'Feng shui': Living in Harmony with nature
'Feng shui': Living in Harmony with nature
By Lenah Susianty
JAKARTA (JP): Call it mysticism, superstition or whatever you like. Still, the fact that hundreds of people willfully paid Rp 300,000 (US$179.24) to attend a one-day seminar on Feng shui, or Chinese geomancy, confirms that this Chinese traditional teaching on the secrets of wind and water enjoys a wide following in Jakarta.
"It can't be denied that Feng shui is controversial, but neither can it be forgotten that this is a rich combination of art, culture, philosophy and eastern (Chinese) mysticism, developed by people who have for thousands of years lived in close and intimate contact with nature and the environment," said Indra Gunawan, a director of the Gramedia group of companies which recently organized the seminar "Feng shui in Business Practice and Modern Life".
"In many respects, Feng shui is very rational. That is why people in this modern age still believe in it and use it," added Indra.
"One basic tenet of Feng shui teaches, `at the right moment, in the right place, face in the right direction and take the right decision'. Very rational isn't it? It goes along well with modern business and management rules," he insisted.
"Feng shui is very logical. Nothing spiritual or mumbo-jumbo about it," said Lillian Too, a Malaysian believer who has an MBA from Harvard University and is now in the investment business. She is also the author of a number of best-selling books on Feng shui.
"When we speak about Feng shui, we often give the impression that we are speaking about superstition because we discuss the invisible. Therefore many people refuse to acknowledge that they believe in it. Such an attitude is completely wrong because Feng shui is a science," added A.S.Udin, a Feng shui consultant who lectures at the Faculty of Chinese Letters at the University of Indonesia.
So, what is Feng shui?
In the beginning, there was chi, the "cosmic breath" that drifted in the dark great void. From this primordial substance, the entire universe as we know it was eventually created. An invisible vital energy comparable to prana in Indian cosmology and mana in Polynesian, the chi pervades the entire universe and our bodies.
The chi in the human body can be called on by practicing deep, rhythmic and regular breathing techniques which can be learned through meditation or breathing exercises such as tai chi chuan or chi kung. This chi of the human body can be employed as a means of the "pranic"-healing for any illnesses. Accumulated at a spot below the navel, it can become a powerful source of energy if released under the full concentration of the person's awareness.
The chi in the universe is believed to be the power which shaped the face of the earth. It determines the form, the plan and the colors present in a particular environment, as well as the fertility, or lack of it, of plants and all other living creatures.
The Chinese believe that in order to live in harmony with one's natural surroundings -- and consequently with the sky, which symbolizes a power far superior to that of human beings -- one must be able to control the chi of the universe and later release it so that there is no chi that circulates too fast or too slow .
To be able to "catch" the chi, one must master the art of controlling two important substances: wind and water. The Chinese, who have practiced this art for more than 3,000 years, call this traditional teaching on the secrets of wind and water Feng shui. Literally, feng means wind and shui means water.
Good fortune
Proper implementation of Feng shui is believed to bring good fortune and happiness. Therefore, many Asians employ this art when building houses, offices, factories and even tombs in order to bring good luck. Precisely how it is implemented depends on a person's individual Feng shui, which is determined by his or her day of birth. A Feng shui master is able to advise a client only after the latter has provided him with information regarding the date, the month and the year of the client's birth. Besides the general rules, there are also particular ones that are only valid for individuals.
Two schools are acknowledged in Feng shui, the "form" school and the "compass" school.
The "form" school bases its teachings on the earth's landscape and concerns itself with such details as water currents and the contours of the land. This school originated in Kuang Hsi province, which is noted for its beautiful landscapes. People here are said to be accustomed to building their houses in such a way as not to destroy the beauty of the land.
In the application of its teachings, this particular school employs the symbols of a green dragon, a white tiger, a black turtle and a red phoenix. The ideal location for a house, would be a spot that has a hill whose profile resembles a turtle's shell to the north, one that looks like a dragon to the east and a white tiger to the west. A hill that represents the red phoenix should be situated to the south of the house.
The "compass" school, which originated in Ho Kian, a province less generously endowed with natural beauty than Kuang Hsi, emphasizes the more metaphysical aspects of the universe. It takes into account the influence of the planets, and the use of a Pa kua octagons containing "trigrams" -- a set of three lines. This teaching is based on a very ancient and well-known book, believed to be about 4,500 years old, the I-Ching.
Theory of substances
Feng shui is also highly influenced by what is referred to as the "theory of substances". In Chinese astrology, everything that is related to time, including one's date of birth, can be categorized into five "substances": fire, water, wood, metal and earth. For example, those who are born between Feb.13, 1964 and Feb.1, 1965 are categorized under the "wood" substance, those born in the period from Jan.29, 1949 to Feb.2, 1950 are categorized under the "earth" substance.
To "read" Feng shui, it is important to know that the five substances have productive and destructive cycles. In the productive cycle fire produces earth, earth produces metal, metal produces water, water produces wood and wood produces fire. In the destructive cycle wood harms earth, earth harms water, water harms fire, fire harms metal and metal harms wood.
After contemplating these substances and combining them with the teachings of either schools -- or combinations of the two schools' teachings -- a Feng shui master gives advice and counsel on how a building should be constructed, designed and organized.
Because water kills fire, for example, it is to his disadvantage for one who is born in the year of Fire to have a house which contains too many elements of water such as fountains, artificial waterfalls, swimming pools or objects colored black, since the color black represents water. Instead, such a person should consider building a wooden house with many plants and green objects because green symbolizes wood and wood produces fire. It would be even better for that person to have a bedroom that is located in the southern section of the house because the south, according to the I-Ching trigram, is the direction of fire.
A Feng shui master also masters the knowledge to expel sha chi, or to kill breath which can harm the residents of a house or building which was built without consulting a Feng shui master.
A person who inhabits an L-shaped house, for example, should plant a tree in the missing corner. Otherwise that missing corner will attract sha chi because it is not properly balanced.
"Sometimes Feng shui is very funny because it is basically a game of symbols. But if you know how to use those symbols, you'll find that they are very effective," said Too, adding that plants and flowers are much liked by those who can read Feng shui since they are beneficial symbols of growth and life.
In practicing and interpreting Feng shui, rationality and sensitivity towards symbols is paramount. Most objects, from the Chinese point of view, can be considered symbols, either because of phonetic similarities -- the Chinese are well-known for their liking of the number 8 because pa, or eight in Chinese, is homophonic with the word for growth -- or because of the character representing an object is considered right. Sometimes it is just because of traditional beliefs.
It is your choice to believe in it or not, but as Too said: "What harm can it do?"