Feng shui
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| Feng shui | |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | fēngshuǐ |
| Traditional Chinese | 風水 |
| Simplified Chinese | 风水 |
| Japanese | 風水 (fūsui) |
| Korean | 풍수 (pungsu) |
| Vietnamese | Phong thủy |
| IPA (Mandarin) | [fɤŋ˥˥ʂueɪ˨˩˦] |
| IPA (English) | [fʊŋ'ʃweɪ] or [fɛŋ'ʃuːi] |
Feng shui (pronounced "feng shwee") is the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. The literal translation is "wind and water".
Feng shui involves the use of geographical, psychological, philosophical, mathematical, aesthetic, and astrological concepts in relation to space and energy flow.[1] It is not simply a decorating style, but a discipline with guidelines compatible with many different techniques of architectural planning.
The source of the term is purported to come from the Burial Book written by Guo Pu (郭璞) in the Jin Dynasty (晉朝). Qi (氣), the energy of the universe, is carried in the wind and retained within water. Both elements were used as a way of directing Qi, thus giving feng shui its name. Wind is said to carry energy or Qi and therefore represents the principle of change and transformation in nature. Water is said to hold energy and therefore represents the principle of stability. When applied to human affairs, wind is also representative of action, fervor, and enthusiasm, whereas water is representative of internal strength, meditative qualities, and psychological power. By relating the holding and dispersing qualities of water and wind in nature to those in human behavior, feng shui also seeks to improve the human condition through the manipulation of physical space in a way that will impact on its corresponding qualities in humans.
An individual is usually not described as having bad or incorrect feng shui, but since the practice is linked to Qi, a persons energy can either deplete or add to the energy of his or her surroundings. The space can also effect the individual, especially in matters of luck, health, and prosperity. Feng shui is not only a practice that is related to physical space, but also to the inhabitors of the space it self, as both are interconnected.
Contents |
[edit] History
It is generally believed that Qin fire had all feng shui books burned. The most authoritative work is "Qing Nang Jing" given by Huang Shi Gong to Zhang Liang during the late Qin Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, Yang Yun Song and his disciples wrote several books that are considered the most authoritative work by all feng shui schools.
These books were written in cryptic language and knowledge primarily passed down through the oral tradition, but it was also believed to be intuitive and derivable from common sense and our feeling of what is natural. Eitel traces the origins of feng shui as a distinct belief system to Chu Hsi's writings and commentaries from the Song dynasty (1126-1278). Chu Hsi's thought greatly influenced Confucianism and became the foundation of feng shui. But, more broadly speaking, feng shui's roots go back to the origins of Chinese philosophy.
In the 19th century, the Chinese government regularly published almanacs containing all the charts, diagrams, and numerical data used in feng shui practice.
Early English-speaking settlers in China in the mid-19th century reportedly ran into difficulties sparked by feng shui. Much like modern landowners having problems with building codes, these settlers had trouble in construction and renovation because their proposals did not conform to feng shui principles. Further, when unwanted foreigners tried to purchase land, they would be directed to spots with topographies causing very bad feng shui.
Due to ignorance, early Western commentators on feng shui were often skeptical and derogatory.[2] A typical one in 1885 wrote "if any one wishes to see to what a howling wilderness of erratic dogmatism the human mind can arrive, when speculation usurps the place of science, and theories are reverenced equally with facts, let him endeavour to fathom even the elementary principles of that abyss of insane vagaries, the science of Feng-Shui."[3] Others noted that, while naive as a science, it is more accurate than some Western mythologies.[4]
Some scholars have noted that the general guidelines of feng shui have been followed across times and cultures using different languages and with different justifications.
[edit] Doctrine
[edit] Qi (or Chi)
Underlying the practical guidelines of feng shui is a general theory of Nature. Nature is generally held to be a discrete entity that breathes qi (a kind of life force or spiritual energy). The details about the metaphysics of what Nature is, what qi is and does, and what breath consists of vary and conflict. It is not generally understood as physical, but it is neither meant to be metaphorical nor fictionalistic (the latter being the view that even though an entity is fictional, it is useful to talk as if it really exists).[5] It is the virtual energy and force that flows all around.
