PureInsight | October 20, 2024
[PureInsight.org] The "Dao De Jing" says, "Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven." Daoism regards the human body as a small universe, so the universe is like a big human body. Likewise, the earth is also a living organism. The structure of the human body contains information about the structure of heaven and earth, with the large and small heavenly circles, meridians, and acupoints. The earth is also the same, with its own meridians called "dragon veins" and acupoints called "earth caves." There are gods on the dragon veins and earth caves. Following the laws of the movement of heaven and earth, the gods use the earth's caves to form a harmonious interaction among heaven, earth, and man, and to open up the channels connecting the three realms. This leads to the theory of "unity of heaven and man," or more precisely, the unity of heaven, earth, and man.
The best acupoints are called "Feng Shui treasure land". They have certain characteristics in terms of terrain, usually centered around the acupuncture points, with a pattern of back mountain and facing water, surrounded by mountains on the left and right sides. The professional term for the back mountain is "Lai Long", also known as Xuanwu; the mountain on the left side is Qinglong; and the mountain on the right side is Baihu. The interior of the acupuncture point is called the "Inner Hall", and the area outside the acupuncture point is called the "Outer Hall". There should be a winding river passing through the Outer Hall, with a small hill in front of the acupoint called "Anshan" and a high mountain peak in the distance called "Chaoshan". This is illustrated in the diagram.
"Taizu Mountain" refers to the mountain where the dragon vein originates from the acupoint, which is usually the highest peak in the vicinity, and there is also the concept of "Shaozu Mountain" which is the next level down. "Parents' Mountain" refers to a mountain behind the acupoint where the dragon vein flows. "Acupoint Star" generally refers to the mountain where the acupoint is located. "Qinglong Sha" refers to the mountain or mountain range on the left side of the acupoint, while "Baihu Sha" refers to the mountain or mountain range on the right side of the acupoint. There are also terms such as "Shuikou Sha" and "Xiashou Sha". "An" refers to the mountain near the front of the acupoint, which is usually shaped like a pen holder or saddle. "Chao" refers to the many mountains in the distance in front of the acupoint, and usually come after the "An" mountain. "Grid" is also known as "Tang Grid", which refers to the overall pattern formed by the above-mentioned mountains. Each "acupoint" has its own situation, and the size and quality of the situation directly affect the ranking of the acupoint. An acupoint must reach a certain level of quality to have a "grid", which means that later generations must have wealth and fortune equivalent to at least a "county official of seventh rank" to be considered "in the grid". Of course, one situation will not only create one acupoint, and there may be several acupoints in one grid. Each "grid" can be as large as several tens or even hundreds of miles, or as small as only a few or even one mountain top, and there can be larger grids nested in smaller grids, and smaller grids nested in micro-grids.
The earth's cavity (地穴) is graded, as many people know. It has two levels: one is the worldly level and the other is the transcendental level. Traditional Chinese Buddhist and Taoist practices refer to two concepts: mundane (世间法) and transcendent (or Beyond the Three Realms) (出世间法) practices. Simply put, one is the elevation of spiritual realm in the human world, and the other is the elevation of spiritual realm beyond the human world, similar to the levels of Arhat, Bodhisattva, and Buddha in Buddhism, each with different levels of virtue and enlightenment. In Feng Shui, there is also a large level division between the worldly and the transcendental. Of course, this worldly and transcendental division is different from the concept of mundane and transcendent practices.
The division of the earthly realm is similar to the classification of ancient Chinese imperial officials based on their rank and characteristics, such as civil or military officials, and the nine grades of the civil service system. Many of the high-ranking officials who assisted the emperors in ancient China were practitioners who understood the ways of heaven and earth, and they applied some of the concepts from the celestial and earthly systems to the human realm, including the ranking of official positions. As mentioned earlier, only the "seventh-grade" officials are considered part of the overall pattern, because they have sufficient autonomy and independence. The eighth and ninth-grade officials do not have such requirements, and they only assist the seventh-grade officials, so they do not require a separate pattern.
In addition to the differences in the characteristics of 文 (civil) and 武 (military), the main criteria for ranking the levels of earth's cavity (地穴) are based on morality. In ancient China, besides the imperial examination system, there was another way of selecting officials called "ju xiaolian" (recommendations based on filial piety and honesty). This involved selecting individuals who were known for being filial to their parents and having high moral character, and who were well-respected by the local community. Local officials would recommend them, and after an investigation by imperial officials to verify their character, they would be appointed to official positions. Filial piety and honesty were considered outward expressions of a person's morality, and in ancient times, they were used as standards to evaluate officials. This method was once a major way of selecting officials during the powerful Han Dynasty.
