“Will the person you marry change you?”

“Will the person you marry change you?” … In the BaZi perspective, strictly speaking – the answer is No.

Because your BaZi chart is fixed the moment you were born. The chart doesn’t change just because you married someone.

However, having said that – the person you marry has the greatest INFLUENCE over you. Simply because – PROXIMITY- is the most powerful influence in life.

Think about it - the people you hang out with will also influence you. Let alone your spouse whom you spend the most time and is the closest with. You become more like a winner if you hangout with winners all the time. You think and behave more like a loser if all your close circle of friends are losers.

Proximity is power.

And what if you are married to a loser? Don’t you think day in day out his behavior would influence you more than just a bit?
But did your BaZi chart change as a result of marrying a loser?

Nope. You are still the same you, with the same chart.

Will your BaZi chart change (and turn you into a spiteful and vengeful person, never trusting any other men on earth) just because you found out your spouse had an affair?

Nope. You still have the SAME chart.

So technically – you are the same you.

But the question is – are you behaving at the ‘healthiest’ level of your BaZi chart? Or perhaps are you behaving at the most ‘unhealthiest’ level? Many people didn’t know this could be a conscious CHOICE.

Influence from other people can only help activate or deactivate certain aspects of your BaZi chart. How do you know if their influence has positive or negative impact? This will depend on the type of BaZi chart of that person. The dynamics between two BaZi chart can tell us what type of influence one may have on another.

Generally, if your partner’s chart contains many of your favourable elements, you would find that he/she is a positive influence in your life. Conversely, if your partner's chart contains many clashes with you or worst, contains many of your negative elements - you will find that in the long run he/she is a negative influence in your life.

There are many people who are obsessed with ‘finding the right partner’ through BaZi. They want to look for a person who “brings them luck” or is “good for them”. I always try to explain to them – their partner or potential partner can never “bring them luck”. They can, however through their BaZi (character, personality and actions) only INFLUENCE you positively (or negatively). They cannot change you if you don't want to.

At the end of day it is still YOU who decides to accept (or reject) their influence and change for the better or worst.

Remember - Only you can change YOU.

By Joey Yap

Paris Hilton Vs Ivanka Trump

by Joey Yap and Tay Lin Say
THE STAR - Sunday June 13, 2010

They are quite evenly stacked when it comes to family, wealth, fame and glamour. But who is the more successful? The first of a four-part series on face reading.

IN the battle of the heiresses, most would place their bets on the classy Ivanka Trump over sleazy, party-loving Paris Hilton.

With Ivanka's real estate degree from the prestigious Wharton School of Finance, her pedigree upbringing and osmosis learning from billionaire father Donald Trump, shouldn't this frosty beauty deliver the trump card over skanky Paris?Wrong.

From the perspective of wealth, Paris is surprisingly ahead of the game. Her features have all the ratifications of a more cunning businesswoman, especially her burgeoning nose bulb — a sure sign of a savvy money manager.

Let's take a look at the wealth palace of both heiresses, the nose. While both have long, elegant noses, Paris has an extremely obvious bulge at the tip of hers, which is quite uncommon for a girl. This feature is mostly present in shrewd businessmen.

Paris' nose bridge is very high, indicating a strong sense of self-reliance and a ''can-do'' attitude. No, she does not want to rely on daddy or anyone else to make it. Her nose has the I-will-show-you-I-can-do-it attribute.

Paris Hilton - high nose bridge

When you combine her nose with her eye spirit (the most important factor in determining current luck), her protruding eyebrow bone and spearheaded eyebrows, you can tell this is one domineering lady who is tenacious when it comes to achieving success.

Throw in Paris' nostrils, which cannot be seen from the front, and you have a money-making machine who plays up her bimbo behaviour to ensure the bucks flow in exponentially.
As much as people may view her as an airhead, she's the one with the successful clothes line, books, perfume, bags, reality shows and guest appearance income.

Undeniably, her bulging parents palace also indicates ample resources from her family. Nonetheless, Paris herself is resourceful enough to capitalise on the Hilton brand name.
Ivanka's long aquiline nose is slender and high, with equally wide nose wings. Her nose tip also bulges out, indicating financial savvy. However, her nose holes are slightly exposed, which denotes a risk-taking streak.

Hence, like her father, she may make investments which are sometimes good, and sometimes bad. But as her current eye spirit is strong, fortune is on her side.

She also has spearheaded eyebrows, which indicates a lady who is determined to make it on her own.

While Ivanka has her own business in her jewellery collection, the popularity and reach of her blings do not quite match Paris' line of products.

Nose aside, Paris' intelligence is clear to see. She has the bigger mouth, with an obviously thicker lower lip. To put it simply:

Bigger mouth, bigger say
Bigger mouth, bigger crowd.

Paris is streetwise and wily, a woman who is able to separate work from play, and love from pleasure. She is definitely the more famous heiress of the two, as can be seen from her bell-shaped laughter lines. However, these lines are very tight, which means that although she enjoys immense fame, she does not get much respect.

Her wider chin (also known as the hired help palace) is a lot more spacious compared to Ivanka's, indicating lots of help and support from all the right people.

Ivanka Trump


If there's anyone who can say, ''Don't take it personally, it's only business'', it is Paris Hilton and not the Donald's daughter.

Ivanka, with her rosebud and full balanced lips, is a gentle and sentimental soul who basks in praise and recognition from those who matter. She is principled and truthful. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and this is further seen in her big, limpid eyes.

Like Paris, her parents palace is bulging, which indicates that Ivanka always has the Trump trust fund she can dip her fingers into, should any catastrophe befall her.

Paris, with her long and small eyes, is foxy and does things for her own gain. Who cares if people see her as a dumb blonde who graduated from the School of Men? After all, Sun Tzu did say that all warfare is based on deception.

As her eyes are quite sunken, it is obvious that she isn't doing too well in her personal life. Perhaps relationships — or the lack of that — with family members or boyfriends are troubling her.

Given their facial attributes, which of the two makes the better and more informed decision?
Based on the mouth, it would be Paris.

Googling through the many images of Ivanka, it was pretty difficult to find a single picture which showed her mouth fully closed, and face, relaxed. A mouth like hers normally indicates decisions made that are not for the best; perhaps they were influenced by consensus opinions and the latest fads.

So, if both Paris and Ivanka were stocks, we'd call a buy on the former.

* For more on face reading, drop by FemmeCity (organised by Clove) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from July 30 to Aug 1. Admission to the fair is free.

Feng shui expert Joey Yap is the founder and principal of the Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics. StarBiz writer Tee Lin Say is Yap's student of face reading.

Chapter 01: Avoid Living in a "High Peak" Spot

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

One time a rich man invited me to do a feng-shui reading for his luxurious home. At the appointed time, he showed up at my residence in an expensive sedan. However, I did not have any intention of leaving with him.
"It is about time. Shall we leave now?" he asked.
"I am sorry, but I don't think I need to see your house," I replied.
"Why?" He was taken aback by my response.
"I already went to see your home last night. I understand the whole situation now."
"Master, you did what?" His lower jaw dropped in amazement.

Such an event was not a new experience for me. The previous night, during my sleep, I have exited my body through the crown chakra. After ascending to the sky, I had flown speedily through the clouds and arrived at his house. The home of this rich man was built at the highest point of an eight-acre lot that encompassed the peak of a tall mountain. Surrounding the huge house itself was a wall made of iron railings.

