PureInsight | September 27, 2024
[PureInsight.org]
Preface:
In many Asian countries, there are many Feng Shui enthusiasts. They have learned some Feng Shui theories from the traditional texts and through years of research and validation, they have found that Feng Shui can indeed play a certain role. Western scientists have also discovered the phenomenon of energy flow and geoelectricity in the earth, which is consistent with the theory of Feng Shui. Many large Western companies and Southeast Asian tycoons even hire full-time Feng Shui masters and consult them on every matter.
Feng Shui originated in China, which is widely recognized. There is a saying in Chinese folk culture: "Five important factors are fate, fortune, Feng Shui, accumulating Yin Gong, and studying. One's destiny is determined by the first three predetermined factors: fate, fortune, and Feng Shui; while the last two factors can be influenced by human actions." The role of Feng Shui is considered to be predetermined, far surpassing the idea that studying can change one's fate.
In the 5,000 years of Chinese history, Feng Shui has become an important part of people's lives. From emperors and generals to ordinary citizens, from imperial palaces to streets and alleys, almost everyone has dealt with Feng Shui. Whether it is the location and layout of the capital, the design and construction of cities, or the orientation of Yin and Yang residences and furniture placement, people consult Feng Shui experts to calculate their fortune and avoid misfortune.
With the industrialization movement of the past century, Feng Shui and traditional Chinese culture seem to have become increasingly distant from us, and people subconsciously regard them as a synonym for "backwardness." But is this really the case? You must read our article to gain a different perspective and understanding.
The Renaissance movement that prevailed in Europe in the 16th century was driven by the glory of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, which led to the development of modern industry and even modern civilization, bringing us the technologically advanced modern society. We believe that the revival of traditional Chinese culture will also bring a bright future to the Chinese people. We hope to work with many Feng Shui enthusiasts to conduct research and exploration on "Feng Shui" in traditional Chinese culture to promote the revival and prosperity of Chinese culture and bring good news to people of all countries around the world.
The content of this article is limited to a certain scope, and due to our limited level of cultivation, there may be some shortcomings or errors. We would appreciate any feedback for communication and discussion.
This article has received many suggestions and quotes from colleagues, and we express our gratitude for all of them.
Section One: A Brief Discussion of Feng Shui
When it comes to Feng Shui, there are certainly many questions people have, such as what Feng Shui is, why it works, and where it comes from. If these basic questions are not answered clearly, many people will have difficulty understanding Feng Shui, especially in mainland China, where some people simply dismiss it as superstition. Let's start by exploring the surface origins of the term Feng Shui step by step.
1. The Origin of Feng Shui
The term "Feng Shui" originated from Guo Pu's book "Zang Shu (The Burial Book)" in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In the book, Guo Pu defined Feng Shui as "the burial of the deceased, hiding and taking advantage of the life force... When the life force is carried by the wind, it dissipates, and when it encounters water, it stops. The ancients gathered it to prevent dissipation and used it to create a sense of stillness, hence it is called Feng Shui." Guo Pu introduced the concept of "qi" and extracted the two elements of wind and water to understand the coming and gathering of the "qi." Because he was the first to mention the term "Feng Shui" in his book "Zang Shu" and established the theoretical framework of Feng Shui, he is considered the founder of the Feng Shui field.
In fact, the history of Feng Shui is much longer than that of "Zang Shu." Later Feng Shui scholars believed that there were descriptions of Feng Shui activities in "The Book of Songs" and "The Great Odes of Qi" by Gong Liu:
Duke Liu of Du, at Xusiyuan,
In the season of verdure and bloom,
Went up to sacrifice,
And descended to the low grounds.
Duke Liu of Du, passing by those hundred springs,
Viewing those wide-spreading waters,
Mounted the southern hill,
And looked at the capital.
In every place in the capital,
Were displayed the emblems of rank,
Were established the dwellings,
And spoken the words.
Duke Liu of Du, when he reached the river and the long lake,
And the hills became more and more distant,
Observed the intermingling of the light and shade,
And watched the flowing of the streams...
He measured the lowlands,
And measured the evening sun,
And retired to his tranquil dwelling.
From these poetic descriptions, we can see the ancient people "observing hills," "descending to low grounds," "passing by water," and "looking at the capital" while performing "Xiang Di" (Feng Shui activities). This process is quite similar to the Four Steps of Feng Shui that later scholars performed - seeking dragons, examining sand, observing water, and locating acupuncture points.