The realm of the transcendent, or the "out-of-the-world" layer, can no longer be called Feng Shui, to be more precise, it is no longer the concept of Feng Shui as understood by ordinary people. That meaning can no longer encompass its vast connotations. Even many of the names no longer use "caves" and instead are referred to as "positions" or "seats", such as the Buddha's seat or the lotus platform, which are used by immortals, Buddhas, and saints, and have little to do with ordinary people.
There are some special levels between the worldly layer and the transcendental layer. Above the highest first rank of the nine ranks is the Emperor's Land, also known as the Son of Heaven's Land. The emperor's land is involved in the world's overall pattern and is tightly arranged by the heavens. It is impossible for anyone or any family without a divine mandate to receive it. It is said that many emperors were arranged by the heavenly gods to come down to earth to rule, hence the title "Son of Heaven" for emperors in the past. Regardless of whether it is the emperor's land or the Son of Heaven's land, these are common names given by ordinary people. In fact, the true name is not like this, and advanced life forms in space call this level and type of land "Qiankun land"("Heaven and Earth Land"). The land that produces an emperor or a dynasty is called "Heaven and Earth Land". Since ancient times, there are only a limited amount of knowledge about this.
Throughout the 5,000-year history of China, there have been only a few dynasties that can be called "dynasties", including the Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qing dynasties, among others. In between, there were many periods of fragmentation, such as the Three Kingdoms and the Ten Kingdoms.
In oracle bone script, the character "朝" is represented by two small grasses, which symbolize the natural succession of the sun and moon, indicating a long and distant period of time following the will of heaven. The character "代" is composed of "person" and "arrow". In ancient times, "arrow" referred to the wooden stick of a spear. While the metal blade of a spear could be reused, the wooden stick had to be replaced frequently. Thus, the character "代" represents the concept of changing leaders, as emperors succeeded each other through generations. In terms of morality and divine judgment, "朝" is higher than "代" and "國". The ruler of a "朝" is called "皇" (emperor), while the ruler of a "國" is called "王" (king). Throughout the history of China, the territories referred to as "國" did not last long.
In the earthly realm, there are also some special places that are not inferior to the Qiankun lands. Corresponding to the human world, we can learn about many great clans that have lasted for a long time, even longer than imperial families such as the Li and Tang dynasty, the Zhao and Song dynasty. For example, the Kong family has lasted for more than two thousand years, which is attributed to Confucius' teaching of virtue and education, accumulating great virtue that is passed down to future generations. There is also the Zhang Tian Shi family, which has lasted for over a thousand years and has produced many spiritual practitioners, making it truly exceptional.
The classification and characteristics of heaven and earth land is mainly based on its "prestige". The Kong family is characterized by its "blessings", while the Zhang family is characterized by its "spiritual cultivation". Therefore, using "prestige" as the main characteristic to classify and evaluate cannot cover everything and determine which land aperture is better or worse.
Of course, we know that many underground palaces have both "nobility" and "wealth" or other characteristics. For example, a certain underground palace may have the characteristics of "wealth, nobility, and spiritual immortals." It is entirely possible that among the descendants of the four families that emerged from that place, one family became "wealthy," one became "noble," one became "spiritual," similar to the situation of the Jianghu sorcerer. Another family may produce cultivators, or it is possible that a certain individual or family from that place simultaneously possesses all four characteristics of "wealth, nobility, spirituality, and immortality."
Some people say that wealth and nobility go hand in hand, that if you have wealth, you must be noble, and vice versa. But in reality, that's not always the case. If fate has determined that you possess both the "wealthy" and "noble" traits, then yes, you are indeed both wealthy and noble. However, if fate has only granted you one of these traits, for example, only "nobility," then you truly only possess nobility. In ancient China, there were many honest officials who held high positions, even reaching the pinnacle of their careers, yet they remained poor and could not afford a decent coffin even after they passed away.
Wealth and status are arranged by fate, and you can't force it. What is meant to be yours will come to you through hard work and perseverance. As for those virtuous officials in history who held high positions but remained poor, it was not easy for them to become rich. However, they upheld justice and only accepted the salary provided by the state, which is equivalent to today's "sunshine income." This is their duty, and the legitimate income they received through hard work and dedication is beyond question. As for those who are both wealthy and noble, they earned their status and riches by making significant contributions, which were rewarded by the emperor or the court, making their wealth and status legitimate.