I told him, "You have two horses, one brown and one white. Inside your house, there are six fireplaces. They were all lit when I visited last night. You have two very valuable and famous paintings in your collection. I also saw an antique sword from a long time ago..."

The rich man was astounded. Finally I told him of the undesirability of living in a "high peak" spot. A high spot opens one to the blowing of winds from all "eight directions," resulting in "feng-sha" (noxious wind energy). To be in a "peak" spot is to stand out exposed, without any protection or support.

Among the rich, there are some who, because of their wealth, feel they are above others and want to live at the highest spot in town. They purchase land at peak sites and build luxury homes. After houses of this type are erected, however, their owners' fortunes often quickly plummet. Because land at the highest point is exposed to the assault of winds from all directions, the chi, or life-giving energy, at such homes is most unstable. Ten out of ten such homes turn into unlucky abodes.

At high peak sites, the "earth chi" is usually non-circuitous and unable to accumulate, and is, therefore, weak, loose, and dispersed. Building a home on such site will definitely cause a decline in one's fortune. Only under one condition is a "high peak" site a good choice for building a home" when the earth chi travels in an upward and spiral path. If this is the case, earth dug up at the site will display a five-colored, variegated spiral pattern. However, such an earth chi pattern is extremely rare among tall peaks. One can virtually rule out "high peak" sites as ideal areas to build homes.

As written in The Secrets of Earth Magic:
The highest spot definitely invites assault and attack.
The peak spot definitely invites isolation.

The chi of a home built at the highest point disperses quickly because it is subjected to the blowing of winds from all directions. Also, such a home, by being so conspicuous, often falls prey to burglars and thieves. An analogy can be made to a person who rises to a high position and attracts too much attention. People then become jealous of him and want to get rid of him. The President of the United States, for example, because of his position as commander-in-chief, requires the protection of security personnel at all times.

Peak spots do not have any higher geographical features in the vicinity to support them; therefore, the earth chi at such abodes disperses quickly and does not accumulate. People living in such abodes will become incompatible with one another and develop unsociable and eccentric dispositions. It is inevitable that inhabitants of peak houses will suffer the break-up of their families and wind up alone.

The same principle also can be applied to houses built on level ground. If one feels that one is head and shoulders above everyone else, and deliberately builds a house higher than those surrounding it, one is also inviting assault and isolation. An exception to this would be if the inhabitants have already accumulated enough merits and status to match such a house.

If a person is without merits and status, it would be extremely inauspicious for him to live in a house that is taller than all surrounding houses. This will incur disasters and great failures. It is my opinion that there should be a correlation between the status of a house and the status of its inhabitants. Ignoring the form of the house or failing to make a status match may lead to unfortunate events beyond one's imagination.

Therefore, my advice is that, unless one is of high merit or status, it is inauspicious to live in a house that stands conspicuously taller than the surrounding houses. It is also inauspicious to live in a house that stands in isolation, apart from other surrounding houses. These houses fall into the "high peak form" category.

The rich man who had invited me to do a feng-shui reading for his home eventually sold his luxurious peak villa because he knew that the previous owner of the house had failed in his business and that one of his servants had been murdered. Indeed, at the time he had come to see me, this rich man had just divorced his wife and separated form his children. It was a pattern that fit the consequences of "assault isolation." Therefore, one must pay careful attention to the selection of a building site.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap1.shtml

Chapter 02: Avoiding Living in "Low and Overshadowed" Areas

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

In my younger days, I performed numerous feng-shui consultations. The one rule I always maintained was to treat everyone equally, whether they were rich or poor. When the rich came to seek my services, I gladly advised them. When the poor families approached me for help, I gladly accepted their invitations.

During these times, whenever I agreed to feng-shui readings, I also stuck to one important principle: I never asked for a service fee but allowed the other parties to pay whatever they wished.

Since my only motive for studying geomancy was to help people, I have done readings for very poor families. One such family, whose head of the household made a living selling vegetables, lived in a very low area at the foot of a broken precipice that rose in a steep wall to the sky. The area around the house was surrounded by bamboo. After studying the house and its surrounding geographical features, I came to the conclusion that the house fit the pattern of that of a "low and overshadowed" house.

As written in The Secrets of Earth Magic:
The lowest site will meet suicide.
The overshadowed site will encounter unexpected hardships.

My analysis turned out to be an accurate one. After a fight caused by their declining financial situation, the owner's wife committed suicide by drinking insecticide. The grandmother of the household became half paralyzed from a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis. One child was afflicted with polio, another with asthma. The owner himself, who worked as hard as he could to sell his vegetables, was facing a crushing defeat.

Why are houses built in low and hollow sites tied to the fate of suicide? This is because such houses are always in an inferior position. People living in such houses develop emotional blockages and have trouble seeing their own ideals fulfilled. Due to their frustrated emotional state, they often fail to find safe exits when angered or provoked. Also, low and hollow sites are sites of "yin" energy, where disembodied spirits and ghosts like to converge. "Yin spirits" may play mischievous tricks on one and engender thoughts of suicide.

The close proximity of the tall and broken cliff to the house created a feeling of being "pressure and overshadowed." This "suppression" type pattern predisposes one to strange illness. The closeness of the tall and broken cliff also provoked a sense of desolation and misery. Living in such a house, one would never have the opportunity to become wealthy.

There is also a more realistic problem for homes built in the hollows at the foot of mountains. During rains, water accumulates and does not drain quickly. When earthquakes strike, an avalanche may bury the entire house. How can one not be wary of the inherent problems of such sites?

I asked the owner of the house, "Are there seven inhabitants in your house now?" He gave me a puzzled look. "There are only five." I smiled and said, "There are indeed seven, although two of the seven could be considered frequent visitors." He replied, "We rarely have any visitors."

I asked him to check with the grandmother to find out if there were, indeed, two visitors at their house. To his surprise, the grandmother confirmed my words. She described seeing a man in black and a woman in red, in Ch'ing Dynasty attire, frequently entering and exiting their home. This reply brought great shock to the owner.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked the grandmother. The grandmother replied, "I was worried you might be frightened. Besides, I didn't think you would believe me. You would probably have accused me of hallucinating and becoming senile."

I told the owner that the low and overshadowed site was unsuitable as a residence because it encouraged the convergence of yin spirits. A healthy person living there would become ill and encounter numerous hardships. Oftentimes, due to the influence of disembodied spirit, one may succumb to their calling and attempt to commit suicide.

The grandmother was aware of the yin spirits because she was at the end of her years. The yang energy in her body was dispersing as yin energy accumulated, and this had led to an opening of her psychic vision.

Some feng-shui practitioners believe a low and hollow site accumulates chi from the water element. Because water is regarded as the equivalent of money, such a site is considered a wealthy spot. However, ensuring optimal movement of "water chi" into such a site requires proper inflow of "major water chi" and an outflow of "minor water chi" Otherwise, the sole inflow of major water chi without an outlet, will cause every resident of the home to become "engulfed by the water."

A house built upon a site that is too low and too hollow is therefore inauspicious. It is also inauspicious to have a tall, broken cliff directly behind (or to either side of) the house as this overshadows the house.

I remember, after the reading, receiving a red envelope with fifty Taiwanese dollars (approximately U.S. $1.25 then) from the owner. I did not mind the amount because I knew they were poor, and I was not a feng-shui master who sought to profit from his consultations. Feng-shui, as a worldly Dharma, is merely a skillful means. More important is the goal to move and inspire people to practice the "transcendental" Buddhadharma.

