PureInsight | January 1, 2025
[PureInsight.org] Some people now believe that the Chinese character for grave 坟 (Fén) is the simplified character for 墳 (Fén), and that 坟 refers to the burial mounds in the mountains and countryside where people are buried after death. This is actually completely wrong. With the development of history to the present day, many things have deviated and lost their original orthodox connotations.
The origin of "Fén" (坟) can be traced back to the ancient texts left by the Three Emperors in the prehistoric times. Although they were not passed down to later generations, the name "San Fen Wu Dian" (三墳五典) still exists. The "Shang Shu Xu" (尚書序) states: "The books of Fu Xi, Shen Nong, and Huang Di are called 'San Fen,' meaning the great Tao. The books of Shao Hao, Zhuan Xu, Gao Xin, Tang (Yao), and Yu (Shun) are called 'Wu Dian,' meaning the many systems." The Three Emperors established the foundation, and the Five Emperors developed it. "Fen" refers to the Taoist texts, while "Dian" refers to the system and institutions. They are not laws and regulations, but rather discussions on the principles of Tao and wisdom. The ancient sage kings had a simple and clear understanding of the Tao, and their writings were concise and easy to understand, not the lengthy and obscure texts that later generations imagined.
In my personal opinion, "San Fen" refers to the three Emperors' respective understanding of the Tao and their experience in governing the world, which was written down to pass on to future generations as a standard for governing the world. As they held the Tao as their guide to control the six realms, they followed the will of heaven, understood the advantages of the earth, and moderated human emotions. They guided and rectified the people with their own conduct, rather than ruling the world for their own sake. They taught the people to pursue the Tao, rely on virtues, be kind and humane, and enjoy the arts. Therefore, it is called "politics," which means education and transformation. Thus, politics comes from "righteousness" and "culture."
The content of the "San Fen" is no longer known today. However, from the Book of Documents compiled and edited by Confucius, we can see the admonishments passed down from Yao, Shun, and Yu of the three generations, which include the famous phrase, "The way of the Tao is subtle and profound; the way of people is dangerous and treacherous. Only by being pure and simple can one hold fast to the center." Although this is only sixteen words, it encompasses the key principles of Confucianism, such as "The Tao of Heaven is impartial and always rewards good people," "Heaven rewards those who have virtue," "Although the mountains and rivers are treacherous, virtue is strength," "Be cautious," "Be cautious when alone," "Be sincere and honest," "Be fair and impartial," "Take the middle way," and "Practice benevolence." Confucius's work of "recounting without creating" can be seen as connecting the pearls of truth left by previous history. The heart and cultural heritage he inherited and conveyed were the essence of Confucianism, which is a summary and synthesis of the lineage from the Three Emperors, Five Emperors, Shang Tang, Zhou Wen and Zhou Wu.
However, this still does not fully explain the meaning of "Fén" 坟. In fact, if one understands the essence of Chinese cultural mythology, "Fén" 坟 is the wisdom literature left behind in this space from the perspective of the gods, because in the eyes of the gods, the three realms are just "earth".
And "Fén" (墳) is related to the concept of graves that ordinary people understand. This also has a source. This place in the middle earth was once called Shénzhōu (神州), which means the abode of the gods, the area where the gods reside. Each dynasty and generation is a portrayal of the gods of different celestial systems coming to this world. Each dynasty and generation brings its own culture, sometimes changing very quickly, and the next dynasty has its own set, not necessarily copying the previous dynasty's culture. Thoughts and culture can be passed down through historical records and books, but architecture, music, sculpture, production, technology, and other things are difficult for future generations to follow. They are more likely to destroy these things and create a set of their own. In this way, the essence of each dynasty's culture is difficult to preserve until today. So what can be done? Build graves to preserve them. Therefore, you can see that emperors of various dynasties, especially those with great achievements, such as Emperor Qin Shihuang and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, all built large graves, called imperial tombs or underground palaces in ancient times.
