) — cast the crescent 筊杯 and seek a 聖筊 to confirm the lot is truly meant for you.
- Read the poem (籤詩) first, then the interpretation (解曰), and apply it to your situation.
- 一事不二占 — ask only once per matter; drawing repeatedly for the same question dilutes sincerity.
籤詩 — the four-line oracle poem, the heart of the lot.
解曰 — the interpretation that applies the poem.
吉凶 — the fortune grade, stamped on the side of the slip (see scale below).
筊杯 — divination blocks: 聖筊 (yes), 笑筊 (unclear), 陰筊 (no).
The grade scale · 籤的等級
上上
Most auspicious上
Auspicious中
Neutral / mixed下
Inauspicious下下
Most inauspiciousTraditional temples grade each lot on this five-tier scale. Our slips also show the classic label (大吉, 上吉, 中平, 凶…) which maps onto these tiers.
A 下 / 凶 lot is not fixed fate — it is a call to pause and act with care. By tradition you may 化解 (dissolve) an inauspicious lot by burning it as an offering (花錢消災). For guidance & reflection.
三皈依 · The Three Refuges (Pali)
Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi
“I go to the Buddha for refuge · to the Dhamma (the teaching) for refuge · to the Saṅgha (the community) for refuge.” Recite three times to settle the heart before you draw a lot before Guan Yin (觀世音菩薩).
Authentic 觀音 (Kannon) 100-poem oracle — all 100 lots are here.
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The hundred lots
觀音靈籤 is the best known of the Chinese temple oracles. A hundred bamboo sticks sit in a cylinder; each is numbered to a four-line classical verse, graded from 上上籤 (the most favourable) down through 中 and 下. The verses are old, allusive, and frequently refer to figures from history and legend.
The reading is in the allusion. A verse that mentions a general crossing a river at night is telling you something about timing and risk, and the traditional commentary unpacks which.
Why the moon blocks matter
In a temple you do not simply take the first stick that falls. You throw the 筊杯 moon blocks to ask whether that stick is the answer to your question. One block up and one down is a yes; both flat is a laugh — the question is unclear or wrongly asked; both curved is a no, and you draw again.
This tool keeps that step because it is the part that makes the practice a dialogue rather than a slot machine.
Asking well
Ask one clear question, about a matter that is genuinely open, and be willing to receive an answer you do not want. Lots drawn for entertainment, or drawn repeatedly on the same question, are traditionally considered void.
Common questions
Can I draw more than once a day?
For different questions, yes. For the same question, no — the tradition is clear about this, and the second answer is not considered valid.
What if I get a 下下籤?
The lowest grade is a warning, not a sentence. Traditionally it prompts caution, delay and often a remedy or offering — it is read as advice to change course, not as an unavoidable outcome.
Do I need to be Buddhist?
No. The oracle is consulted by people of many backgrounds and none. Approach it respectfully and the tradition asks nothing else of you.