So, before selecting a building site, one should first inspect the terrain. This is just too important a factor to ignore. Too high a terrain invites "feng-sha" (noxious wind energy); too low a terrain invites "shui-sha" (noxious water energy). An ideal site is neither too high nor too low.

The study of the feng-shui of homes is actually a study of balance and harmony. To learn feng-shui, one must first master "the art of balance and harmony."

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap2.shtml

Chapter 03: Avoid Living in a Site Affected by Noxious Spirits

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

I once performed a feng-shui reading for a very quiet, elegant home. Located in a nice neighborhood, the house had a fine shape and an auspicious floor plan. The furniture had even been arranged to conform to the rules of feng-shui. The owner of the house had previously consulted several famous feng-shui masters and had been told that everything was fine. However, as soon as I stepped inside the house, I could sense something unusual about it.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with the feng-shui of this house, but there is something strange in the air, a presence of unusual spirit energy" I told the owner.
The owner asked me, "In which particular spot of the house is this energy the strongest?"
Turning into my extrasensory perception, I walked through each room of the house until I came to the swimming pool located in the backyard. Stopping before it, I said, "This is the spot."
The owner remarked, "Living Buddha Lian-sheng, you are indeed extraordinary. Many unusual happenings have occurred right at this swimming pool."

The owner then recounted the following occurrences: People swimming in the pool experienced intolerable coldness after staying in the pool for a short while. Every person who swam in the pool developed leg cramps. A person swimming alone would occasionally feel tugs at his legs, and if he swam underwater, he would feel the presence of another person swimming alongside him. Sometimes, late at night, when there was no one swimming, the sounds of water play could be heard.

"Oh! There are noxious spirits dwelling here," I said.
After looking into the matter, it was discovered that before the construction of the current house, an old hospital had stood on the site. The current swimming pool was where the morgue of the hospital had been. Due to the hospital's old age and other requirements for the land, the hospital had been torn down and replaced. However, the spirit energy of the original hospital had not dissipated, and this led to the manifestation of strange phenomena.A house can inherit "noxious spirits" from the earth upon which it is built because such sites are ruins of temples, hospitals, cemeteries, old battlefields, execution grounds, murder scenes, disaster scenes caused by fires, earthquakes, or other calamities, and shrines. If, for no reason at all, strange phenomena and mishaps occur at such sites, it is usually due to the presence of "noxious spirits." Homicides also occur unexpectedly where noxious spirits are present.

To deal with such situations, some feng-shui masters advocate the bulldozing and removal of fifty centimeters of topsoil from the original site and replacement of the old soil with clean soil. Removing earth possessed by spirits is one way to control noxious energy.

However, if a home has already been built upon the site, one can only use one the following "averting" methods:
~Taoist practitioners may use the "Nine Phoenix Pure Water Method that Removes Impurities." (This method was discussed on one of my previous books.)

~Buddhist practitioners may first chant the Great Compassion Dharani, to prepare the Great Compassion Dharani water, then sprinkled this water from the inside of the house to the outside. One should then prepare sections of green bamboo, shave off the skin, and write on each section the Earth God Mantra of "Om, du-lu, du-lu, de-wei, so-ha." One must then stick these bamboo sections into the earth surrounding the house, as a means to restrain the ominous energy. This signifies that spirits attached to the soil cannot disturb people living on that piece of land, nor can they enter into the land anymore.

~More conventional methods include the sprinkling of holy water by Catholic priests, the Taoist purification method, and the Buddhist rituals of compassionate chanting and Bardo Deliverance.

Not all homes afflicted with noxious spirits were built on land once occupied by temples, cemeteries, hospitals, battlefields, or execution grounds. I had once done a reading for a home with noxious spirits whose owner was a connoisseur of antiques. He had amassed a collection of antique beds, tables, shrine tables, and utensils, some of which had "spirits" attached to them. His whole family had been thrown into turmoil without knowing the cause.

Also, certain areas attract noxious spirits simply because the earth chi is strongly "yin" to begin with. Spirits and ghosts love to assemble at such places; these include dark cinemas, deep and secluded valleys, unusual castles, and old houses.

Most feng-shui masters do not have cures for a home whose energy has been arrested by sspirits. My study of the spiritual world has given me insight into the "noxious spirits" that cause energy disturbances. Feng-shui is the art of balancing the magnetic, subtle energy field of a house or building. If the energy of the house's magnetic field flows smoothly, its inhabitants feel peace and comfort. If this magnetic field is disturbed, chaos arises, and people living in the house experience agitation and roadblocks in their relationships.

Noxious spirits are invisible. According to The Spirits of Earth Magic, the presence of noxious spirits means the house is haunted. For ordinary people, it is better to avoid living in such haunted houses. However, I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng love to live in haunted places because I can convert the disruptive vibrations of these entities into harmonious frequencies. By befriending the ghosts, they become one's helpers. Feng-shui professionals need not fear noxious spirits as they can be recruited to increase business, harmony, and success in one's life.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap3.shtml

Chapter 04 : Avoiding Living on Odd Shaped Lots

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

What are odd shaped lots? Odd shaped lots are incomplete of fractional lots. In terms of the five elements:
1. Round shaped lots are associated with metal.
2. Rectangular lots are associtated with wood.
3. Broom or irregularly shaped lots are associated with water.
4. Triangular lots are associated with fire.

Square lots are associated with earth.
In urban areas, most odd shaped lots are triangular or irregularly shaped, and neither is suitable for residence.

It is difficult to design floor plans for triangular shaped houses, and the disorderly and asymmetrical pattern of irregularly shaped houses also poses problems to the design of a harmonious floor plan. In selecting lots, one should avoid odd shaped lots, even though they may be cheaper. These lots invite noxious chi, and people living in them are gradually subjected to noxious influences and may develop "fragmentation." A comparison may be made between the shape of a house and that of a human being. An incomplete lot is analogous to a person with missing or deformed limbs and facial features.
A triangular lot with one of its apexes positioned in the front invites "huo-sha" [noxious fire energy], and its two sides, the left and the right, invite "feng-sha" [noxious wind energy]. An irregularly shaped house, due to the presence of too many angles, invite harm to oneself or others. Therefore, in purchasing a lot to build a home, one should look for a square, rectangle, or circle and stay away from odd shaped lots. An odd shaped lot may be considered for the construction of commercial buildings, as long as no one lives there.
A common element shared by most odd shaped lots is the presence of one or more protruding features. Protruding features are associated with extremely strong energy forces, and inhabitants who live for a long time in such houses come under these influences and become extreme in their presonalities. The magnitic or subtle energy field of such sites is "strong and chaotic" and may also increase the risk of accidents for the inhabitants.

People living in houses with strong magnetic forces do not experience peacfulness. If it is a commercial building, such as a bank, hospital, supermarket, or department store, (where there is a great deal of foot traffic), then a strong magnetic force might actually be beneficial. An expert feng-shui master would know the method to divert the excessively strong energy in an auspicious direction and thus bring more business to the merchants.

On the other hand, if the excessively strong magnetic force of an odd shaped lot is not directed in an auspicious direction, the strong force will attract scoundrels with ill intentions resulting in bank robberies, medical disputes, burglaries, and frauds, which are most abhorred by businesses. A "dynamic force of vitality" indicated auspiciousness. In contrast, the occurence of crimes such as arson, murder, rape, and lascivious behaviors at such properties is an indication of the presence of noxious energy.

If the strong subtle energy can be guided in an auspicious direction, it will result in a "dynamic vitality." If it is led, instead, in an inauspicious direction, it will result in horrible crimes. An expert feng-shui master would be someone with the knowledge to direct the earth chi.

