Is it true that Feng Shui is originally the art of decorating graves?

Feng Shui (Chinese: “wind and water”) is the art of properly organizing living space. Building a life according to Feng Shui (feng shui; feng shui) is considered in China a necessary condition for moral self-improvement and achieving immortality. The practice of Feng Shui is based on the mystical and philosophical ideas of the ancient Chinese religion of Taoism about the flow of qi energy that permeates the universe. The art of Feng Shui is designed to detect energy flows and build the living environment in such a way as to achieve energy balance.

Feng Shui Book of Burials

Feng Shui was originally passed down from generation to generation through a carefully guarded oral tradition. This continued until the traditions and practices of Feng Shui were recorded in the Book of Burials (Zan Shu). After the Book of Burials was translated into English, it spread to Europe, and then among the English-speaking common people of China (previously, the art of Feng Shui was known only to the Chinese elites).

The Book of Burials is one of the oldest and most famous Feng Shui manuals. This is a key work for understanding Feng Shui practices of recent centuries and their connection with the ideas and doctrines of Neo-Confucianism.

Ancient knowledge about Earth radiation

Recently, scientists have been able to obtain fairly complete data on “invisible” energy lines, the location of which is determined by the Earth’s radiation. But their presence can only be determined using modern dowsing methods. However, ancient builders and architects knew about their existence. This is evidenced by the monuments of ancient architecture that have survived to this day. For example, in the Himalayas, during the construction of monasteries, cells were oriented in such a way that they were located in neutral zones, inside the cells of energy systems.

This made it possible to prevent the impact of natural disasters on the body of the monks living in them. Other structures, dolmens, were built according to the same rules. At the same time, they themselves radiate positive energy. And the ancient Romans knew how to control the energy system, transform negative energy into positive. Evidence of this are the “roads of conquerors” laid in the east-west direction along energy lines.

Ancient peoples tried to prevent the knowledge they had from spreading. They were passed on, as they say, “from hand to hand,” “by word of mouth” from teachers and mentors to students and followers. However, despite the disunity of esoteric information received by scientists from different countries, today we see that their knowledge largely coincided.

Funeral according to Feng Shui

Educated representatives of the Chinese elite were interested in Feng Shui, were familiar with its fundamentals, key principles and mystical ideas about how the energies of Li and Ki affect the well-being of the family. They also knew about the responsibilities that Feng Shei places on the loved ones of the deceased: the funeral must be arranged according to the rules of Feng Shui in order to help the deceased meet the afterlife with dignity. In Chinese culture, the cult of ancestors and respect for the deceased are of particular importance, so Feng Shui funeral rules were practiced everywhere.

General principles

The main purpose of this technique is to establish balance within yourself, to achieve harmony between your inner worldview and external factors through optimal home improvement. And this can only be achieved by adjusting the movement of energy flows, which can both bring happiness and prosperity (positive Qi energy) and bad mood and emptiness (negative energy). The correct arrangement of interior items, furniture, and decorative elements allows you to adjust the direction of flow, transform one type of energy into another (negative into positive) and achieve well-being, success in business, career growth, and mutual understanding in family relationships.

At the same time, the free movement of Qi must not be prevented. Any imbalance (lack, excess) of energy negatively affects the entire energy system of the apartment, which means that when arranging an apartment or house, not a single room should be left without attention.

Funeral according to Feng Shui: practical tips

Choosing a burial site according to Feng Shui

The choice of burial place is very important, since it is with its help that “goodness” is passed on to descendants. Three key recommendations:

1. The best landscape around the burial is the “dragon vein” - a chain of hills descending from the mountain. The burial itself should be surrounded by hills and water, which allows it to retain the energy of the mountain (“Dragon energy”).
2. The landscape must be of “ideal quality.” There should be no bare earth or bare rocks, power lines, or industrial structures near the burial site.
3. There should be no trees within the burial area, and the soil should be fertile.