Later generations, especially those who have lost the traditional cultural connotations, criticize and reject the emperors' construction of such large tombs, and their historical perspective that class struggle explains how the feudal emperors squandered the nation's resources and exhausted the people to build these tombs. We do not judge the right or wrong of this matter, but instead offer another perspective. In fact, human thought and consciousness are also expressions of the will of heaven in the world, not to mention that the emperors' thoughts were even more so in that time period. Looking beyond the issue itself, only the emperors had the power and ability to gather the most exquisite cultural expressions of their era, bury them underground in a very thoughtful and secure manner, with the aim of preserving the cultural achievements of that era, including the distinctive cultural characteristics of different systems, for use in the future when a new era emerges and a reintegration and refinement of the culture is needed to create new cultural forms.
It is precisely because of the achievements of generations of emperors and great leaders, such as Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Tang Taizong, Genghis Khan, Zhu Di, Kangxi, and Qianlong, in terms of governance, military prowess, and cultural promotion. The deeper meaning behind these achievements is to spread this culture and temper the people of this land. Thus, the cultural achievements of their golden age were buried underground, and the disasters and wars that arise from the karmic consequences of human actions cannot harm these core cultures.
Therefore, "fén" (墳) is a form created by piling up soil and rocks, but in essence, 坟 (Fén) serves as a means to preserve culture. It is like a mountain range hiding treasures, but instead of treasures, it is a repository of cultural achievements.
Throughout the course of history, due to the similarities between different types of burial mounds, people gradually began using the term "mound" (坟) universally. It is said that after the completion of the underground palace of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the surrounding earth was formed into a tomb mound in the shape of a mountain. At that time, it was referred to as a "funeral mountain," and this term is still used in rural areas today. Because the emperor was seen as the leader of all under heaven, nobles and common people followed suit, but they were very obedient to the teachings of the sage king and would not occupy good farmland or choose a burial site at random. They would instead invite specialists to use the art of Feng Shui to communicate with heaven and earth in order to choose an appropriate burial location. Only those who had made significant contributions to society would be buried in such mounds.
Due to the collapse of the traditional rites and music, Confucius once expressed his frustration with the prevailing emphasis on formalities in his time. He said that if someone asked him whether the dead have souls, he might neglect his current responsibilities and engage in transactions with ghosts and deities if he were told that there are souls. This would be taking the wrong path, leading to evil and deviation. However, if he were told that there are no souls, then unfilial sons might abandon their parents' corpses in the wilderness. Confucius devoted himself to the "Spring and Autumn Annals" and the "Classic of Filial Piety" and struggled to rescue the morals and values of society. His mission was to restore the proper way and save the world. The widespread promotion of private education was intended to rectify the teachings and save the world. His three thousand disciples and the cultivation of seventy-two sages laid the foundation for cultivating talents in later history. The regulations and construction of tomb rites, like the later building of Buddhist and Taoist statues and towers, were not meant for people to worship idols, but to help people cultivate correct mindfulness and correct their bodies and minds. However, later generations, especially present-day people, do not understand its true meaning, and their actions and behaviors are often ridiculous. Like building tombs and statues, they deviate from the original intention of the sages and become a means for people to express their emotions or to showcase their worldly achievements and reputations.
In history, there were figures who possessed both talent and virtue, loved the people and worked diligently, and had great public-mindedness. People were willing to bury them in their own land, imbuing the soil with their benevolence and righteousness. Despite their bodies being mere vessels, their tombs have become symbols of pride. On the shores of West Lake, there are the tombs of Yue Fei and Yu Qian. Later generations praised them, saying, "Thanks to Yue and Yu, West Lake gained its glory." Temples and steles were built for them, and people worshipped them with great reverence and admiration. In front of the tomb of Yue Fei, there is the famous couplet, "The green mountains are fortunate to bury loyal bones, the white iron is innocent but casts treacherous ministers," which shows that loyal, upright, and benevolent individuals, even in death, are honored for all eternity. Even the dust and stones that cover their tombs receive great honor and glory because nothing is more fragrant in this world than chivalrous spirit, and nothing is more valuable than moral character!
