8: What is the Ideal Size for a Human Dwelling?
Natural laws (Yin-Yang theory and Five Element theory) are the foundation of Feng Shui. According to Yin-Yang theory, balance creates harmony. Therefore, in nature, a place with both mountains (Yin) and water (Yang) is the ideal.
7: Feng Shui Developed from Survival Needs
Site selection – the selection of an auspicious site – is the first order of Feng Shui practice.
Ancient people, especially hunting-gathering people, were concerned with the four needs of survival: water, food, shelter and security. Therefore, they made sure they were near the resources they needed, and looked for safety.
6: Is Feng Shui a Science?
People often ask: Is Feng Shui a science? How should it be classified? The correct answer is that Feng Shui is a philosophy, science, and art.
5: Yin Yang Balance and Resonance
In the previous posting (number 4), we mentioned that, in Yin-Yang theory, a combination of Yin and Yang create harmony, while a combination of Yang and Yang, or Yin and Yin, create resonance, which means empowerment.
4: Can the Tao be spoken?
The fifth chapter of the Xi Ci (or Da Zhuan) commentary on the Book of Changes contains a saying, “One Yin and one Yang make the Tao. People use it daily, but do not know it.” Over the centuries, many scholars have tried to explain this saying, but their explanations have been too abstract for most people to understand.
3: Feng Shui and Natural Law
To talk about Feng Shui, we have to talk about natural law, since it is one of the two pillars of Feng Shui.
2: Feng Shui is Design for the Living Environment
When we talk about “designing our environment”, the term “environment” can refer to different scales. It can refer to a city, a neighborhood, a building, or even a room, or the furnishings or decorations within a room.
1: What is Feng Shui?
In August 2018, I was invited by the lineage holder of the Taoist Quan Zhen School to participate in a forum, the first one of its kind ever held in China. During the meeting, there were many Taoist scholars, practitioners, and historians.
We often think of Feng Shui in terms of the environment, what is outside and around us. Even though we may be aware that Feng Shui applies to every level of manifestation, from the smallest to the largest, it is still easy to miss a very important application that is very close to home, each and every person.
Let’s think this through. The two pillars of Form School Feng Shui are Natural Laws and Chi. The basic model for Form School design and analysis is the Four Feature Model. In this model, the core features are called, Mountain, Guardian Hills, Energy Spot, and Water. These four features are metaphors for Support, Protection, Growth and Expansion. Any place w these four features manifest in an energetic and balanced way will have good energy that can nourish a good life.
These four features, when interpreted in terms of the qualities they represent, also indicate the qualities required for any successful human endeavor. For example, a successful business venture will require the following: financial support of a bank or investors as well as the beneficial government policy (Mountain), the legal protection to safeguard against any mistake in operations (Guardian Hills), a good place for growth (Energy Spot), and a vast territory for expansion (Water).
But these features don’t just apply to our activities. They apply to us, every person. In other words, they tell us something about what makes an ideal person. The Mountain is the physical body, the necessary support for all activities. The Energy spot is the heart: love and compassion are central to a good life. The Guardian Hills are work and achievements, which provide sustenance and support. A good heart without work and effective action is like a bird without wings. The Water feature is the goal and purpose of life, which allows for forward and outward expansion.
In other words, ideally a person has a loving and compassionate heart; maintains a strong and healthy body, works well and diligently, and lives a meaningful life following some guiding goal.
Feng Shui is a guide to finding a place that has good energy and nourishes one’s life. But it is also a guide to something even closer: how to become the person that will live that life.
Mirrors are common household items. They are used for dressing, for reflecting more light and for creating the feeling of a larger space. But mirrors also have negative aspects.
Mirrors can create false images and incite chaos and conflict. For example, a bedroom with mirrored closets often creates insomnia. Also, have you ever noticed that if you talk with a friend while sitting next to a full mirrored wall, the discussion often turns into an argument?
Mirrors have become feng shui gadgets. Some feng shui schools claim that mirrors can deflect bad energy, draw good energy, and can even create an invisible opening when hidden inside a wall. These are just some of the few examples that some claim are the powers of mirrors. For the past few decades, as feng shui gained popularity in the United States, many have come to see mirrors as the aspirin of feng shui, possessing the ability to take care of all issues.
A mirror is a very ordinary object. However, there is much to be learned from it.
Mirrors have been used as a metaphor in many ancient teachings. The best known example in China is an event in Zen history. When the Fifth Patriarch was about to pass on the transmission, he asked all his disciples to present their understanding. The head teacher, Shen Xiu, wrote: “Our body is a Boddhi [wisdom] tree, our heart is a mirror, dusting it diligently daily, does not allow it to be covered by any dust.”
Hui Nen, a monk, working in kitchen, who did not know how to read and write, asked a fellow monk to write and present his understanding: “The Boddhi has no tree, the mirror has no platform, if there is nothing to begin with, how can dust rest anywhere.” With this understanding, He received the transmission and became the Sixth Patriarch.
A mirror reflects what is in front of it. When that disappears, the reflection also disappears. The lesson here is, when something comes, reflect and respond to it; when it leaves, do not hold on to it. Live in the moment, not in grasping after the past or future.
When people stand in front of a mirror, it reflects them. When a king stands before a mirror, it reflects the king. When a beggar stands before a mirror, it reflects the beggar. There is no discrimination. A king does not receive more, nor does an ordinary person receive less. A reflection is just a reflection. No matter who comes to you, then, you should treat them equally.
When a mirror reflects a color, the mirror does not change. The mirror maintains its original nature. As a person, regardless of how things change, one does not change oneself.
A mirror, an ordinary object, can be a great teacher. Isn’t that also true for all things around us? If we pay attention to ordinary things, situations and events, how much additional insight can we gain?
Shan-tung Hsu
Blue Mountain Institute