I performed a feng-shui reading for a family whose house was built on an odd shaped lot. When I met them, the family was extremely down on its luck. The inhabitants had already been involved in five different car accidents, some of which were quite serious. Also, every member of the household displayed some kind of neurotic behavior. I noted that these harmful effects were caused by the triangular shaped house in which they lived.

The family members had hot tempers and were easily provoked to anger. The owner and his wife quarreled daily, and their children were involved in gang activities. Such extreme behavior develops over time from the influence of noxious wind energy from the two sides of the triangle. The house was built upon a triangular lot formed by intersecting roads.

I noticed that the bedrooms were all pointed in the front and wide at the rear, due to the constraints of the house shape. I told the owner, "Your daughters will become men's mistresses."
"Master Lian-sheng, your psychic reading is extremely correct."
"It is not from my psychic reading. When one's bedroom is lopsided, one, of course, cannot become a legal wife but only someone's mistress," I responded. The owner's two daughters, who were quite beautiful, had both fallen in love with married men. Besides their involvement with gang members, they seemed especially attracted to married men.
"What is there to do?" The owner was quite sad.
"Do not continue to live on an odd shaped lot. It is better to move. Find a nice, quite house somewhere else and convert this house into a shop. This would benefit both you and the house."

I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, believe it is best to stay away from odd shaped lots because they possess both the characteristics of "fluidity" and "extremeness" which embody violence and chaos. Whenever such lots are used for commercial buildings, an expert feng-shui master should be consulted to ensure the proper guiding of the "chaotic chi" in an auspicious direction. If the "chaotic chi" is not carefully handled, it may bring violence instead of harmony. Such noxious disharmony can be extremely fierce. Just the thought of such upheavals is enough to make one shudder.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap4.shtml

Chapter 05 : Keys to the Selection of Home Sites

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

Apart from the "high peaked," "low and overshadowed," "haunted by noxious spirits," and "odd shaped" sites mentioned in the previous chapters, there are many other places that are inauspicious and thus unsuitable for building homes. In selecting a site, it is essential that one consult an expert feng-shui master and invite him or her to give the place a thorough reading.

In places where the soil is predominantly sandy, the building of homes is not advised. Earth chi dissipates quickly in sand, and therefore such places lack an abundance of earth chi. One may also rule out rocky ground because earth chi also dissipates quickly there. Sites with an absence of "nurturing chi" can cause more harm than good.

Soil with good earth chi is part clay and part ordinary soil. There should be enough cohesiveness in the soil for it to form a clump when held and clenched in a fist.

It is also best if the rear of the lot is slightly more elevated than the front. Such a geographical feature indicates the presence of a "back support" as well as having a "proper receptacle" for receiving the converging earth chi. Houses on such sites are sitting properly on "chairs" provided by the great earth.

Before constructing the house, one should inspect the right and left sides of the site for any geographical "armrests." "Armrests" represents "guards" as well as "benefactors," and they also symbolize the "storing and accumulation of chi," indicating that help will come in many forms.

A desirable front view from the house consists of a wide vista that is flat or sloping slightly forward, as long as there are no broken cliffs or deep hollows. It is even better if the vista includes a scenic lake in the distance. Having other houses situated directly across from one's house is fine as long as one's front door does not directly face the corner of any house. Actually, the four major rules for selecting a tomb site may also be applied to the selection of a residence. These are: "having back support," "having armrests on the left and right sides," "having a 'reflective' body of water in the front," and "having an island in the water." These four principles for selecting a "yin abode" [for the deceased] are the same as those for selecting a "yang abode" [for the living].

Building sites in cities are generally quite flat, but by observing the direction of the flow of rivers or other water-courses, one may determine which spot is more elevated and which is lower. Pay attention to the cohesiveness of the soil. Scan buildings on both sides to see if they are neat and pleasant to the eye. Take into consideration the possibility of any front view obstructions occurring after the house is completed. As one generally plans to live for a long time in a custom built home on a selected site, a beautiful view day-in and day-out helps soothe one's mind. On the other hand, if the front view is a garbage dump, an electrical pole, the corner of somebody's house, or a chicken farm, it may create obstructions and unpleasantness in the atmosphere and cause roadblocks in the emotional well-being of the whole family. The earth chi may also be destroyed if one grows vegetables or other crops in front of the house, digs a manure pit in front, and uses chicken manure stored in the pit to fertilize the plants. One should be wary of and pay particular attention to these other features, which also have great bearing on the earth chi: a garbage incinerator in front of the house, a chimney in front of the house, and temples in front or behind the house.
Before purchasing a site, one needs to find out about the history of the land. Paddy fields, dry farmlands, woods, farms, factories, pastures, roads, and grasslands are auspicious. Sites after fire disasters, hundred-year-old houses, execution grounds, cemeteries, temples, hospitals, crematoriums, isolated tomb sites, and historial monuments are inauspicious for building homes.

If one wants to build a home on land where there has been a chiken farm, livestock ranch, or pig farm, one must dig up fifty centimeters of the top soil and replace it with clean earth. Once this is done, the land wil be all right.

If one must build a home on land occupied by noxious spirits, one should avert future obstacles by first making peace with the spirits and having the land cleansed. Buddhist monks or nuns may be invited to chant sutras to help deliver the spirits and pray for peacefulness.

When I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, do feng-shui readings for residences, I always first inspect the land before the house itself. This is to study the overall earth energy. If the overall energy is vigorous, people living there will definitely prosper. If the overall energy is weak, the luck of the occupants will definitely go downhill. Big houses should be paired with strong earth chi, while small houses must be paired with earth chi that matches the smaller size.

Building a small house on land with great earth energy is a waste. Building a grand home on land with weak earth energy invites decline.

Another factor to consider is that, in urban areas, roads radiate in all directions. Cars speeding on the roads also contribute to the overall atmosphere of the environment. Some roads are straight while others zigzag and are winding.

Straight roads can cause the problem of "an oncoming charge of chi directed at one." Winding roads can create "an outside the bow situation" specific to curves.

It is best to avoid building homes on sites that are charged by oncoming roads or on the convex side or outside of a curve. I shall explain these factors in detail in a later chapter. (A site facing an oncoming road may be used for the building of a police station, civic hall, or temple.)

I am aware that, to this day, some people still regard feng-shui as mere superstition. The truth is, feng-shui is not superstition, but rather the study of the environment at a profound level. A beautiful environment naturally leads to beautifying of the mind and spirit. When one's mind and spirit are in peace and harmony, one will succeed in one's endeavors. After all, when Mencius [a sage and student of Confucius] was a child, his mother relocated their household three times, just so she could find a perfect and beautiful environment to raise him in.

What this chapter consists of are of course only the most basic principles in selecting a home site. There are many detailed and more profound principles that I will go into in the future, as the opportunities arise. It is my hope that this book will provide a clear introduction of feng-shui to its readers.

Source :
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap5.shtml

Chapter 06: Nature Thrives in the Essence of Love and Perishes in its Absence

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

The most famous verse written by Master Hung-jen, the Fifth Zen Patriarch, is as follows:
Seeds sowed with the essence of love,
Grow to bear fruits;
In the absence of the essence of love or seeds,
Neither nature nor life exists.

This verse is also most appropriate when applied to the art of household feng-shui. According to The Secrets of Earth Magic, the decisive factor determining the prosperity or failure of a house is the "essence of love" or the absence of it.

With the essence of love or affection - the household thrives.
Without the essence of love or affection - the household declines.

