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.
The 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.
A 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.
A good friend from St. Simons Island, Georgia, asked if there is a good way to help sell her house. She is anxious to move back to the NW and the fact her house is still on the market has bogged her down. With the current difficult climate in real estate, many people must also be anxious to find a way to sell their house quickly. Traditionally, for a new house, a builder or realtor will rent furniture or employ a staging service, allowing the buyer to visualize how they will live there. But both are costly options. To enhance the house in the information and energy levels, the least expensive way is by using living indoor plants; place an abundant number of plants in the house. If there are people still living in the house while on the market, it is advised to keep the house tidy and clean, and naturally, living plants will help too. However, there is another power and a hardly being recognized way to speed up the process of the sale. I told this charming lady to treat the house humanly—to say farewell to the house: “I love you, and thank you for accommodating me for all these years until now. I know you will be in good hands after I depart”. Is this idea too new-age for you? It doesn’t hurt to try. It might surprise you.