LIVING IN HARMONY
In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang are the two cosmic forces that shape and balance all life. They are opposites in a continual state of flux and tension, and through this dynamic they produce life. Yin, which is feminine, luminous and fluid, is present in the moon, rain and floods. It is counterbalanced against yang which is masculine, heavy and solid, the force that is in the sun, the stars and the earth. The forces of yin are in the ascendency as the cold and damp of winter approach and are on the wane in the warmth and new growth of the early spring as yang asserts itseft. Yin and yang are never represented as gods nor are they associated with divine power, they are purely natural forces tat were brought into being through the emptiness that existed at the beginning of time. Their creation and activity are described in the Huai Nan Tzu (crica 120 BCE), a study of natural philosophy recorded in twenty-one volumes:
Before heaven and earth had taken form all was vague and amorphous. Therefore it was called the Great Beginning. The Great Beginning produced emptiness and emptiness produced the universe. The universe produced material forces which had limits. That which was clear and light drifted up to become earth. It was very easy for the pure, fine material to come together but extremely difficult for the heavy, turgid material to solidify. Therefore, heaven was completed first and earth assumed shape afterwards. The combined essences of heaven and earth became yin and yang, the concentrated essences of the yin and yang became the four seasons, and the scattered essences of the four seasons became the myriad creatures of the world. After a long time, the hot forces of the accumulated yang produced fire and the essence of the fire force became the sun; the cold force of accumulated yin became water and the essence of the water force became the moon. The essence of the excess force of the sun and moon became the stars and planets. Heaven received the sun, moon and stars while earth received water and soil.
Yin/yang symbol
Feng shui is the way of divining yin and yang in the landscape. Feng shui literally means wind/water and is the art and science of reading a landscape so that the buildings for the living and dead can be sited where the balance of yin and yang is positive and where ch’I, the life breath, can circulate freely.
Feng shui is founded on the belief that the hills and rivers have been and still are eroded by the forces of wind and water. The term feng shui represents the power of natural environment which is alive with hidden forces.
By observing the patterns of change and understanding the natural processes of the land, a feng shui expert can discern favourable directions and good or malign influences at any spot on the ground. Experienced in Chinese calendrical and natural philosophy, the expert can assess the landscape and recognise an imbalance in the forces of yin and yang, identify constructive or destructive movements between the five elements, or identify a blockage on ch’I, the life-giving force.
These notions are all central to the practice of feng shui but an expert will also give a detailed reading for a given site by consulting his compass. Each ring of the compass dial is inscribed with symbol which are a physical representation of the cosmos with its array of interrelated real and imaginary forces, phenomena and creatures.
Feng shui dates back at least three thousand years, although
the philosophies and symbols it incorporates date back to an earlier period.
The earliest reference to feng shui commentaries exists in the History of the
Former Han Dynasty, with reference to the Golden Box of Geomancy and
Terrestrial Conformations for Palaces and Houses. Neither book has survived.
The two books that were to have formative influence on the feng shui masters,
and which are also included in the Imperial Encyclopedia under the same titles,
are The Burial Classics by Kuo P’o (fourth century CE) and the Yellow Emperor’s
Dwelling Classic by Wang Wei (fifth century CE). The latter book distinguishes between yin
dwellings for the dead and yang dwellings for the living. This titular division
still exisis, and throush the centuries far more manuals have been written as a
guide to the siting of tombs and cemeteries as opposed to palaces, offices and
houses. There was much speculation and theorising on burial sites since a
well-sited grave would not only appease the spirits of the dead, but also
bestow good fortune upon their descendants whose well-being depended, to a
large extent, upon appropriate burial and the continued care of their
ancestors. The feng shui manuals that focus upon sites for the living are
preoccupied with the immediate concerns and practicalities of everyday life.