Some officials only have the "noble" characteristic in their destiny, but they use their power to seek personal gain, which is now called gray income, and they become wealthy as a result. This is an improper acquisition, and they must use their own blessings to exchange for it. When blessings are consumed to a certain extent, something will happen. They may get caught or die, and will have to repay in the next life. Many beggars on the street may have been nobles and lived a luxurious life in their previous life, so it makes sense when ancient people often talked about doing good deeds and accumulating virtues to have a better life in the next life.
Regardless of which characteristic is used to divide hierarchical levels, the fundamental measure is morality. The higher the level of morality, the greater the blessings one receives, and the longer their family lineage will prosper. In Southwest China, there is a chieftain family with ancestors who migrated from Taiyuan to Bozhou in Southwest China during the Tang dynasty. Their family ruled for six hundred years until the early Ming dynasty. Due to their family's virtue and good deeds for generations, they were blessed, and their descendant Yang Can, the thirteenth generation descendant of Yang Duan, also made outstanding contributions. He not only expanded the territory but also educated and enlightened the people. Historical records describe him as "filial, friendly, frugal, and governed with simplicity, fairness, and efficiency, bringing great changes to local customs and culture." As a result, their family received blessings from heaven, allowing them to continue to prosper for more than one hundred years. It was not until the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty that the last ruler of their family, Yang Yinglong, rebelled and was suppressed by the Ming Dynasty's general Li Hualong, finally ending their seven-hundred-year reign.
Many Feng Shui masters who have a good understanding of cultivation often have access to higher-level acupoints. The earth spirits will inform them that a certain acupoint can oversee a dynasty for 700-800 years, over 1,000 years, several thousand years, or even more than ten thousand years. This is quite strange, considering that the longest dynasty in Chinese history, the Zhou dynasty, only lasted for 800 years. So what is the deal with these acupoints? Is it possible that the shorter the time a certain acupoint oversees a dynasty, the lower its level and ability? Actually, it's not necessarily the case. There is a matter of destiny involved here. For example, the earth acupoint that oversees a certain dynasty in Chinese history may not be of insufficient level or ability, but rather, the destiny arranged for it only allows it to serve for a certain number of years. In this case, it may only utilize a portion of its corresponding level and ability, and the remaining part is preserved and not utilized.
Another reason is that human society has different cycles of civilization, which we currently refer to as "prehistoric civilization" in the scientific community. Many archaeological discoveries have confirmed the existence of prehistoric civilizations, and not just once - after multiple civilizations were destroyed, a few people were left to create new ones. From a Feng Shui perspective, this is a fact. The earth's layer that corresponds to this is called the "Great Land of Heaven and Earth," and the layer above it that dominates a period of civilization is called the "Great Land of Heaven and Earth." Some prehistoric civilizations may have existed for a very long time, with some dynasties lasting for more than a thousand years, several thousand years, or even tens of thousands of years. To the best of the author's knowledge, there is a Great Land of Heaven and Earth that dates back 500,000 years, which means that the corresponding human civilization period lasted for at least 500,000 years.
China has a civilization of 5,000 years, which means that the land that dominates Chinese civilization can handle at least 5,000 years. The Yellow Emperor, known as the "Ancestor of Chinese Civilization," founded Chinese civilization, so the acupoints related to the Yellow Emperor may be the land acupoints that dominate Chinese civilization.
Talking about the Great Land of Heaven and Earth and prehistoric civilization, let's talk about the previous civilization before our current one. There was a land between the Americas and Europe called "Atlantis", which was the most developed place in the previous Western civilization. They began with a belief in gods, so their civilization was very advanced. Some morally upright people could fly, not high up, but rather close to the ground. Around 9,000 years ago, their scientific development reached a certain degree, and the energy they used was pollution-free energy generated from the air. They basically didn't use primary fuels like coal and oil. They even had the technology to create the moon (according to lunar exploration research, scientists speculate that the moon may be hollow and not a satellite, but rather a spacecraft covered with a thick layer of rock), and could create many large spacecraft to travel beyond the Milky Way galaxy.
Talking about the previous civilization and the center of the last civilization that appeared on the land of China today, it was around 20,000 years ago, covering areas including the Kunlun Mountains, Xinjiang, Gansu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, including Inner Mongolia. The scientific research route of the previous civilization in the East should be said to be the research route of human body science, which directly starts with human morality to enhance their civilization. From those in power to ordinary people, their morality was very noble. It can be said that it was much higher than the Five Constant Virtues standard of this civilization. Due to their high level of civilization, it was not uncommon for people to live to three or five hundred years old! The things that people can't figure out in this civilization such as the Book of Changes, the He Tu, the Luo Shu, and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon are just a little bit left by the gods in that civilization.
(to be continued)
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/126124
