Category Archives: Feng Shui

Feng Shui and Religion

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Does religion have a role in Feng Shui?

This is a frequently asked question.
The answer is: No.  Feng shui is not a religion nor has it ever followed any religious tradition or practice.

However, most religious groups do apply feng shui principles in building their temples and monasteries. Most Taoist and Buddhist temples in China are built on a site that nourishes spiritual energy.

Last November, I was invited by the headmaster of Yunjui Shan (雲居山Cloud Residing Mountain) ,in Jinagxi, China,  to locate a proper site to build a new meditation and training center for the monastery. This Ch’an (zen) monastery, was established during the Tang dynasty and has over 1200 years of history.  The headmaster was very much into feng shui and I found him also sensitive to the energy of the land.  Since my suggestion was very much in accord with what he had in mind, he was very happy with my visit.

This past March, he once again asked me to help with the proper positioning of the gate for a new temple. High up in the mountain, in the rain and cold, the master walked so briskly through the woods and muddy ground, that I had to pay attention to keep up.   Overall, it was a most interesting and rewarding experience.

From all the Buddhist and Taoist temples I have visited, I hardly find a temple without good feng shui.  Although in general, the energy at such sites is more supportive of spiritual cultivation and may not necessarily support business or commerce.

Good feng shui for business requires a more mundane energy, which in general means sites are on low ground, such as cities close to bodies of water.  Temples, on the other hand, are for spiritual cultivation, thus are mostly located on mountains or higher ground in a city.

Balance with the intended purpose is one of the key considerations of feng shui design.

On “Living Environment”

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body & mindThe purpose of Feng Shui is to create a good living environment for all living beings. The “environment” in Feng Shui concepts exists in all scales; the planet, continent, region, city, neighborhood, house, room, and down to a favorite chair.

It is important to realize that our body and mind co-exist.On a more fundamental scale, our body is the “living environment” of our mind, and our mind is the “living environment” of our body. By taking care of our physical health, we provide a good living environment for our mind.  Therefore, a sound and tranquil mind, provides a good environment for our body.  This is the very first Feng Shui concept we need to concentrate on. Good Feng Shui design for harmonious living begins with our bodies and minds.

Ask Mother Earth for Answers

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Human beings live between Heaven and Earth, nourished by Yang and Yin energy.  The energy of Heaven comes downward from above, manifesting as sunshine, rain and so on.  The energy of Earth rises upward from below, manifesting as food, water and other nourishing products.  Heaven (yang) energy implies dynamic expansion while Earth (yin) energy implies collection, connection, cooperation and nourishment.  Without the effects of Earth’s energy that emerges to balance the outward expansion of Heaven’s force, there will be conflict and strife.  What are the most powerful factors in manifesting Earth energy, the energy of connection and cooperation?  The answer is trees, forests and all vegetation.  The places that tend to have more conflict in the world are just those

places that lack forests, or that have undergone recent, sudden deforestation. In modern history, there are positive correlations between the depletion of natural forests and the general level of strife and chaos in the world.  This is the source of the problem.
In the arenas of politics, economics or other specialized spheres, there is constant effort to control chaos and conflict.  The emphasis is not on how to solve the issues but on how to not create further problems.  Due to this, there will always be an uphill battle to find a fundamental solution to today’s issues.  From a feng shui perspective, the best solution is found in Mother Nature.  We must look at it from an energy (chi) level.   Chaos and conflict means there is too much Yang energy so it is necessary to increase the nourishing Earth or Yin energy or increasing energy for cooperation and support.  How do we go about this? We must begin by planting trees and establishing greenery all over the world.  In the meantime, where forests are abundant, water will be abundant. And water, to the planet, is like blood in the human body.
The global warming and the increase of CO2 is the modern urgent concern.  While people search for different ways to find solutions, which are often complicated, we should just ask our Mother Earth for a solution.   According to a scientific study, 20% of CO2 is attributable to deforestation, which is more than all of the world’s cars and trucks combined.  Let us stop and take the time to think.   How much of a positive impact will there be in solving the CO2 issue if instead of deforestation, we increased forestation?

Divine Acceptance: Thoughts on the Afghanistan War

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In feng shui classes, students often ask: “What happens if I know my place has a feng shui problem, but I cannot change anything structurally (as often it is a rental), nor can I move out any time soon?” My answer often is: “When you cannot do “anything”, there is always “one thing” you still can do: that is acceptance.”

This answer sounds as if we are avoiding the question.  Yet it does have significant meaning to our life.  We find it hard to accept things that are negative, imperfect, defeats us and so on. Life is full of imperfections and the inevitability of those imperfections is hard to accept.  Accepting the reality of the moment does not mean sticking to that moment.  To accept the reality of the present situation does not mean being limited by it; it means knowing the place from where one must start, and once that is known, the next thing to do is to begin the new journey.  And then you know, in due time, things will change.