Feng shui translates into English as Wind and Water. These are the two containers for Qi. Since life exists within either air or water, qi is said to be the life energy that flows within these two environments.
The goal of feng shui guidelines is to locate and orient dwellings, possessions, land and landscaping, etc., so as to be attuned with the flow of qi. Location is considered to be of far greater significance than orientation. This is in line with modern thinking, where the 3 principles of buying a piece of property are location, location and location.
[edit] Yin and Yang
Fundamental to feng shui is the idea that two basic principles underlie all matter and energy in the universe, namely yin and yang. These forces are opposites, but are not in opposition. Rather they are complementary and need each other to exist and flourish. The constantly changing interactions of yin and yang give rise to the infinite variety of patterns in life.[6] The following table outlines the basic nature of each principle:
| Yin | Yang | Yin | Yang | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North | South | Winter | Summer | |
| Earth | Heaven | Matter | Spirit | |
| Female | Male | Negative | Positive | |
| Dark | Light | Night | Day | |
| Cold | Heat | Wet | Dry | |
| Down | Up | Low | High | |
| Inner | Outer | Decaying | Flourishing | |
| Passive | Active | Receptive | Creative | |
| Soft | Hard | Weak | Powerful | |
| Retiring | Advancing | Lingering | Hasty |
[edit] The bagua - directions and elements
The bagua (or pa kua) of the Yi Ching (Book of Changes) is an octagonal diagram used in feng shui analysis. Each direction on the octagon (north, northeast, etc.) is associated with certain significant aspects. By mapping the bagua onto a home, village, cemetery, etc., information about correct orientation and placement can allegedly be gleaned. However, there are two very different versions of the bagua. The first is the early heaven bagua, which represents the sacred, unchanging universe, and is used to orient sacred spaces such as temples and graves. The second version is the later heaven bagua which is used for more everyday and pratical spaces, such as homes and offices, as it represents the changing universe. Both have similar aspects, as they are both comprised of the eight trigrams, or guas. The orientation of the guas, however, are different and represent different trigrams and elements.
The Trigrams are the foundation of the I Ching, the seminal text of Chinese wisdom, and represent qualities that are observable in Nature as well as in human behavior. Each trigram is keyed to a particular orientation in space and to a particular phase of change in nature. There are eight trigrams, which when combined as double trigrams (called hexagrams), form a set of 64 potential situations or conditions in nature and in life. The eight trigrams are:
- Heaven - The Creative principle which contains the potential for all of manifestation.
- Earth - The Receptive principle which contains the potential for physical manifestation.
- Fire - The Clinging principle which contains the potential for achievement, clarity, and vitality.
- Water - The Abysmal principle which contains the potential for adaptability, mystery, and danger.
- Thunder - The Arousing principle which contains the initial impulse for all new things.
- Lake - The Joyous principle which embodies rewards and endings.
- Mountain - The Stillness principle which contains the potential for serenity and internal power.
- Wind - The Penetrating principle which contains the power to achieve without effort.
Whereas the trigrams describe conditions in the world, their change in time is described by the Theory of the 5 Elements, also known as the Theory of 5 Transformations. In this view, each of these elements – wood, fire, earth, metal, and water - represent a particular state or condition in time. One didactic tool often used to describe the elements and their relationship to each other is to compare them to the different seasons. Consequently, the Theory of 5 Elements is also related to the rotation of the sun, its particular position at different points in time, and therefore to the point of the compass. The practical use of the five elements is based on the fact that it can be employed within the household in order to stabilize, increase or decrease the Qi energies of the different elements.
The 5 Elements are:
- Water - This is the quiet, cool, condensed energy of winter. It represents pure potential, such as the life force in a seed.
- Wood - This is the awakening, active energy of spring. It represents growth, such as a sapling.
- Fire - This is the hot, vibrant energy of summer. It represents achievement and clarity, such as a fruit.
- Earth - This is the settled, mature energy of harvest time. It represents the community partaking of the bounty of nature.
- Metal - This is the condensing, hardening energy of fall. It represents a return to beginnings and an ordering of nature's components.
In order to understand the Bagua and its relationship to space, it is necessary to map out the position of these energies according to the early and later heaven sequences. The early heaven sequence describes the state of nature in full equilibrium, without change or transformation. It refers to the sacredness of reality outside of space and time.