It is ridiculous how people nowadays have such varying understandings of filial piety because they do not understand the meaning and function of 坟 (Fén). In rural areas, especially, these mounds of dirt scattered throughout the mountains and forests are not only useless to behold, but also emit a kind of deathly aura that makes people very uncomfortable. In fact, there are many low-level spirits like demons and monsters that exist in rural areas. Due to the low consciousness of ordinary people, their living conditions are often animalistic, making it difficult for them to have higher noble thoughts. As a result, the divine beings relax their attention, leaving room for these low-level spirits to take advantage of the situation and have some impact. Then, the ignorant rural people worship these low-level spirits and ghosts, causing them to be even more despised by higher-level gods, who at this stage will look over them even less. Once this vicious cycle is formed, life here becomes very pitiful.
In the Central Plains, our civilization started with the Yellow Emperor and has spread through the dissemination of moral culture, which has elevated the ideological and moral consciousness of ordinary people from within. At the same time, the two major Buddha and Dao schools, along with other historical practitioners, have also been actively clearing away these low-level evil spirits. These things gradually fled to the surrounding areas of the Central Plains. These things collude with each other, and the atmosphere they create can form a poisonous atmosphere. Due to the high density of these things, they have formed a large force in history. Even the physical bodies of outsiders are difficult to resist. This is why scholars and intellectuals throughout history have been afraid of being exiled to the southern provinces, such as Lingnan, Xishu, and Yungui.
Taking Sichuan as an example, when the Daoist Zhang Daoling, founder of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, arrived in Sichuan before, although Li Bing had governed the region and turned it into a major granary outside of the Hanzhong Plain, the folk customs were still very backward. People would regularly sacrifice live animals, and even humans, to those low-level spirits. Even today, there are still traces of such customs during the Dujiangyan Water Festival. As a result, it directly led to the lack of control over those evil entities in other spaces. After Li Bing's time, they were controlled by the positive forces, with Dujiangyan as the boundary. However, the positive factors in the lower space were not strong enough at that time, so it has been constantly reformed throughout history.
After Zhang Daoling founded his religion in Dayiheming, he led his disciples to Qingcheng Mountain to practice in caves, driving away a large number of demonic forces that were lurking there, killing many of them. He also wrote down the teachings and drove away the escaped evil spirits to the areas of Ganzi, Aba, and Liangshan. Later, the Tibetans entered these places, and Tibetan Buddhism was able to display its great powers, by subduing and eliminating many of those evil spirits.
So here we are talking about how, once evil spirits and low-level spirits gain control over a certain lower realm, they also need to collect and manipulate ordinary deceased individuals who have not been properly buried, especially those not buried in proper graves. If a person understood the importance of doing good deeds during their lifetime and actively practiced them, and their burial arrangements were made according to the principles of Feng Shui, they could avoid being enslaved by those evil spirits. As we mentioned earlier, burial sites are arranged based on a person's fortune, and even ordinary people without any significant achievements or great merit in their lifetime can have a "safe" burial site arranged for them. "Safe" burial sites refer to places where one can live a peaceful life without major disasters or calamities. There are many such places in rural areas. In ancient times, a sincere and peaceful heart naturally led to a complete and healthy life, and one could enjoy these "safe" burial sites.
One of the most famous master-level figures in the Feng Shui lineage is Yang Junsong, an official from the Qintianjian of the Tang Dynasty, who was commonly known as the "immortal who rescues the poor" among the people. This is because he often provided ordinary people with a large number of "peaceful burial plots," and popularized Feng Shui practices from the royal secret teachings to the public. As a result, many folk Feng Shui masters were trained, although most of them did not receive the true transmission of Feng Shui, they were able to understand some Feng Shui principles and could arrange low-grade burial plots, including peaceful ones.
In terms of the layout from celestial phenomena to the human world, when a large number of "peaceful places" appear in the human world, the quantitative change will lead to a qualitative change, eventually forming a prosperous and stable era of a great dynasty. In modern terms, this would mean that the majority of the population is in the middle class.
To be continued.
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/126134