This quality, this "essence of love," can be detected in a house just as it can be detected in a flower. When a flower blooms lusciously, exuding a wonderful fragrance, it is in its most beautiful and glorious moment. When a flower is wilted and lifeless, its petals brittle and dry, we know instinctively that it has come to its moment of decline.

In the study of human faces, a vital and healthy complexion with expressive eyes full of sensitivity indicates the "essence of love." One the other hand, a face that is expressionless, listless, grayish or pale with little vitality is a face indicative of the absence of the "essence of love." The idiom "a widow's face" has been used conventionally to describe someone completely devoid of youthful vigor and passion.

In analyzing residences, it is a great art to distinguish one with the "essence of love" from ones that do not have this essence. When the exterior of a house appears lively and dynamic, without any clashing elements, it can be described simply as having the "essence of love." Many houses with multiple protruding angles also may look very dynamic, but if clashing features exist everywhere, then they lack the "essence of love."

Houses that are too overbearing, greatly flawed, unpleasantly plain, or look ridiculous and unreasonable belong to the category of houses that "lack the essence of love."

A true feng-shui practitioner can observe a house's exterior and quickly determine whether or not it has the "essence of love." This knowledge is gained only after many years of keen observation and practice. Upon seeing a house, an experienced feng-shui master can assess with certainty whether the "essence of love" exists.

I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, feel that the judging process is one that depends entirely on one's senses and cannot be conveyed through words. It is a skill that requires years of field training to develop. Experienced masters know what to look for, while inexperienced ones will not be able to put their finger on it. A truly capable feng-shui master can, with a "sniff" of the house, know if the "essence of love" exists or not by observing its chi. This is the secret key to the studying of a house's exterior.

In addition, a house's "essence of love" also depends on the "magnetic birth orientation" of its owner. Every individual is born with two major "lucky" and two major "unlucky" orientations within the 360 directional points of the compass.

When the orientation of a house is compatible with the magnetic birth orientation of the owner, (i.e., if the orientation of the house correlates to an orientation that is favorable to the owner), then the "essence of love" exists in that house.

When the orientation of a house is not compatible with the magnetic birth orientation of the owner, then the house lacks the "essence of love."

Therefore feng-shui professionals generally base their judgement of a house on how favorable its orientation is in relationship to the owner. If the orientation of a house is compatible with the owner, then it will bring great fortune and prosperity. If there are clashes or incompatible situations, then misfortune and disaster will follow. This is entirely based on the theories and principles of "magnetic birth orientation."

In general, feng-shui masters use the system of twelve directional points in which the twelve Earthly Branches are matched with twelve of the specific directional points of a compass. Every person is born under one of the twelve Earthly Branches, each of which has an animal symbol attached to it. The twelve Earthly Branches are: tzu, ch'ou, yin, mao, ch'en, su, wu, wei, shen, yu, hsu, and hai. However, some feng-shui masters also prefer to use the system of twenty-four directional points. Still others prefer to use the Nine Star or Eight Directional methods. My personal feeling is that the twelve directional points method is most correct, although a combination of various methods may also be used.

Therefore, in my opinion, the two basic elements used to determine the luck of a house are its "orientation" and "external appearance." If the orientation of a house is favorable to the owner of the house, then the next thing to consider is its exterior. Before building a house, one might consider consulting a true feng-shui expert because the exterior appearance of a house often determines whether there will be the presence or absence of the "essence of love," peacefulness or misfortune, and auspiciousness or disasters.

I was once invited to do a feng-shui reading for a western-style villa. After walking once around the house, I spoke with certainty to the owner, "Whoever lives in this house has tumors in the body."
The owner asked in astonishment, "Master, how do you know?"
"How can I not know! There are tumors all throughout this house."

Later I found out that the mistress of the house had had tumors in her uterus, intestine (three of them), and the stomach as well. She has had numerous surgical operations!

The exterior appearance of a house plays a very important role. If it is dynamic, with smooth architectural lines that do not clash with the environment, then it has the "essence of love" and will definitely bring prosperity to its inhabitants. Otherwise, it will bring forth decline.

Nature thrives in the essence of love and perishes in its absence is indeed a golden saying.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap6.shtml

Chapter 07: Correlations Between a House and the Human Body

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

According to my guru Taoist Master Ch'ing Chen: "After living in the same house and having been subjected to the same environment and magnetic field for many years, a person gradually takes on the characteristics of his house."

In The Secrets of Earth Magic, the following comparisons are made between a house and the human body:
The front of a house is analogous to a person's facial features. The left and right sides are like the upper and lower limbs. The living room is analogous to the heart. The bathroom is like the kidneys. The kitchen is analogous to the liver. The bedroom is like the lungs. The dinning room is analogous to the spleen.

Based on the above analogies, defects in certain areas of a house can imperceptibly influence the health and fortunes of the head of the household. Of course, correlation between specific parts of a house and those of a human body cannot be one hundred percent accurate. Just as some people use the living room for dinning purposes and others have a bathroom installed inside their bedroom, there is sometimes not a clear cut division between the various functions of the rooms.

Yet, Taoist Master Ch'ing Chen told me that a feng-shui expert can indeed, after careful assessment of the house, determine its problems.

In the past, when I performed feng-shui readings for others, I often pointed out to my students structural features which constitute risks for "surgeries" and "abnormal growths." Shortcomings found in houses which present "surgical risks" are: incomplete enclosures around the house, a skylight in the roof, unbalanced windows in relation to the house, casual positioning of doors, too many doors leading to the outside, or inappropriate and unbalanced positioning of doors inside the house. All these are characteristics of "surgical cases."

Which structures pose risks for "abnormal growths," such as tumors or cancers? During the surveying of the house, pay attention to any "protruding features" which clash with the rest of the house. Look for things that do not match the house and look as if they were attached or added on (like a person carrying a backpack). The mismatch may be in size or in symmetry. One has to pay attention if such "protruding features" exist because they constitute a risk for abnormal growths.

I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, am rather opposed to the idea of reconstructing or adding extensions to an existing building. For example, when there is nothing wrong with the original design of the inside of a house, owners often get the notion to have a certain part of the house pulled out and rebuilt. Or, they suddenly may decide to build a little adjoining house to the back of the big house. Once the little house is added, it completely changes the feng-shui of the entire structure.

One should know that structural renovations inside a house indicate "surgeries," while adding extensions to the outside of a house indicate "extra growths."

Sometimes, structural demolition and rebuilding of houses are done too casually. If the rebuilding and additions are appropriate, they do not matter. However, if new clashes are created, they become risks for surgeries or growths. This is because any demolition or rebuilding causes changes in the feng-shui and magnetic field of the house. If the changes create a better feng-shui and magnetic field, then they are fine. Otherwise, bad changes may be followed by great disasters.

Before initiating any structural renovation or extension, it would be best if one consulted with a feng-shui expert. The selection of an auspicious date from the Chinese almanac for the commencement of construction is very important. Structural renovations or extensions, like surgical operations, can do great harm to the body if botched.

I personally pay careful attention to house repairs. If a window is broken, a pipe is leaking, a wall is cracked, water or electricity is not running, or any household appliance is broken, one should have them repaired as soon as possible. These minor repairs do not cause any change or threat to feng-shui. However, if they remain un-repair inside the house for a long time, they can affect one's psychological well-being and, consequently, one's fortunes. Therefore, try not to store any broken items in the house. If there are any problems with the water or electrical supply, have them repaired as quickly as possible.