The United States has been fighting the war in Afghanistan for 8 years and although with 68,000 troops stationed there, we are slowing losing control.  Gen Stanley McChrystal requested a troop surge of a minimum of 40,000; stating, otherwise, the U.S. will be defeated.  Even with that surge, he also knows the U.S. will not win the war in years to come.  As President Obama continues to ponder the strategy, he is clearly aware of what is at stake.  Regardless of hunting Al-Qaida, protecting Afghans are the reason we cannot withdraw.  The fundamental reason to stop us to consider a withdrawal is: we cannot accept defeat, yet we could admit we made a mistake even as early as 2001 when the US invaded Afghanistan.

The rampant Hamid Karzai government’s corruption, the wide spread fraud in the August 20th president election, should be seen as the kindness of   “Heaven” to inform the U.S. to learn the lesson of acceptance.  Afghan has a long history, much longer than the United States.  Beneath the poverty and misery, its people are imbedded with wisdom, pride, strength and tenacity from their deep culture.  They do not need our protection.  It takes wisdom and courage of our new and young president to learn the lesson of the Divine Acceptance; the teaching from the ancient Chinese saint Lao-Tzu, and the lesson from our all accepting Mother Earth.

Accept the train to enter the station, otherwise it cannot move on to the next station.

60-year Celebration

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CB013129On October 1st, China held an elaborate ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. The impressive parade was followed by a jubilating evening party with an attendance of sixty thousand people.  Indeed, it was a big national party.   In the West, a centennial is a significant bench mark of any celebration, whilst in China, 60 years has significant meaning.

The ancient Chinese use Ten Heavenly Stems (Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin,Ren, Gui) and twelve Earthly Branches (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai) combining  the two together to form a cycle of sixty.  Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches were used as the x and y axial to chart the celestial bodies’ movement.  60 years is a significant repetitive circle of sun-moon-earth positions and relationships.  It is not just any abstract number. Since 104 BC, a Han emperor began to use the 60-year cycle to record history.  Infact, it has only been since the last century that the Chinese have adopted the western calendar.   Today, this 60-year calendar is still widely used In Chinese astrology and medicine.

Healthcare in America

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As the richest country of the world, America has the most advanced medical technology.  However, their general public healthcare system is embarrassingly behind not only European countries, but also behind many Asian countries.  Take for example Taiwan.   Taiwan is an island with a population of 23 million.  Since a decade ago, it has established national healthcare coverage for this whole population.  The monthly premium for an individual is US$19.00 and the employer matches another $19.00 for a total of US$38.00.  Therefore, any medical expense is not a major concern for a Taiwan citizen.  In Taiwan, a dental check with cleaning is NT80, which is equivalent to US$2.24 and a visit to the dermatologist, including a prescription to a treat skin irritation, costs a bit more at NT310 which is US$ 9.60.  Furthermore, the quality and proficiency of treatment is equivalent to any U.S. hospital.  Another interesting aspect is that you could never get lost or get confused in a hospital since there are plenty volunteers working there.  The general public takes initiative to get involved.  So why can Taiwan manage this while the U.S. cannot?

The healthcare system is a serious issue; it is a great concern for the average American. Politicians have been talking about healthcare reform for more than decade, but it has always been met with the insurmountable mountain of resistance.  Our senators and representatives always express that it is a very complicated issue that requires a complicated solution which is inevitably met with resistance. Natural principles are the fundamental of feng shui principle, as well as the fundamental principle of all human endeavors.  In nature, we see characteristics such as; simple, easy, economical, and selflessness. Nature does not make an effort, thus it is simple and easy. Nature has no waste thus it is economical.  Whenever there is a shortage of water, sunlight or nutrients, all plants grow smaller together, they do not fight to get a larger share, thus nature is selfless. When any policy or system in any human endeavor becomes so complicated and entangled, this indicates it has violated the natural principle.  That means there is selfishness and waste. The fundamental issue relating to healthcare reform in America is greed and selfishness.

President Obama is facing 3300 lobbyists hired by 1600 companies and organizations, all fighting for their own interest and not for the interest of the general public.  Our representatives in Congress are supposed to guard our interests.  They may, but it is only second to their own interests, which unfortunately is the financial support for re-election. After more than two centuries, we are not getting more mature, instead we have became more corrupt and degraded.  In my travels while abroad, I find that on one hand I have become more appreciative of the freedom in America which often has been taken for granted.  Yet on the other hand, I also see more clearly how American companies and politicians have become more self-centered, selfish and greedy.  I pray that President Obama’s healthcare reform plan will prevail.

How do I know if the feng shui of my house is good?

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42-16568233A house with good feng shui means it has good energy.  A house with good energy will support you in all aspects of your life—health, good relationships, prosperity and success in your work or career.  A good measurement of whether your house has good feng shui or not, is to look at the true reality of your daily life.  If you have been living in the house for a period of time, and everything in your life is going well, then you must have a good feng shui house. If on the other hand, after moving in the house, things start to go bad, either in health, relationships or business, you may want to look into a feng shui issue.