Choosing a cemetery and burial site

Ancestor worship and veneration are common throughout China, regardless of religious beliefs. It is not surprising that the funeral traditions of the art of Feng Shui are certain canons that the relatives of the deceased must observe if they want him to receive a decent afterlife. In addition, a properly organized burial is also the key to the well-being of the living.

In ancient times, Feng Shui was available only to the privileged class for a reason. And today, organizing a funeral in accordance with all the requirements of this concept is labor-intensive and quite expensive. The main rule when choosing a burial site is based on a favorable combination of elements. If the place is chosen correctly, prosperity awaits the descendants of the deceased, but if not, failures will haunt the family for three subsequent generations.

So, when choosing a place to bury a body, it must:

• It was located at the foot of the hill. It is desirable that it be a ridge of hills located near a river;
• It was protected from the winds;
• Not adjacent to an industrial zone;
• It was not adjacent to bare earth, rocks or power lines.

The design of the grave itself must also meet certain parameters:

• It must be located at a distance from other burials;
• The graves in “proper” cemeteries are located not in rows, but in a semicircle;
• Trees are never planted near the burial site and they try to select open spaces for this.

It is prohibited to install fences on graves. All approaches must be open.

The date and time of the funeral should also be favorable and not overlap with periods filled with negative energy.

Suitable cemetery for a grave according to Feng Shui

Organizing a “real” burial according to all the rules of Feng Shui is a difficult and very expensive task. People who want to organize a burial according to Feng Shui are still forced to limit themselves to available cemeteries. When choosing a cemetery, you should focus on the features of the landscape:

1. It is advisable to choose a place at the foot of the hill, not blown by the winds.
2. It is desirable that a river flows next to the cemetery, i.e. there was moving water.
3. The grave itself should not be sandwiched between other burials.
4. You should leave an approach to the grave, and not close off the space with a solid fence.
5. Graves should be arranged in radiating semicircles rather than in straight rows.

Basic terms

Modern Feng Shui is much simpler than the teachings developed by the ancient eastern sages. But to understand it, it is necessary to master some basic concepts, terms, elements, without knowledge of which it will be difficult to follow the rules and requirements for harmonizing space.

This is a fundamental concept, a central term on which the entire universe is built. It spreads like an invisible, full-flowing “river” throughout the Earth, the Universe, giving life, prosperity, and a cloudless existence. There is a special name for the energy that fills the space of the house - Shen Qi. From Chinese this name can be translated into Russian as “breath of a contented dragon.” It is precisely its “accumulation” that we strive to achieve when furnishing our home in accordance with the provisions of Feng Shui.

In those places where the basic principles of the teaching are violated, the energy takes on a negative sign. Its presence leads to disruption of harmony, health problems, constant quarrels, and anxiety. This negative energy is called Sha. It accumulates in those places of the apartment where they are rarely cleaned, where rubbish collects, dust settles, old, unnecessary, broken things are stored. The more of it there is in the house, the more difficult it is to cope with problems.

To prevent the dark energy of Sha from interfering with the achievement of harmony, it is necessary to clean the house in a timely manner and prevent the accumulation of garbage. All faulty household appliances and furniture should be sent in for repair or repaired yourself. What cannot be fixed (broken dishes, tea utensils, equipment, unused items of clothing) must be thrown away, as it will attract, “attract” negative Sha energy.

One of the central places in Feng Shui is occupied by 5 elements, each of which is “responsible” for a certain sector of the apartment: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal. Each of them is characterized by certain materials, color shades, directions, seasons, and weather. The beginning of the cycle is symbolized by a Tree, which is associated among all the peoples of our planet with the origin of life, growth, and prosperity. It is replaced by Fire, Earth and Metal, which partially reduces, slows down, and restrains growth. They are replaced by Water, the purpose of which is to restart the entire system, bringing it to the beginning of a new cycle.

The entire space of a house or apartment is divided into 8 sectors, zones, each of which symbolizes one of the aspects of life: Career, Health, Fame, Knowledge, Family, Love (Marriage), Children (Helpers), Wealth. Each sector is activated with the help of appropriate talismans, amulets, amulets, and furnishing elements. Thus, a fireplace and candles are usually installed in the Wealth zone, and a dining table or living room is placed in the Family sector.