In "The Great Odes of Qi" in "The Book of Songs," there is also a relevant description: "Ancient Duke Danfu came to court with his horse and passed the West Water and arrived at Qixia. There he met Lady Jiang, and together they went to observe the Xuyu." Ancient Duke Danfu, the father of Jili, was the ancestor of King Wen of Zhou. He led his clan to migrate to Qishan. The meaning of "Xuyu" in the poem refers to observation and scrutiny.
These Feng Shui activities were called "Xiang Di" or "Xing Fa" by the people of that time.
Feng Shui is also called "Kan Yu." This term first appeared in the third volume of "Tian Wen Xun" in "Huai Nan Zi," compiled by Liu An, the King of Huainan during the Western Han Dynasty.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Xu Shen said, "Kan represents the heavenly path, and Yu represents the earthly path!"
Feng shui, also known as geomancy, was first mentioned in the "Xici" section of the Book of Changes (Zhou Yi): "The Book of Changes is accurate regarding the principles of heaven and earth, and thus it is able to rectify the disorders of heaven and earth. By looking up, one observes the phenomena of astronomy; by looking down, one examines the geomancy. Thus, one can understand the reasons for light and darkness."
By the time Guo Pu wrote "The Burial Book", he was already standing on the shoulders of giants. Besides organizing some Feng Shui theories, he mainly established the term "Feng Shui". Like the term "Qigong" that came later, it is difficult to discern the divination and surveying of heaven and earth from the literal meaning of Feng Shui without studying it.
Whether it's Qigong or Feng Shui, both talk about "Qi". Nowadays, many people understand it as air flow, but that is not entirely accurate. Simplified Chinese characters have simplified too many characters, resulting in some ambiguity in understanding. Here, "Qi" is better understood as "炁(a Chinese symbol of Qi)" (without fire), which comes from ancient Taoist culture in China and represents energy.
Currently, what the public widely understands as "Feng Shui" is just superficial knowledge that has been passed down in society since the popularity of Feng Shui in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has formed many Feng Shui sects, such as "Xuan Kong", "Liu Yao", and "Li Qi". There are mainly two types of Feng Shui literature that can be seen today: Form and Compass School (Li Qi). Form mainly refers to the five elements of mountains, dragons, graves, sand, water, and orientation, while Compass School incorporates Yi studies theory such as the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, Yin and Yang, and Five Elements. In fact, these are just some experiences summarized by Feng Shui masters throughout the ages. Without receiving the true transmission, only relying on these experiences to make inferences will lead to a limited understanding of "form" without understanding the "spirit", resulting in disputes between Feng Shui sects.
For example, in the same place, the "Xuan Kong" sect says it is suitable for burial while the "Compass School" says it is not, but the latter has been proven to be effective after burial. In another place, the "Compass School" says it is suitable while the "Xuan Kong" says it is not, but the former is also effective after burial. So, which is correct, the "Xuan Kong" or the "Compass School"?
In the practice of Feng Shui, we find that whether a place is a "real cave" depends on whether there is a "spirit" in the cave. We call the spirit that resides in the cave the "earth spirit god." It also depends on whether the Feng Shui master has the virtue to communicate with and activate the earth spirit god, not just based on the terrain of the place.
Some people believe that Feng Shui is a discipline that has been formed over a long period of time through the accumulation of experience in surveying the terrain. If that is the case, then with the modernization of technology today, anyone who wants to be an emperor can simply use modern machinery to create an artificial cave based on the summary of their experience with terrain, right? Why can't they do it? It is because people can create the terrain based on Feng Shui models, but they cannot arrange for an earth spirit god to reside there.
Feng Shui is classified as a secular discipline of Taoism. Taoist culture believes that the root of human life is in heaven, and the goal of human life is to gradually approach and ultimately assimilate with one's innate nature through cultivation, known as returning to the origin and achieving the truth. In the process of returning to one's innate nature, a Feng Shui master with the Taoist practice gradually approaches the ability of the divine, and supernormal abilities appear, allowing them to see the "qi" on the cave and even the energy emanating from the "earth spirit god" corresponding to that cave. Some with higher abilities can even directly see the image of the earth spirit god residing in the cave. The greater the effect of the "earth spirit god" corresponding to the cave, the better the cave. Therefore, the real reason why Feng Shui works is the role of the "spirit" behind the shape.
Chinese traditional culture is a culture that worships "gods", and many ancient books and legends record and pass down the period in ancient times when people and gods lived together on the land of our great country. At that time, the immortals often appeared on earth to teach primitive people various cultures and skills, and people could understand the will of heaven by communicating directly with the immortals without the need for divination.
