The Basic Principles of Fengshui

风水之基本原则

 

The Long Hu Mountain in Jiangxi province, China, is where the temple of legendary Taoist Master Zhang Daoling is situated; widely believed to be a location with one of the best Fengshui in the whole of China.

The sacred image of Taoist Master Zhang Daoling

When we talk about the principles of Fengshui, we must first know that Fengshui in China is divided into 2 main schools, the Luan Tou 峦头 (Mountain forms & shapes) school & the Li Qi 理气 (Natural Law & Chi) school. Nowadays Fengshui masters practice a combination of both, but most tend to focus on either school more, depending on who is their teacher. But both schools are equally important and it is not wise to emphasize one and neglect the other. A good understanding of both schools will ensure that one can reap the most benefit from Fengshui learning. Luan Tou deals with the outer geographical & environmental aspects of human settlement, whereas Li Qi explains the rationale behind the inner arrangements and alignments of the settlement itself.

For the Luan Tou school, there are 5 main principles of examination, namely:

1. Long 龙 (Dragon) - this refers to the geographical terrain

2. Sha 砂 (Sand) - the type of earth for laying the base

3. Shui 水 (Water) - the source & direction of water

4. Xue 穴 (Hole) - the best location to build on

5. Xiang 向 (Direction) - the favorable direction to face

From these 5 principles, we deduce the 4 conditions of ideal Fengshui, represented by the 4 mythical creatures:

1. Azure Dragon to the left 左青龙 - this means one should have a flowing water source at the left (east) of one's house (preferably facing south).

2. White Tiger to the right 右白虎 - there should also be a road or path at the right (west) of one's house.

3. Vermilion Phoenix to the front 前朱雀 - the phoenix requires a wide empty space in front (south) of the house to soar to the heavens.

4. Black Turtle to the back 后玄武 - a gentle hill behind (north) your house to support you in all your endeavors.

The features below can further enhance the 1st, 3rd and 4th conditions:

1. Kao Shan 靠山 (supporting mountain)

2. Chao Shan 朝山 (homage mountain)

3. An Shan 案山 (table hill)

4. Tian Men 天门 (heaven's door)

5. Ming Tang Shui 明堂水 (A water source in the courtyard)

6. Di Hu 地户 (earth's gate)

The 1st feature is no different from the 4th condition, except that the Kao Shan offers greater support for the Black Turtle. The 2nd & 3rd features refer to distant hills and mountains to the front of one's house, like a stairway to heaven for the Vermilion Phoenix. The 4th feature refers to a river or stream coming from the northwest direction, embracing the Azure Dragon and converging in a pool or pond of water right in the house's courtyard, which is the 5th feature. From there it exits to the southeast direction - the 6th feature. One may ask why there is no enhancing feature for the White Tiger. The reason is that it represents traffic and the ancients think that traffic brings negative energy. While negative energy is necessary to achieve balance, just as one needs a means to contact the outside world, there is no need for it to become so strong such that it disturbs the peace of the house owner.

However men live in urban cities now, faraway from the rural environment that the principles & conditions were once applied. So the Luan Tou school also had to adapt to modern times and modify its teachings accordingly. Now Luan Tou focus on the shapes, forms and colors of modern buildings instead of mountains and hills. It also explains the interaction of roads, bridges, tracks, drains and other man-made infrastructure with the buildings we inhabit, based on common sense.

For the Li Qi school, there are 8 main topics to grasp:

1. Chi 气 - the universal energy that courses through all things animate and inanimate

2. Yin & Yang 阴阳 - the negative and positive aspects of Chi

3. 5 Elements 五行 - refer to Metal 金, Wood 木, Water 水, Fire 火 and Earth 土 all things can be classified under the 5 elements according to its nature

4. 8 Trigrams 八卦 - Qian 乾, Kun 坤, Zhen 震, Xun 巽, Kan 坎, Li 离, Dui 兑 & Gen 艮 from the 8 trigrams we derive the 8 houses theory 八宅法

5. 9 Palaces 九宫 - 9 sections corresponding to the 8 directions plus the center, from the 9 sections we derive the Purple White Flying Stars theory 紫白飞星法, namely 1 white 一白, 2 black 二黑, 3 blue 三碧, 4 green 四绿, 5 yellow 五黄, 6 white 六白, 7 red 七赤, 8 white 八白 & 9 purple 九紫.

6. 10 Heavenly Stems - Jia 甲, Yi 乙, Bing 丙, Ding 丁, Wu 戊, Ji 己, Geng 庚, Xin 辛, Ren 壬, Gui 癸

7. 12 Earthly Branches - Zi 子, Chou 丑, Yin 寅, Mao 卯, Chen 辰, Si 巳, Wu 午, Wei 未, Shen 申, You 酉, Xu 戌, Hai 亥 the heavenly stems and the earthly branches combined correspond to units of time and direction in ancient China.

8. 3 Eras & 9 Periods 三元九运 - 1 period is 20 yrs, 3 periods add up to 1 era = 60 yrs. Also known as 1 Jia Zi 甲子 cycle. 3 eras add up to 1 age = 180 yrs. So in 1 age, there are periods divided from 1 to 9 and eras divided into Upper, Middle & Lower. These measurements of time are used to tell the movement of the Flying Stars. Currently we are in the 8th Period of the Lower Era, which lasts from 2004 - 2023AD.

These Li Qi principles can be applied to all human habitats universally at any point in time and space. But compared to Luan Tou principles, Li Qi takes a secondary importance. Why? Because you can have the best Li Qi, but if your Luan Tou is bad, your house will still bring disaster to those living in it. A good example is building a house opposite a rubbish dump. You can spend millions decorating your house with all the auspicious features and it may even be in a favorable direction and shape, but you still cannot prevent the flies, the rats, the germs and the stench from coming into your house. In other words, the outer environment carries much greater importance in Fengshui compared to the interior aspects. Of course, if one can have a harmonious interior in addition to a good environment, that would be the ideal in Fengshui.

 

 

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