There is an analogy between house repairs and preventive health care. A minor cold, if not taken care of, may worsen and develop into secondary pneumonia or even kidney problems.

I was once visiting with a friend, and I told him curtly, "Everyone in your family will undergo surgeries."
"Why?" asked the host.
"Because a hole has been dug right next to the stomach of your house."

The owner of the home had wanted a shortcut from the street to his house, so he had had the wall closest to the street demolished, creating a special driveway while keeping the second level of the house intact.

Strangely, in each of the three years following the creation of the new driveway, a family member had undergone surgery. The host asked me if there was any way to resolve the problem without taking out the driveway.

I picked a "Man" [meaning full] date from the Chinese almanac and performed a "repair ritual" to erect an invisible wall. As expected, from then on, no one in the family has required surgery. The "repair ritual" indeed works wonders.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap7.shtml

Chapter 08 : Balance is Auspiciousness

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

Someone once asked me, "Among the many house forms, which kind is best?"

I replied, "Any form that is balanced is auspicious."

At first glance, it might seem that an architecturally balanced form would be a simple concept to detect, but, in reality, it can be quite complicated.

Some people enjoy novel and unusual designs and have built houses in strange looking shapes. As long as these designs comply and do not clash with the principle of the constructive movements of the Five Elements, then these may still be considered balanced designs. For example, in Tantric Buddhism (based on the association between the five charkas and the Five Enlightened Wisdows) stupas symbolizing the five charkas have been constructed consisting, from top to bottom, of the following shapes: dome, elongated semi-circle, triangle, circle, and square.

The Five Elements are fire, wood, water, metal, and earth. According to the principle of the constructive movements of the Five Elements, earth generates metal, metal generates water, water generates wood, and wood generates fire. Using this principle, one can build structures based on shapes of the Five Elements, arrange in a clockwise fashion, and devise novel, unusual, and original designs.

Generally, unless one seeks to be deliberately "stylish," any conventionally balanced house is very auspicious.

One important aspect that needs to be taken into consideration is the balance of the "dragon side" and the "tiger side" of the house. When standing at the front door facing outside, the "dragon side" is to your left and the "tiger side" to your right. The ideal condition is to have the "dragon" and "tiger" balanced.

A tall dragon may be balanced by a long tiger, or a long dragon balanced by a tall tiger. Geomancers generally consider a taller or longer dragon to be auspicious and a taller or longer tiger to be inauspicious.

The most auspicious house shape has a "green dragon" and a "white tiger" matching and in balance.

There is a feng-shui verse that states?

When a sharp peak emerges from White Tiger Hill,
The wife will definitely abuse the husband.

This verse describes a situation in which the white tiger is taller than the green dragon. It also implies that a servant may dominate his master, or that there may be a reversal of roles between the male and female with the yin overpowering the yang. As a result, the environment may be one of disharmony and imbalanced with earth energy that invites the malign force of "sha-chi," portending great misfortunes.

I once perfomed a feng-shui reading for the abbot of a monastery. The monastery, with its back NNE, faced the SSW direction, with the feng-shui compass indicating the trigram "ken." Water at the front of the monastery flowed from east to south (from the chen position of the Later Heaven Sequence to the ch'ien position of the Former Heaven Sequence, as shown on the compass.) There was no prominant topographical armrest on either side of the monastery, and I also noticed that the abbot's living quarters was not located at a commanding position, but rather at a site right below the White Tiger Hill.

I asked the abbot, "Who lives in the White Tiger Hill?'
"The disciples," he replied.
"Soon your post will be taken from you," I said to him.
"Why?"
"The circumstance here is that of a subordinate overtaking the master; it will only be a matter of time before you lose your position."

The abbot was an honest monk, and he was visibly saddened by my feng-shui assessment. Several years later, however, I heard he was no longer the abbot of the monastery.

A taller or longer white tiger signifies the presence of an overpowering force. Most people living in places with a high White Tiger Hill will gradually develop nervousness, power cravings, competitiveness, or start harboring dark schemes against others. In short, there will be no auspiciousness or peace in such a situation.

When buying land to build a house, one must figure out clearly which direction the house will face, as the direction the front door faces plays an extremely critical role. It is best that the direction be favorable to one as determined by one's date of birth. Pay attention to the matching of the green dragon and white tiger. Do not allow the white tiger to be taller or to stand out because this signifies great misfortunes. It will be too late for regrets once disasters occur.

Of course, there are Taoist and Tantric methods to avert and remedy bad feng-shui situations such as this. These methods belong to either the "suppression category" or the "remedy category" and may provide temporary resolutions.

General feng-shui practitioners may be able to assess a situation and offer resolutions, but they may not neccessarily understand that implicated in the art and science of feng-shui are the principles of Tai Chi, Two Forms, Four Appearances, Five Elements, Eight Triagrams, and other principles governing the workings of the universe. In a place where there is a clash or assault of noxious chi, one can transform the adverse situation into a peaceful one using the "suppression method." Such remedies, in fact, not only avert disasters, but may result in great benefits as well. Their efficacies are indeed inconceivable.

At places (on the dragon side of buildings) where I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, have installed stone tablets for the dragon spirit, people have often seen golden and green lights. Some have even seen the dragon and heard it roaring sounds. Lights bright as the sun and moon have been observed emanating from the sites. To resolve the problem posed by a white tiger that is too tall, it is necessary to install, on the dragon side, Living Buddha Lian-sheng's green dragon stone tablet.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap8.shtml

Chapter 09 : Outside the Bow and Inside the Bow

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

"Outside the bow" - When we raise a bow and mount an arrow on the string of the bow, the area pointed at by the arrowhead is considered "outside the bow."

"Inside the bow" - When we raise a bow and mount an arrow on the string of the bow, the segment of the bow is considered "inside the bow."

In simple terms, a bow is an arc. The area enclosed by an arc is called "inside the bow."

For example, we can draw a circle and place a house inside this circle. The house would be "inside the bow," no matter which direction it faces. On the contrary, houses outside the circle are all located in an "outside the bow" position. In terms of topography, watercourses, roads, and buildings can give rise to "outside the bow" situations.

An "outside the bow" situation created by a watercourse occurs when a meandering river flowing in front of one's house forms a curve, and the house is located outside the curve. An "outside the bow" situation created by a road occurs when a meandering road in front of one's house forms a curve, and the house is located outside the curve.

An "outside the bow" situation created by another building is a situation that happens to houses located in the vicinity of large circular shaped stadiums, as they are all located outside a curve.

In household feng-shui, houses enclosed by a topographical or structural curve are located "inside the bow." An "inside the bow" position is one that is being nurtured by "affection" and will see great prosperity.

In contrast, houses located on the outside of a curve created by landforms or other structures are in the path of forces bouncing off the curve. Such "outside the bow" houses lack the essence of "affection" and will see decline.

In general, three phenomena can be created by a landform or building structure: "inside the bow," "outside the bow," and "straight." The latter situation occurs when the watercourse or road that passes in front of one's house is straight, and there is no curved building in front on one's house.

A true feng-shui practitioner will select "inside the bow" sites to build homes and avoid constructing houses in areas that are "outside the bow." This is because "outside the bow" sites are like "targets" being aimed at by arrows and under the assault of malign forces from all directions. In terms of earth energy, such sites are directly confronted by "sha-chi" or noxious chi from all sides. When one is under the invisible ill influences of "sha-chi," one will definitely encounter great disasters or major accidents.