According to legend, some virtuous people became Feng Shui masters through direct instruction from immortals. The folklore of Tang Dynasty Feng Shui master Yang Junsong is that he met the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman in the mountains and learned Feng Shui from her, and became a master of the craft. Therefore, in the lineage of the authentic Yang family Feng Shui, their ancestor worship is the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman.
The earliest recorded Feng Shui master in the Feng Shui world is Qingwu Zi, who was said to be a minister in the time of the Yellow Emperor. This is the earliest story about Feng Shui in the Eastern civilization period and it is where the story begins.
2. Why Does Feng Shui Work?
Many people nowadays consider Feng Shui to be superstitious. For example, selecting a good burial spot for one's ancestors is believed to affect the fortunes of future generations. Although there are historical records of such practices, many modern people find it difficult to understand the underlying principles and therefore think it is unlikely. However, modern physics has discovered a connection between matter that transcends time and space - this is called quantum entanglement in quantum physics.
To make a long story short, modern science born in the West is seemingly at odds with the ancient religions, philosophies, and alchemy that also originated in the West, but they have an inseparable internal connection. The Bible states that God created the universe, and on the first day, he said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Then, God created everything in the world for humans to live in, and on the sixth day, he created human beings. On the seventh day, God rested, but in reality, he created rest for humans, giving them the blessing of rest. People rest and thrive in the environment created by God, until today.
With the development of modern science, humans have gained a better understanding of the universe. The humans born on the sixth day started studying what the light created on the first day was, and thus the strange science of quantum physics was born. This science has a huge impact on physics, philosophy, and religion today.
According to the explanation of quantum physics, light is something that is both a wave and a particle, and this property is called wave-particle duality. Moreover, light has uncertainty, which means that if you determine its position, you cannot determine its velocity, and if you determine its velocity, you cannot determine its position. Scientists call this something that looks like a donkey or a horse from a traditional physics perspective, a quantum. In order to study it, scientists have established a new discipline called quantum physics.
Many great figures have emerged in the field of quantum physics, and their strange and bizarre theories have made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between who is a scientist and who is a philosopher... For example, British scientist Penrose derived a theory of "multiverse," in which he claims that our universe is constantly splitting, and every time we "observe" (which is an idealistic term) it, it will split again. All split universes exist in parallel, so all possibilities exist at the same time. However, we only live in one of them and cannot feel the other universes. In other universes, Hitler may have beaten the United States in the race to build the atomic bomb; Kennedy may not have been assassinated; your parents may not have had the fruit of their love, and you may not even exist...
There is a phenomenon in quantum physics that is very intriguing, called quantum entanglement. Physicists say that there is a non-local, non-classical, and strong correlation between two or more quantum systems. In plain language, no matter how far apart two particles are, the changes of one particle will affect the other particle, that is, two particles can be "soulmates" without being affected by time and space, and they don't need any connection. This is like a fairy tale, no wonder quantum physicist Pauli said that quantum physics is "a science born out of alchemy, and now it seems to be even more mysterious than alchemy."
The seemingly absurd theories mentioned above are actual technological achievements, and many people have received Nobel Prizes for these strange ideas. You may not realize what these theories mean. In short, if the phenomenon of quantum entanglement is thoroughly researched, it may be possible for us today to change the history of the past or future by affecting certain things today... So from the perspective of quantum theory, the miracles of ancient gods and wizards are not surprising at all.
Some scholars abroad have also conducted research experiments related to Feng Shui. In Feng Shui, it is believed that a person is a combination of paternal essence and maternal blood, and there is a potential connection between them and their direct bloodline. It was said that there was an experiment in which several people's sperm was taken and placed in a place far away from them. Then, one of the people participating in the experiment was suddenly hit from behind, causing the person to be startled. As a result, the sperm of this person in the distant laboratory also showed a startled response.
This experiment was broadcast on mainstream TV stations abroad and was watched by many people. Therefore, our current scientific research has broken through many barriers, and whether it is from a theoretical or practical experimental perspective, it can now scientifically prove that Feng Shui can work.
The orthodox Chinese culture follows a different scientific path, which directly targets the universe, human body, and time and space, and develops science from the perspective of meditation and developing human potential. This is different from the empirical scientific path from the West, but even so, the correctness of Chinese culture can be verified using the theories and experiments of Western empirical science.
The ancient Chinese philosophers had many insightful discussions about the wonderful nature and mysterious universe. For example, the "Xici" in the "Book of Changes" says, "There is nothing that is far or near, dark or profound, from which one cannot know the coming of things. What is there in the world that is more refined than this?" This means that divination can predict future events, regardless of the distance or time. It is truly amazing that the way of the Book of Changes is so refined, and that the sages are so great.
