Cast & Chart

Guan Yin's 100 lots

Temples dedicated to Guan Yin keep a cup of 100 numbered sticks, each tied to a four-line verse. Hold a question in mind, shake the cup, and read the verse for the stick that rises.

These verses follow the text used in Taiwanese temples. Each page lists the sources we compared and where they differ.

Draw a lotWhat are fortune sticks, and where did they come from?
  1. 1Heaven and earth open
  2. 2The fish before Yu's Gate
  3. 3The swallow's nest of mud
  4. 4The broken mirror made whole
  5. 5Digging for a spring
  6. 6Feeding the tiger below the cliff
  7. 7Through mud and over hills
  8. 8Pine and cypress in winter
  9. 9A moon straight overhead
  10. 10The lamp looking for fire
  11. 11A good match after the bustle
  12. 12Out of the dark dust
  13. 13The golden fish pouch
  14. 14The crane leaves its cage
  15. 15Broken eggs, empty nest
  16. 16Jade in the mud
  17. 17A painted cake
  18. 18The crow and the hare
  19. 19Waiting out the rapids
  20. 20Clear sky after spring rain
  21. 21Yin and yang joined
  22. 22Rain after long drought
  23. 23Cassia in the moon palace
  24. 24Foam and falling petals
  25. 25Past layers of worry
  26. 26The letter that promised
  27. 27Silver walls, iron ramparts
  28. 28Clouds over the moon
  29. 29The sword leaves its case
  30. 30Hidden arrow, snake in grass
  31. 31Eat when hungry, rest when tired
  32. 32Jade inside the stone
  33. 33Jade and cleansing rain
  34. 34Sun at high noon
  35. 35Thorns swept from the road
  36. 36The ape slips its chain
  37. 37A lamp in the wind
  38. 38Cloud across the mirror moon
  39. 39Grinding a stone into a mirror
  40. 40The red sun and the hare
  41. 41A thief taken for a son
  42. 42Grace that waters all
  43. 43Heaven and earth in harmony
  44. 44Black and white undecided
  45. 45Softness overcomes the strong
  46. 46Dead trees flower again
  47. 47Flowers on brocade
  48. 48The bird becomes a roc
  49. 49Plans like thawing ice
  50. 50A full boat, a fair wind
  51. 51A cool breeze in summer
  52. 52Catching the moon in water
  53. 53Dragon song, tiger roar
  54. 54Treasure found in a dream
  55. 55Eat when hungry, sleep when tired
  56. 56A small stream over rough stones
  57. 57Wind past the ear
  58. 58Keep to your old living
  59. 59Hiding in the high tower
  60. 60Carrying firewood to a fire
  61. 61Poems by day, songs by moon
  62. 62Upheld by Buddha, dawn and dusk
  63. 63A needle lost at sea
  64. 64A golden fish in the net
  65. 65Joy that is not yet joy
  66. 66A lost sheep meets a tiger
  67. 67A golden scale weighs you
  68. 68A clear and lucky gate
  69. 69One plum branch in winter
  70. 70A bee with no flowers left
  71. 71One bow, two arrows
  72. 72Seeking honey, risking the sting
  73. 73Spring thunder wakes the insects
  74. 74A lazy crane enters the cage
  75. 75Carrying a tiger past the mountain
  76. 76Leaping the Yu Gate
  77. 77A dream inside a dream
  78. 78Cold water on white snow
  79. 79The hare caught, the snare forgotten
  80. 80A summons on the mountain
  81. 81A fair wind home
  82. 82A lotus in the flames
  83. 83The moon before the fifteenth
  84. 84Asleep under the pines
  85. 85Reopening the mountain
  86. 86Leaping the Gate of Yu
  87. 87Halfway up at sunset
  88. 88The wooden tiger
  89. 89Flawless jade in stone
  90. 90News and a laden ship
  91. 91A road flat as a palm
  92. 92Top of the examination list
  93. 93Phoenix feathers in the rain
  94. 94The qin and its listener
  95. 95The golden rooster's fight
  96. 96The shining pagoda
  97. 97Moonlight on the garden floor
  98. 98The bird and the net
  99. 99Rain on a burning roof
  100. 100Wanting east, wanting west