The eight directions of the early heaven bagua are:
- North - trigram earth - element earth
- South - trigram heaven - element metal
- East - trigram fire - element fire
- West - trigram water - element water
- Northwest - trigram mountain - element earth
- Northeast - trigram thunder - element wood
- Southwest - trigram wind - element wood
- Southeast - trigram lake - element metal
The later heaven sequence refers to the transformational quality of reality and describes change in time. It refers to the profane world of ordinary existence: to home, work, and human activity.
The eight directions of the later heaven bagua are:
- North - trigram water - element water
- South - trigram fire - element fire
- East - trigram thunder - element wood
- West - trigram lake - element metal
- Northwest - trigram heaven - element metal
- Northeast - trigram mountain - element earth
- Southwest - trigram earth - element earth
- Southeast - trigram wind - element wood
The Qi coming from each direction has its own quality, and these qualities vary for the two baguas. The directions on the Early Heaven Bagua represent the following:
The North contains the Qi of the Earth, the Nurturing Principle, which represents the material foundation of the cosmos. Its energy is condensing, substantive, and feminine.
The South contains the Qi of Heaven, the Creative Principle, which acts as a template for all of manifestation. Its energy is vital, righteous, and masculine.
The East contains the Qi of Fire, the Clarity Principle, which sets in motion the patterns of change and transformation. Its energy is active, expansive, and inspiring.
The West contains the Qi of water, the Abysmal Principle, which receives into itself the patterns of resolution and decay. Its energy is condensed, still, and dangerous.
The Center is the primordial void from which all of existence springs forth. It is both timely and timeless, local and universal. It is the foundation for the Tao.
For the Later Heaven bagua, they are as follows:
From the North the qi is nurturing and mysterious. Its symbols are the Black Tortoise, (the animal of winter), and the moon. It is linked to the element water , which is diplomatic, intuitive and compliant.
From the South the qi is invigorating and lucky. Its symbols are the Red Phoenix, (the bird of summer and good fortune), and the sun. It is linked to the element fire , which is dynamic, restless and energetic.
From the East the qi is protective, kind and competitive. Its symbols are the Green (or Gold) Dragon,(the animal of spring), and thunder. It is linked to the element wood , which is warm, generous, and seeks to grow.
From the West the qi is unpredictable and disruptive. Its symbols are the White Tiger (the animal of autumn), and the lake. It is linked to the element metal , which is unyielding, forceful and self-reliant.
In the Center lies the element earth, which is at home with all the directions, and seeks to harmonise them. The element earth is patient, stable and prudent.
Each kind of qi seeks its opposite to achieve harmony, thus the active, hot qi of the south seeks the cool qi of the north to balance itself; and the wise qi of the east seeks excitment from the qi of the west, and so on.
An example of use of the bagua is -- the stove (kitchen) should not be placed in the north part of a house, as water extinguishes fire. This is only a rule of thumb, and there are many other considerations in locating a kitchen.
[edit] Guidelines
Internal:
- When you are sitting at a desk, the entrance door should be in a clear line of sight, and you should have a view of as much of the room as possible.
- When lying in bed, the entrance door should not be directly facing the soles of one's feet. In other words, the end of the bed should not be in line with the door.
- Straight lines and sharp corners are to be avoided, and especially should not point where people tend to sit, stand, or sleep.
- Avoid clutter.
- Keep tops of tables simple. Avoid overdecorating tables with objects and clutter. Those objects represent piles of stress and bad luck you could/will be carrying. You should be able to sit at a table and have an open view in front of you.
- Your stairs should never face the front door.
- Some objects are believed to have the power of redirecting, reflecting, or shifting energy in a space. These include mirrors, crystals, windchimes, and pools of flowing or standing water.
External:
- Roads to and from ancient towns were often curved and windy, an attempt to disorient and keep away evil spirits, who were believed to travel in straight lines.[1]
- Avoid building houses in front of cemeteries, hospitals, and mortuaries.
- The most auspicious spaces for homes are lots located in streets shaped like a horseshoe.
- In choosing homes in rural areas, with hills and mountains, pick the one that is on a sloping hill.
- In choosing homes in urban area, its best to go for the ones that are on a flat terrain.