I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, have noticed that many contemporary luxury homes have been built "outside the bow," facing the direct aim of arrowheads. I could not help by sigh at these luxurious "masterpieces" designed by professional feng-shui consultants. I shudder to think that such feng-shui professionals can be so ignorant and incompetent! I knew of one rich man whose home had been built "outside the bow." Originally a powerful businessman, immediately after moving into his new home, he was seriously injured in a car accident. After the incident, his business also suffered great setbacks and orders for his company took a nosedive. The disastrous "outside the bow" position also caused his employees to embezzle money from him. It was quite a sad state of affairs, and soon after, the large, luxurious mansion became vacant.

I find that many contemporary feng-shui practitioners like to pay particular attention to the direction a house faces. They favor houses with front doors facing southeast, south, or east. Houses facing southwest, northeast, and west are undesirable, while those facing northwest and north are average. Thus many feng-shui practitioners concentrate on juggling the direction faced by the front door.

The correlation between the orientation of a house and the magnetic birth orientation of an individual is of course important, but whether a house is located with its front door facing the outside of a bow or the inside of a bow is even more important.

I would like to stress:
"Inside the bow" = Great Auspiciousness
"Outside the bow" = Great Misfortune
If one has already purchase a site that is "outside the bow" on which to build a home, or if one has already built a home on a site that is "outside the bow," how can this be remedied?

A true feng-shui master will offer the following two resolutions:
1. "Copying the same curvature" - For example, a large building located outside a ring can adopt a curved design to its structure. A design conforming to the same curvature as the topographical curve is the best method to prevent the ill influences of an "outside the bow" situation. Adopting the same curvature on the building structure will render the "sha-chi" ineffective.

2. "Equal retaliation" - For example, design the building in the vicinity of a circle in a curve form that has the same but opposite curvature as the circle. The malign forces directed toward one by the curve of the circle will be rebounded by a similar curve inherent in one's house design. The forces generated by the two "outside the bow" positions will cancel each other out.

I deeply feel that there is an intimate relationship between an "inside the bow" position and the presence of "essence of affection," as well as between an "outside the bow" position and the absence of "essence of affection." This is a relationship that involves the principle of earth energy and its movements. Based on personal experience studying the various elements of topography and landscape, one can judge if a house is auspicious or not. The levels to be considered are very complicated but, when each level is analyzed, one can determine if a house is "within the bow," "outside the bow," or "straight." By carefully studying the phenomenon of "inside the bow," "outside the bow," and "straight," one will discover great and mysterious correlations among "heaven," "earth," and "men."

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap9.shtml

Chapter 10 : The Positioning of the Front Door

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

In general, feng-shui practinioners regard the northeast and the southwest as "ghost door" positions. Doors are therefore never installed at these two positions.

The front door should be installed in an orientation compatible with the birth magnetic orientation of the head of the household. Doors are "chi entrances," and main doors are "major chi entrances." For people living in modern apartment buildings, the main entrance on the ground floor is the "major chi entrance," while the entryway to their apartment is a "minor chi entrance."

Just as a person's mouth can have a great impact on one's life, a house's front door plays a critical role in dictating the lifeline of the house. There is a common Chinese saying that "via the mouth, illnesses find their way in (through unhealthy eating habits) and disasters find their way out (through unwise words).

Some geomancers hold the following opinions:
~A front door facing east is most appropriate for businesses or commercial properties because east is associated with the rising sun and vitality.
~A front door facing south benefits politicians, religious beads and industrialists. Historically, Chinese emperors built their palaces overlooking their subjects to the south. Nevertheless, my opinion is that one should avoid positioning the front door facing east or south if one's magnetic birth orientation happens to be incompatible with facing east or facing south.

A student had once asked the question, should a front door be positioned in the middle, on the dragon (left) side, or on the tiger (right) side?

"You have asked a question that hits upon my secret to the positioning of front doors!" I replied.

When Taoist Master Ch' ing Chen taught me The Secrets of Earth Magic, he explained that the positioning of the front door should be determined by the flow of "shui-shen" for "water spirit" [watercourse]. This is a great feng-shui secret!

1. Middle door - middle front door should be constructed if "water spirit" chi accumulates in front of the house. This would be the case if, for example, the front of the house faced a lake or ocean. Also, when building a house upon flat ground, where the land is without hils or sloping gradients, a middle front door is appropriate.

2. Dragon door - When "water spirit" flows from the tiger side to the dragon side, a dragon door is appropriate. That is, if, from the inside of the house looking out, land to the right is more elevated than land to the left and the watercourse flows from right to left, the house should have a dragon door.

3. Tiger door - When "water spirit" flows from the dragon side to the tiger side, when the left side of the land is more elevated than the right and water flows from left to right, the house should have a tiger door.

This simple secret to the positioning of front doors is priceless. A door positioned according to this principle will have an ample supply of "water spirit" chi, the chi that brings money. This chi will flow naturally through the "chi entrance" into the house, filling it with wealth.

I once helped a businessman reposition his company building's front door. Upon such a locale, the building should have had a dragon door but had a tiger door instead. He had reached a nadir in his business ventures, and despite great effort, was unable to solicit any new orders. Employees were working inefficiently and business had virtually come to a halt. After the rearrangement of his front door, the reception of "water spirit" chi into the building led to the company's complete turn around. The first business transaction immediately after the repositioning was a success, and everyone's spirits lifted. Business began to flourish and employee confidence greatly improved.

Thus, the prime factor determining whether a middle, dragon, or tiger door should be installed is the directional flow of "water spirit" and the best positioning of the front door to receive this chi.

Another student asked, "What can be done when the front door's position is incompatible with one's magnetic birth orientation??
"One can re-position the doorframe," I replied.
By re-positioning the doorframe, its orientation also changes. One can even re-orient the frame by a ninety-degree turn. All architects know how to design and re-orient doorframes, and by doing so, the orientation of the whole house is not changed, only the direction faced by the front door.

Another student asked, "What if a house should have a dragon door but has a tiger door instead? A bedroom is located on the dragon side making the creation of a dragon door there practically impossible. What then should be done?"

Taoist Master Ch' ing Chen has taught me the following remedy for such a situation: a feng-shui practitioner can place a stone tablet (or rock) on a selected spot so that the "water spirit" chi, when flowing from the tiger side to the dragon side, collides with the stone tablet and is rerouted towards the tiger door.

Master Ch' ing Chen used the game of billiards to illustrate this secret method. To send a billiard ball into a pocket, one must utilize the "rebound" force from another ball. When using this feng-shui approach, the "water spirit" chi strike against the stone tablet which redirects the chi into the house.

Locating the site for the positioning of the stone tablet, however, requires the expertise of a true geomancer. For the stone tablet to be efficacious as an enhancer of benevolent energy, it should also be installed using appropriate Taoist rituals and prayers.

My methodology for deriving an auspicious orientation for a front door is based on the theory that each of the twelve Earthly Branches is associated with a birth magnetic orientation. Each birth magnetic orientation, in turn, has its own compatible orientations. In deciding whether a door should be installed in the middle, to the left, or to the right, I rely on the directional flow of water spirit chi. An understanding of these two methods, the principal tools in door positioning, is knowledge that any geomancer must possess.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap10.shtml

Chapter 11: The Destructive Energy of a Road Pointing at a Site

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

When I first arrived in the United States, I resided for some time in the city of Tukwila in the State of Washington. While staying there I noticed a store located at the western end of Strander, the town's main street. This store frequently changed names and had a new owner virtually every month. A "Closed" sign often hung on the door while remodeling took place inside. I was told that this store, located at the end of the road, had undergone twelve different owners in one year. After observing the store and surrounding road patterns, I noticed the classic case of a site being targeted by the destructive energy of an oncoming road.