"The Book of Changes has no thought and no action, and is still and motionless, but it is able to understand the cause of everything in the world. What is there in the world that is more divine than this?" The Book of Changes has no form. If it had thought and action, it would have a form, and would not be the Book of Changes. "Feeling" means communicating with the heart, and through this, one can communicate with the heart of all things in the world. From the slightest movement of things to the most divine, everything moves naturally.
From this, it can be seen that the modern cutting-edge scientific research in quantum physics theory and the description of the Book of Changes in China thousands of years ago are in perfect agreement. The laws of motion in quantum mechanics are identical to the laws described in the Book of Changes.
3. What Is Feng Shui for?
Taoism believes that this universe is composed of Yin and Yang, like a Tai Chi. The three realms are only a partial scope of the universe, composed of the five elements. Therefore, the universe evolved into the three realms, and the Yin and Yang evolved into the five elements. The five elements are only suitable for the scope of the three realms. Beyond this scope, we must use the principles of Yin and Yang instead of the principles of the five elements to guide us.
Just as life on Earth requires "gravity," this scientific knowledge can only be true within the scope of the Earth. Beyond the Earth and into the solar system, it becomes a fallacy. In space or on other planets, people will experience weightlessness and float.
Feng Shui is also called Yin Yang studies in China, and Feng Shui masters are also called Yin Yang masters in the folk. Can we infer from this that the source of Feng Shui is high, and at least the principles can be applied to this universe?
Shakyamuni once said that the "Four Elements" of earth, water, fire, and wind make up all things in the material world. Using "human" as a metaphor: the skeleton and body are "earth," the foundation that supports the entire life; flowing fluids such as blood are "water"; the human body temperature is cleverly set at 37 degrees, one degree more or less cannot be tolerated, this is "fire"; and breathing is necessary for humans to live, which is "wind".
From the perspective of human understanding of the surface space, Feng Shui is also related to the three factors of "wind, water, and earth" in the "four elements". Therefore, in terms of the scope of understanding of the universe by Shakyamuni, Feng Shui is also very high, occupying at least three elements. In other words, the source of Feng Shui is very high and can at least be applied to a large universe range known to Shakyamuni.
Both Daoism and Shakyamuni talked about the relationship between human beings and the universe. In China, Feng Shui is classified as a minor practice in the world of Daoism. Daoist cultivation emphasizes the “heavenly circuits" and "acupoints", and also emphasizes that the human body is a small universe. Many people know some knowledge about the circulatory system and acupoints of the human body to some extent, but it is difficult for ordinary people to know all the different types of heavenly circuits, meridians and many acupoints that really exist in the human body. These have always been secrets that the cultivation world is not willing to easily disclose.
Ancient China has been studying the mysteries between heaven and earth, and put forward the theory of "unity of heaven and man" i.e. the correspondence between heaven, earth, and human beings. The "Dao De Jing" says, "Man follows the Earth, the Earth follows Heaven..." So, if this is the case, think about it, there should also be a heavenly circuit and acupoints in the sky. It's just that at this point, acupoints are no longer called acupoints, but are called divine positions, which is what Daoism often refers to as the heavenly officials of the heavenly circuit. Some say there are 365 of them, each corresponding to one of the 365 acupoints in the human body. The literal meaning of "heavenly circuit" refers to the circulation between heaven and earth, and if the human body has a heavenly circuit, then naturally heaven and earth must also have a heavenly circuit.
Similarly, is "earth" not also a universe system? Could "earth" also be a living organism with meridians, cycles, and acupoints? In fact, from a certain perspective, earth is also heaven and human. Heaven is also earth and human. Humans are also earth and heaven. For example, in traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed that the human body consists of three parts: heaven, earth, and human. The lower part of the human body is earth, the middle part is human, and the upper part is heaven.
If the above theory is true, can we say that Feng Shui is an activity that explores the mysteries of the "earth" system?
Whether it is called Kan Yu, geomancy, Xing Fa, or Feng Shui, although the names may be different, they are fundamentally about exploring the mysteries of the universe with "earth" as the primary reference coordinate.
The theory that has developed from this process is called Feng Shui, and the specific methods used in this process are called Feng Shui techniques. Furthermore, as this process is combined with the practice of returning to one's true self, it is also a process of improving one's life cultivation. The things or abilities related to Feng Shui activities and the "earth" system that are cultivated during the practice are called Feng Shui techniques.
(To be continued)
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/126122