- Square-shaped lots are optimal for chi flow.
[edit] Schools of feng shui
[edit] The Form school
Feng shui developed thousands of years ago in little villages of East Asia. It was called folk feng shui because each village had their own guidelines on how to use it. Their livelihoods were dependent on it. They studied the formations of the land and ways of the wind & water (feng shui translated means the way of Wind & Water) to determine the best sitting for their survival. Over time feng shui developed and was used by emperors to ensure their success.
The original Feng Shui Masters were hired by emperors to wage war. It is said that they had the power to manipulate the wind, water and fog to help the outcome of battles. Folklore has it that the Emperor was fearful that they would use their skills against him, so he ordered the Feng Shui Masters put to death.
Some of the feng shui Masters went into hiding in the Buddhist Monasteries in fear for their lives. Some of them hid in remote village or densely mountainous village. Some passed away without passing it to any students. A few managed to passed it to his very loyal student with good character. Some Monks were trained in the ways of feng shui.
This is the origin of feng shui and what is called form school feng shui. It addresses the energies of the roads, rivers, mountains and placement of structures in relationship to them. Its premises are based upon the forces of Mother Nature. Typically you will find that Form School is utilized by both the Black Hat School and the Compass school.
[edit] The Compass school
Compass School has its roots in the study of the 28 Constellations along the ecliptic of the sun. Ancient Chinese believed that everything in Heaven had a corresponding part on Earth. The 28 Constellation ring is one of the most important rings of the luopan. The 24 mountains ring is another essential ring. It is an elaboration of the Ba Gua dividing each of the eight directions into 3 parts known as Heaven Dragon, Earth Dragon and Man Dragon.
One technique employed is the use of the Local Space Chart, which was reproduced in a generic form through the use of the luopan or geomantic compass. This device helps to determine the directional alignment of buildings. True traditional Compass School is based on translations of ancient texts and concepts. One such concept is the reference to the five Chinese elements or phases. Wood, fire, earth, metal and water are not really elements in the western scientific sense but merely represent phases and movement of natural processes. Other properties are ascribed including temperature and rising/descending qualities.
There are two primary forms of feng shui that utilizes the luopan. The first is called the East and West Group method or 8 House (8 Mansion) method. This method examines the directional influence on the people and the building to determine how and where best to align oneself within the building.
A second application is to use the luopan to find the orientation, combined with a time aspect creates a detailed chart of the qi within the building. This method is also known as Xuan Kong feng shui. Xuan Kong is also called the Time and Space method. It is concerned with looking at the qi within the building and mapping the floorplan to determine the auspicious and inauspicious areas. Utilizing the five Chinese elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water, feng shui practitioners can create a balance within the qi, similar to needles correcting the qi in accupuncture.
[edit] The Black Sect school
Black Sect is a recent development of feng shui in the West, led by Grandmaster Thomas Lin Yun Rinpoche. It is sometimes called Black Hat Sect Tantric Buddhist. Black Sect feng shui relies less on directional energies, horoscopes, and astrology, and instead focuses on the internal orientation and organization of the space. For instance, the Black Sect always orients the bagua in line with the space's entrance, rather than northwards.[7]
Some in the West prefer Black Sect feng shui, preferring to dispense with the astrological aspects of feng shui and focusing greater emphasis on its psychological benefits. Traditional Chinese feng shui schools do not officially recognize the Black Hat Sect due to its failure to adhere to previously set principles.
[edit] Flying Star school
Flying Star school is a traditional Chinese feng shui technique which seeks to optimize the potental of a building or structure. It is based on the relationship between the timing of construction of a particular structure and its orientation in space. Flying Star makes use of San Yuan or Three Cycles, which are comprised of sixty years each. These are further subdivided into periods of 20 years, single years, months, days, and hours. During each cycle, a certain form of Qi becomes stronger than the rest. Consequently, spaces must be dealt with differently as the Qi changes and shifts from one moment to the next and from one sector of a building to another. Flying Star postulates that there are certain orientations in any given cycle or period that are better than others. When applied in new construction, Flying Star is used to determine optimal orientation. As time moves on, however, the Qi may begin to falter, requiring additional adjustments to balance internal potential within the structure.