• I Ching
• Suankun Dagua, whose adherents use the Luopan compass in their work;
• Bazhai;
• Sanhe;
• Sanyuan;
• Xuankong Feixing.

This is an ancient scripture, a manuscript, which is also called the Book of Changes. Emperors, generals, and leaders turned to it for advice and help, because it not only contains ancient knowledge, but also contains ancient spirits who are able to see and predict the future. The book was used for fortune telling using hexagrams, there are 64 of them in total and each has a specific meaning.

Today, Feng Shui masters use it as a tool that can tune intuition, a person’s inner voice, and save him from problems, troubles, and threats.

Care of the grave and Qingming Day

Caring for the grave and honoring ancestors is no less important than organizing a proper burial. In China, there is a festival of remembrance of the dead called Qingming, also known as Ancestors' Day and Tomb Sweeping Day. Qingming is traditionally celebrated on April 4th or 5th.

On Memorial Day, families come together to care for the graves of their deceased ancestors. It is customary to say a prayer to the ancestors and burn incense in the form of sticks. If the relatives of the deceased do not believe in the cult of ancestors, on this day they should still visit his grave and pray with the words they see fit.

The ceremony of sweeping the grave and burning incense is carried out in order of seniority, starting with the oldest family members and moving on to the youngest.

Feng Shui: teachings for the dead

At the beginning of its origin, Feng Shui was actually practiced for the dead, because... The Chinese used to believe that their luck depended on the location of their ancestors' graves. In principle, this is what they think now. In Russia, the dead were always buried in a common cemetery, with the exception of unbaptized people, as well as those who were excommunicated by the church, suicides, non-believers, and there were no problems. But the Chinese approached choosing the ideal grave site with complete seriousness; for them it is the duty of the whole family. If the grave of the deceased is in a good place, with good Feng Shui, then all descendants up to the fifth generation will benefit. Life will be easy, obedient children, money and fame will never leave the family, everyone will be healthy. In order to place the grave in the right place, feng shui masters were needed. They were respected because of their invaluable experience.

The lands for the graves were chosen carefully; the Chinese tried to choose the best places. It was believed that the soul of the deceased should see beautiful landscapes that would not disturb their peace. A good feng shui for a grave would include a pond of still water. If the grave is correctly oriented, then the entire family of the deceased improves their authority and well-being. Sometimes the Chinese postponed funerals for several months, all in order to find the best place.

After the death of a family member, the Chinese put coins, pearls, mirrors, gold jewelry and everything that would be useful to the deceased in the next life. Emperor Qin Shi Huang (2-3 centuries BC) built an entire burial complex, which included more than 8 thousand statues of warriors, horses, carts with food, weapons and all other utensils. This composition is called the Terracotta Army.

Even the shape of the plot was chosen to be square, rectangular or purse-shaped. It is believed that good Qi circulates in such an area. An area with a narrow front part has negative Qi and will interfere with the achievement of wealth and fame. Also, the site should not be wet, but much drier than the ground where houses are built. Water should not enter the grave, but should drain from the site. Otherwise, the body will decompose faster, thereby disrupting Feng Shui, and luck will turn away from the descendants. Feng Shui for the dead requires that a tombstone be placed at the head of the grave. And the descendants had to always monitor its condition, clean it from white spots and blackness in time, or misfortune would befall the family.

These traditions are still revered by the Chinese today. You can draw a parallel and see that our traditions of caring for graves are in many ways similar to the Chinese. After all, we also put up tombstones, weed graves and plant flowers. Some feng shui masters believe that the energy of the dead is good for the living. Others believe that dead fields destroy life, so they recommend cremation. In any case, the tradition of the living to turn to the help of the dead still remains.

Exactly when Feng Shui became a practice for the living is unknown, but now we use this art to improve our lives. Naturally, rituals for the dead are not performed on the living; they have been modified.