Guo Pu's Divine Divination: A Taoist Tale of Foresight
Guo Pu, styled Jingchun, was a famous diviner in the Jin Dynasty. He was erudite and fond of Taoism, especially proficient in various divination and prognostic techniques. There have always been many folk stories about the miraculous accuracy of his divinations.
During the Jin Dynasty, General Wang Dun wanted to stage a rebellion to seize power. He was in great need of talents like Guo Pu, so he summoned Guo Pu to his side.
✨ Recommended Taoist Talismans
Discover powerful talismans for your spiritual journey
Guo Pu’s Prophetic Vision
At that time, Emperor Ming of Jin was only fifteen years old. One day, Emperor Ming gathered all civil and military officials to discuss strategies to deal with Wang Dun. He asked the court historians, "Can I really gain the whole country?" The historians replied in unison, "Although Wang Dun can summon Guo Pu to his side, he will not obtain the country." Emboldened by these words from his ministers, Emperor Ming mustered up the courage to go to Stone City (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu Province) alone and secretly.
It so happened that Wang Dun was treating Guo Pu to a meal at that time, intending to ask him for a great plan. However, Guo Pu remained silent for a long time. Wang Dun, feeling very strange, said, "I invited you here today to discuss important plans, but you haven't said a word. Why is that?"
Guo Pu replied, "Just now, I saw the sun, moon, stars, and the gods of the Five Great Mountains and the Four Seas all protecting a child and clearing the way for him. Your subordinate was really shocked and lost his bearings for a moment." Wang Dun sent someone to investigate, and the report said that only a child was seen riding a horse and playing. Wang Dun knew there must be something extraordinary about this, so he immediately sent people to chase after the child, but unfortunately, they could no longer find any trace of him.
Wang Dun said to Guo Pu, "Last night, I dreamed that someone was plowing with a plow in the river water outside Stone City. Please divine this for me." After a while, Guo Pu said, "Plowing with a plow on the great river means 'overturning (rebelling against) the small boat'—the rebellion will surely not succeed." Upon hearing this, Wang Dun was furious, but he held back and did not show it. Then he asked again, "Then please divine how long my lifespan will be." Guo Pu said, "The divination shows that if you rebel, it will bring great disaster, and your lifespan will naturally not be long. If you do not rebel and stay peacefully in Wuchang, your lifespan will be immeasurable." This enraged Wang Dun even more. He shouted angrily, "Since you are so good at divination, can you divine your own fate and tell when you will die?" Guo Pu said, "My life will end at noon today!"
Guo Pu’s Execution and Miraculous Revival
So Wang Dun immediately ordered Guo Pu to be taken to nangang outside the city to be beheaded.
Guo Pu was escorted to the execution ground. Before the execution, he asked the executioner where the execution ground was. The executioner said, "At the head of nangang." Guo Pu said, "Then it must be under two cypress trees." When they arrived there, it was exactly as he had said. Guo Pu then said, "There should be a big magpie's nest in the tree." So everyone looked around the tree for a long time, but no magpie's nest was found. Guo Pu said, "Look more carefully." Sure enough, there was a large magpie's nest hidden among the dense leaves that was hard to spot.
It turned out that a long time ago, Guo Pu had met a man. He called out the man's name at once and took off his clothes to give to him. The man thanked him repeatedly but was unwilling to accept the clothes. Guo Pu said to him, "Just take them with confidence. You will understand the reason in due time." The man listened to him and took the clothes before leaving. On the day of the execution, this executioner was exactly the man who had received the clothes back then. Guo Pu mentioned this matter to him and requested, "You must use the knife I have prepared myself for the execution." The man immediately agreed. It turned out that this knife had been refined using Taoist techniques, and with it, the person being executed would be able to revive in the future.
Just three days after Guo Pu was buried, someone saw him again, and everyone greeted him and talked to him. Wang Dun heard this news and refused to believe it. He then sent people to dig up Guo Pu's tomb, and when they opened the coffin, there was indeed no body inside. Only then did he believe that Guo Pu had revived.