By adjusting and shifting the energies within a space, one can renew the potential of that structure within the constraints posed by the quality of that particular time and orientation. This shifting of Qi helps to strengthen different aspects of life that benefit the people that inhabit the space. Through the use of the bagua, the eight trigrams, and five element theory, Flying Star takes into account environment as well as interior design as a way of optimizing a space. [8]
[edit] Classical feng shui
Classical feng shui or Xuan Kung feng shui, as practiced in Asia and in the west today, is an amalgam of all of the traditional aspects of feng shui. This includes form school, compass school and flying star feng shui.
[edit] Use in burials
The effect of proper feng shui on the living is thought to carry over to the afterlife. In traditional feng shui belief, the feng shui of cemeteries affects the state of the dead spirits and, indirectly, their living descendants. Spirits of the buried were believed to remain at their gravesites or by the homes of their kin, and just as bad feng shui harms relaxation and ease of mind among the living, the spirits of people buried with bad feng shui will be anxious and restless, and therefore more likely to trouble the living. This reasoning led to careful feng shui planning of cemeteries.[1] Conversely, desecrating the feng shui of the grave of an enemy's ancestor was thought to be a powerful weapon.[9]
The straight lines and sharp corners should not point at a gravesite or at the cemetery generally, a smooth or gradual landscape is preferable to rocky or otherwise sharp terrain. Waterways should be visible from the gravesite, but not loose rocks or boulders, which can be hidden by trees or bamboo.
The use of early forms of feng shui or geomancy in picking burial sites can be traced back at least to The Book of Burial (c. 300 CE), written by Guo Pu of the Jin Dynasty.[10]
[edit] Criticism
Many critics regard Feng Shui as a form of superstition. Eitel calls it "a conglomeration of rough guesses at nature, sublimated by fanciful play with puerile diagrams."[9]
High fees charged by independent feng shui consultants and a lack of consistency in their advice have raised eyebrows among skeptics. This has led to accusations of fraud, and practitioners being called cult members or snake oil salesmen, by said skeptics. Penn & Teller did a special on their show Bullshit! that was highly critical of the independent consultants featured.
[edit] Use in the West
In recent decades many feng shui books have been published in English, often focusing on interior design, architecture, interior decorating, and landscape design. Audiences have reacted skeptically towards the purported benefits of crystals, wind chimes, table fountains, and mirrored balls, etc., on one's life, finances, and relationships. Often, these claims are dismissed as New Age, pseudoscience, relying on the placebo effect, or even outright fraud.
Others reject feng shui's justifications for its rules (movement of various energies, etc.), but believe that some of its more practical rules (such as not working with one's back to a door) are very useful.
It is unclear what relationship these Western interpretations of feng shui have to the Eastern tradition. Many traditional feng shui practitioners in Asia regard Western adaptations as inauthentic.
Successful US businessman Donald Trump and Britain's Prince Charles are held to have used feng shui. [11]
The Los Angeles Times reported that News Corp., Coca-Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard and Ford Motors are also using feng shui.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Chuen-Yan David Lai. 'A Feng Shui Model as a Location Index' in Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 64, No. 4. (Dec., 1974), pp. 506-513. (Available on JSTOR.)
- ^ Andrew L. March. 'An Appreciation of Chinese Geomancy' in The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 27, No. 2. (Feb., 1968), pp. 253-267.
- ^ Edwin Joshua Dukes. Everyday Life in China.
- ^ Samuel Johnson. Oriental Religions and their Relation to Universal Religion.
- ^ Andrew L. March. 'An Appreciation of Chinese Geomancy' in The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 27, No. 2. (Feb., 1968), pp. 253-267. (Available on JSTOR).
- ^ Richard Craze, Practical Feng Shui, Anness Publishing, London 1997.
- ^ Smith, Vincent. Feng Shui: A Practical Guide for Architects and Designers.
- ^ Twicken, David. "Flying Star Feng Shui Made Easy".
- ^ a b Eitel, Ernest Feng Shui (Hong Kong: Trubner & Co.) [1873].
- ^ Wei, Wang. Ch'ing yen ts'ung lu in Pai ling hsüeh shan, ts'e 3, pp.7b-8a. Cited in March p.261.
- ^ San Antonio Business Journal, April 7 2000