Glass Floor Answer

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In our past blog, I mentioned that a transparent glass floor is never a good idea.  Even if one understands that it is structurally sound and therefore not a safety issue, many people would still avoid walking on a glass floor.  The question I asked was; why is this so?

Several people have tried to interpret it from a yin-yang prospective.  However, this is actually an energy issue.  We project our energy through our eyes.  When we look at an object, our energy stops right there.  So keeping this in mind, let’s see how it relates to a glass floor.  When we walk on wood floor, as it is within our peripheral vision, we are subconsciously aware of the solid floor and at the same time our body, energy and mind all stop there.  On the other hand, when we walk on a glass floor, our energy and mind move beyond the glass floor, and naturally our body has the desire to move there too.  However, the body is not able to move there and stops at the floor.  At which point, the body, energy and mind are all not in unison, creating an unsettled feeling.

This brings up another question.  So, what happens when we look at something and does it affect our energy?  Firstly, many are often unaware that we are naturally projecting energy when we see something.  This is why we feel uncomfortable when someone is staring at us.  It feels like we are being pushed by a force.  Secondly, when we anchor our mind on something in our line of vision, we create a mental and physical stability.  There is an easy test to see how this works.   Try to stand on one foot.  Most people will be able to keep their balance for a while.  Now, this time try to stand on one foot with your eyes closed.   You will find that it is very difficult to maintain the same physical balance.  Why is this so? It’s not that your foot has less strength.  It’s because when your eyes are closed there is only one point ,your standing foot, to hold your balance. On the other hand, with your eyes open, you are able to project energy and anchor your vision, creating an additional point of reference to keep your body stable.  Two points of energy are easier to hold a balance than one point.

Now with this information be aware on how we use and waste our energy.

City on the Right-hand Side of the River

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On May 7th, I posted a blog about the ancient Trypillian culture (dated back 7500 years ago) along the Dnipro River in Kiev, Ukraine.  I mentioned that most of the ancient villages were located on the right-hand side of the river, facing downstream.   We find this consistent in the traditional feng shui concept, recognizing that land on the right-hand side was more auspicious.   But why it this so?  I have challenged students to come up with an explanation and have been waiting for the correct answer.  However, it may be time to provide the explanation:

From the city’s point of view, which is the energy spot, the left-hand side is the yang side or the blue dragon guardian, while the right-hand side, also known as the white tiger guardian, is the yin side.  The yang side is more dynamic while the yin side is more static.  Since the river is more dynamic than land, ideally you want to have the river on the left-hand side of your village.  Therefore, it is natural that the village is on the right-hand side of the river.  Ancient people were intuitively following the natural principles, the feng shui principle, thus they chose to settle on the more auspicious right-hand side of the river.  This holds true for both the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere.  If you check the  big cities around the world which sit along a large river, you will find the majority of cities are on the right-hand side of the river.

Wu-Xing on a Small Scale (Part 3)

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On a smaller scale, the Wu-Xing theory could be very useful in other ways, such as design.  A good example would be the design of the McDonald’s logo.  It is perfectly in tune with the Wu-Xing and Yin-Yang Theory.   Let’s try to see if we can break it down and analyze the logo.

As a global company, the McDonald’s logo is seen throughout the world.  Almost all of us can recognize their famous ‘golden arches’, which is the big yellow rounded letter ‘m’.  The arches sit on top of a red rectangular box which has the word McDonald’s written in white letters.  Let’s first look at the logo from a Yin-Yang point of view.  The ‘m’ is dynamic, so it represents the yang element, while the rectangular box is static, representing the yin element.  The yang rests on top of the yin which creates a good balance with correct positioning.

Next, let’s examine the logo from a Wu-Xing point of view.  The combination of the color red (Fire) and the color yellow (Earth) has a cohesive relationship as Fire creates Earth. In addition to this, yellow resonates with appetite (stomach, Earth element), and red resonates with desire (heart, Fire element).   This means that with the combination of red and yellow, when people are hungry and see those golden arches they go to McDonald’s!  How many of you thought that something as simple as that has helped to make McDonald’s into one of the most successful restaurants in the world! By the way, you may have noticed most restaurant logos or food court signs use red and yellow colors.  This follows the Wu-Xing theory and is a good sign for increasing business.

But before we wrap up on the Wu-Xing theory, it is important to remember that in any analysis, one should apply the Yin-Yang theory first.  If you have a good grasp of the Yin-Yang theory, you will have accomplished much in the understanding of feng shui and also in various aspects of design.   On the other hand, the Wu-Xing theory is much more challenging as it mainly applies in dynamic situations. So, don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to understand the concepts and be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to absorb the information.  We all learn at different speeds.
I would like to emphasize, that both the Yin-Yang and Wu-Xing theories are the basis in guiding us with the most important and valuable knowledge throughout our entire lives. Remember, knowing or not, we all live under the influence of these principles.