Although feng shui may have been frowned on through the
centuries by the sophisticated and practical Confucians, it was an essential
part of Chinese existence, and most people at some time in their lives would
have consulted a geomancer. A geomancer was traditionally referred to as feng
shui hsien-sheng Hsien-sheng is a title of resoect, although the words connot
be directly transllated. Geomancers were treated with deference and frequently
carried to and from the site in a sedan chair. They were employed on a part of
full-time basis and traditionally received hospitality and gifts as opposed to
fees. Besides being honoured for their literacy geomancers were believed to
possess insight into the mysterious workings of nature and an understading of
powerful cosmic forces beyond the scope of the average citizen. They considered
themselves scientists, and information on geomancy appears in the Imperial
Encyclopedia under arts and divination, not under religion.
When a geomancer was present at a funeral he was there as a
guide, familiar with the powers that shape this world. He prepared the practical
ground for a priest who then stepped in to act as the intermediary between the
land of the living and the land of the dead. The geomancer may only have been a
consultant in this process but he was often held in awe and suspicion because
of the power he wielded. His decisions
could affect the fortunes of a family and so it was dangerous to ignore his
advice but at the same time it was difficult to prove incompetence if the
familly suffered bad luck in the years to follow. Nevertheless, the family
would once more call in a geomancer to assess the site and hopefully suggest aa
way to dispel the misfortune. There is a story told not only of the geomancer’s
questionable status but also of the secret forces they could summon up:
In a place north of Ch’ao ch”ing
in Kuangtung province there is the Seven Star Peak and to its west is a hill
that closely resembles the back of a turle whose head is formed by several
large stones jutting out into the water. A ricch man had summoned a geomancer
who advised him that ten years ago the turtle opened its mouth and this unusual
event was due to happen again on a certain day that year. He advised the walthy
man to bury the bones of one of his ancestors there. And so the rich man took
the coffin of one of his ancestors, placed it into a boat and, accompanied by
the geomancer, they sailed to the site of the turtle rock. As they approached
the whirlpool that lay close to the head of the turtle, the geomancer waited
until the whirlpool gave a particularly loud roar and then ordered the rich man
to push the coffin into the water. The rich man did as he was told, but no
sooner had he disposed of the coffin than he began to regret his actions. He had
failed in his duties to his ancestor by disposing of the body in an unorthodox
place. He accused the geomancer of trickery and deceit and took his case to a
local magistrate. After hearing the evidence, the geomancer was ordered to
return the coffin to the rich man. The geomancer asked the magistrate to lend
him his sword and returned to the stone turtle. He climbed onto the turtle back
and with a swipe of his sword he sliced off the stone head and, by doing so,
destroyed its power. The coffin resurfaced and the geomancer returned it to the
rich man. When the rich man opened the coffin, he immediately regretted his
decision – the body of his ancestor had become covered in golden scales.
The geomancer could also prove to be divisive in family
life. His decrees on the siting of a tomb could create family squabbles or
litigation and this unfilial conduct could in its turn disturb the harmony that
should govern a burial. At times, the geomancer was a threat to the state
itself. Ch’ing emperors are said to have taken precautions against families who
the geomancer predicted would form a new dynasty.
The geomancers judgement no longer wields the same power
over ruling families or governments although his pronouncements are not taken
lightly and his knowledge is still widely respected. As in the past, there are
those for whom feng shui is a full-time occupation and although they use the
same tools of the profession, they are more likely to turn up for a
consultation in a three-piece suit than a traditional gown.
Although feng shui is no longer officially practised on
mainland China it is an effective part of life in Hong Kong and the New
Territories as well as the many Chinese communities worldwide. Even without
consulting a geomancer, Chinese settlements and tombs still follow the ground
rules of feng shui. The dead should be buried on a south facing slope, above
the town and protected from malign spirits by mountains to the north. The good
fortune resulting from the protection of the ancestors flows down the slope and
into the town which, facing south, receives the benign influence of the summer
sun. the city of Canton in southern China is a good example of this planning,
and most Chinese towns will try to incorporate these basic elements as much for
practical reasons as cultural ones.
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