What Is Sheng Bei (擲筊) Really For?

Growing up, I often watched people throw Sheng Bei (擲筊) at home and in temples.

As a child, I never really understood what was happening.

To me, it looked like they were asking God to make decisions for them.

“Should I do this?”
“Should I choose this?”
“Should I go there?”

I remember wondering, can life really work this way?

Could two wooden blocks really tell us the answer?

For a long time, I kept my distance from this practice because I couldn’t understand its purpose.

It wasn’t until much later, after beginning my own inner journey, that I started asking a different question.

What if Sheng Bei was never meant to replace our own wisdom?

A Beautiful Coincidence… Or Was It?

A while ago, I started noticing more videos on Instagram showing how people in Taiwan communicate with the gods through Sheng Bei.

Not long after, I met a friend from Taiwan. She shared how she personally practised Sheng Bei and even introduced me to a digital version used by some Taiwanese temples.

What a coincidence.

Or perhaps… not a coincidence at all.

Looking back now, I feel life was gently inviting me to look at this ancient practice with fresh eyes.

What If Sheng Bei Isn’t About Getting Answers?

Today, I no longer see Sheng Bei as a way of asking God to make decisions for us.

Instead, I see it as a practice that teaches us how to become clear before making one.

Before throwing the Sheng Bei, we naturally pause.

We slow down.

We organise our thoughts.

We ask ourselves what we are truly seeking.

In that moment, something begins to change.

Not because God has answered yet…

But because we have started listening more honestly to ourselves.

The Three Responses

Traditionally, Sheng Bei has three possible responses.

聖筊 (Yes)

Many people see this as God’s approval.

Today, I see it slightly differently.

Perhaps this “Yes” reflects that your intention has become clear.

You know what you are asking.

You know where you are heading.

Clarity itself becomes the greatest gift.

笑筊 (Laughing Blocks)

This has become my favourite response.

Many people think it simply means the gods are laughing.

But what if it is something much gentler?

What if it is asking us,

“Is this really the question you want to ask?”

Sometimes what we think we want isn’t what we are truly seeking.

Sometimes our thoughts are still scattered.

Sometimes our heart hasn’t fully caught up with our mind.

Instead of rushing for an answer, Sheng Bei invites us to pause, reflect, and ask again.

Each time we refine the question…

Our thinking becomes clearer.

陰筊 (No)

Many people experience this as rejection.

I no longer do.

Perhaps it simply means…

Not yet.

Not this way.

Or perhaps something is not aligned at this moment.

Not every “No” is a closed door.

Sometimes it is simply an invitation to see what we cannot yet see.

Perhaps This Is the Real Practice

The real practice isn’t asking.

The real practice is becoming clear.

Each time we ask again…

We become more honest.

More present.

More aware.

And when clarity appears,

Action naturally follows.

I’ve come to realise that clarity is already half the journey.

The other half is having the courage to act on it.

But There Is One More Lesson…

And I think this is the part we rarely talk about.

After clarity comes action.

After action comes waiting.

Waiting is, perhaps, the hardest practice of all.

This is where our mind becomes noisy again.

“What if I heard it wrongly?”

“What if I should change my decision?”

“What if it doesn’t happen?”

Fear begins to rewrite the clarity we once had.

Our once peaceful mind slowly becomes clouded again.

For me, this is where faith truly begins.

Not before we receive an answer.

But after.

Can I continue taking aligned action without trying to control the outcome?

Can I trust the timing?

Can I trust myself?

Can I believe that I am worthy of receiving what I have asked for?

This is something I continue to practise consciously in my own life.

Not perfectly.

But with awareness.

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life

The more I reflect on Sheng Bei, the more I believe our ancestors were never simply teaching us a ritual.

They were teaching us a way of living.

A way of slowing down before making important decisions.

A way of asking sincere questions.

A way of cultivating clarity before taking action.

And perhaps most importantly…

A way of trusting life after we have done our part.

Somewhere along the way, many of us inherited the rituals but lost the wisdom behind them.

Perhaps that’s why younger generations have slowly turned away—not because the wisdom no longer matters, but because no one explained why it mattered.

As I continue walking my own inner journey, I feel a quiet calling.

Not to convince anyone to believe what I believe.

But to become a bridge.

A bridge between ancient wisdom and modern life.

A bridge between traditions and conscious awareness.

Because I believe wisdom doesn’t become outdated.

Sometimes, it simply needs to be remembered in a language that speaks to today’s world.

So perhaps Sheng Bei was never about asking God to decide our lives.

Perhaps it was always about helping us become quiet enough…

To hear the wisdom that reveals our next step.

 

What do you think?

Have we misunderstood Sheng Bei all along, or has it always been inviting us to become more conscious of ourselves?