Strander is a long, straight road with heavy traffic, and the store is located right at the end of this road. The many cars traveling along the street carry with them wave after wave of chi directly aimed at the store. Inside the store, the surging chi is turbulent and unstable. Whatever the business established, the owner would eventually decamp and take flight.

Americans who did not understand feng-shui were puzzled by the fact that so many businesses had failed at this location.

In Honolulu, I was shocked to learn that Mitsukoshi, a large, Japanese-owned department store, had lost its business and closed down. When I took a look, it turned out that this was another case of a site being targeted by the formidable destructive energy of a long, straight, oncoming road.

A house targeted by an oncoming road is analogous to an animal with arrows flying straight towards it. In this feng-shui pattern, known as "arrow piercing heart," it is difficult to keep malevolent energy in check. People with the special ability to observe chi can see the endless agitation of earth chi at such a site; and people living inside such houses are like little dinghies rocking amidst stormy, turbulent waves.

Oftentimes, people living in such houses are very temperamental and accidental deaths, suicides, or homicides may result. If commercial property is built upon the site, then there are often difficulties in making money.

Some people propose erecting a large wall at the end of an onrushing road to ward off destructive energy. They advocate that this be done before any houses are built on the other side of the wall. This building of this dam-like structure is one solution, but would such a large wall at the end of a road not disrupt the aesthetic appearance of the street?

Others have also proposed that the buildings at such sites be designed as circular structures, similar to the designs of some large hotels. This is also a workable solution since cylindrical buildings can indeed minimize the agitation of onrushing chi caused by the approaching road. This is done by dividing and diverting the noxious chi into two streams that flow away to the left and right.

Taoist Master Ch'ing Chen has told me, "The method for common households to counteract the onslaught of energy from a road is to install a semicircular pool in the front yard, with the outside curve facing the oncoming road, and the pool always 80% filled with water." This employs the curvature of a semicircle to ward off the onrushing sha-chi. The water also neutralizes this sha-chi, and residents of the house can thus keep their peace.

Some geomancers have taught people to hang objects such as concave mirrors, bronze bells, or flutes as remedies, but these objects do not have that great a resolving power and can only provide a limited measure of psychological relief.

If one is to build a large structure at the end of an onrushing road, such a structure can be a temple, as the round pillars of a temple can divert and minimize sha-chi from the road. A courthouse or other government buildings that incorporate cylindrical structures into its designs (such as the round columns in front of the White House) are also good solutions. If, in front of the courthouse, city hall, or temple, one adds a fountain, the site is even safer. Fountains are uniquely useful in these situations.

A man asked me what one should do if one's house is at the end of an oncoming road but not enough land is available for one to install a semicircular pond. When I asked him if he could move, he replied that it was not financially feasible for him to relocate.

In principle, when I help someone on feng-shui readings, I offer "countermeasure" methods as a first solution. If the problem cannot be resolved this way, then I suggest relocation. If relocation is not feasible, then I teach them to employ "spiritual remedies."

Taoist Master Ch'ing Chen has instructed, "Find a piece of green bamboo and, after removing the green peel, draw on it a talisman that stops sha-chi from onrushing roads. Select a date marked as 'Ting' on the lunar calendar and bury the talisman in the ground in front of the house." Such a remedy offers a "spiritual solution" to a feng-shui problem.

In my opinion, feng-shui deals specifically with patterns and flow of chi and energy in the land. Both residential and burial site feng-shui are affected by earth chi. Since the elements of feng-shui are a part of nature, one should avoid extensive human interference in changing a site's feng-shui.

As for the "spiritual remedies," they are Taoist solutions that fall under the heading of "shamanistic" or "magical practices" and are separate from general feng-shui knowledge. I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, understand general feng-shui as well as the Taoist magical practices. This is because feng-shui, the pattern and flow of energy in the land, is inherently the manifestations of yin and yang and the five elements; esoteric and magical practices can thus balance the elements and harmonize yin and yang.

Most geomancers are aware of the adverse patterns of oncoming roads, but opinions differ on how to remedy the situation. The remedies disclosed here are invaluable.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap11.shtml

Chapter 12 : Adverse Conditions "Outside" and "Inside" the Door

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

When taking a feng-shui reading for a house, one first determines the orientation. Next, one must note whether or not there are any "outside" or "inside" adverse conditions.

The following outside conditions are to be avoided when they directly face one's door:
1. Electric poles or large pillars
2. A long and straight onrushing main road
3. Deep pits or a broken cliff very close to the house
4. The curve of a road, river, or building that points at one's house
5. Chimney, corner, "knife-edge," or other sharp and pointed objects projecting from the house across the street
6. The front door of another house if it is larger than one's own front door

Manure pit, vegetable patch, garbage incinerator or any filthy objects
All these are unfavorable outside conditions that should be avoided. While some of the above factors have an effect directly on the "earth chi," others are primarily psychological. If the adverse influence is due to earth chi, then we have to use remedies that can change the earth chi.

If the adverse influence is psychological, then we have to resort to "psychological remedies." For example, some people write words such as "bring me money" on an electric pole as a symbolic psychological relief. They go outdoors, see the pole and read the phrase "bring me money." Over time, the psychological block caused by the electric pole will be removed.

Some people feel psychologically better by hanging certain objects outside their front doors. These include "pa-k'uas (eight trigrams)," mirrors, talismans, flutes, and bells. "Pa-k'uas" are used to neutralize noxious sha-chi, mirrors are reflectors and enhancers, talisman destroy evil spirits, flutes (which in Chinese sounds the same as the word "whistle") whittle down the inauspicious and ominous, and bells avert evil influences.

This mindset of self-protection is understandable, so we need not berate people who, by hanging such objects, seek to receive some psychological comfort. In fact, these psychological relief methods do work to a certain degree and, if they can be employed in combination with rituals and the "intent to invoke divine protection," they form a kind of magical practice.

However, there are situations wherein psychological relief methods will not work. Some examples are when the house is facing a large deep pit, an onrushing road, a manure pit, or when it is situated right outside the bow of a curve. In such cases, before the psychological relief methods could avert the negative influences from the earth chi, one's household would have already been stricken by natural or man-made disasters.

The following inside conditions are to be avoided when they occur directly inside the front door :
1. Facing a staircase upon entering
2. Face a "knife-edge" (which is the corner of a wall in line with the mid-point of the front door)
3. Facing a beam which points at one
4. A wall that is so close that one can hardly turn around
5. Any of the following visible upon entering the front door:
a bed in a bedroom; a fire in the kitchen; the toilet in a bathroom; fireplace
6. The back door. When the house has its front door connected to the back door this way, it is known as "having its chest pierced."
7. Such a narrow construction that the front and back of the house are too close. Such construction is known as "having a compressed chest."

There are reasons why such conditions are undesirable. For example, in the case where the front door leads directly to the back door, the chi slips away as soon as it enters the door. Here the chi cannot be stored. When a house is unable to store chi, people living there will have financial problems.

When chi enters the door and is stopped by staircase or a wall that is too close, or if the space between the front and back of the house is too narrow, the chi will become chaotic. Families living in houses with such designs will not get rich and will experience disharmony.

As soon as chi enters the door and faces a "knife-edge," or a directly pointing beam, bed, fire, or toilet, then people living in the house will become agitated, hot-tempered, accident-prone, inflicted by illnesses or strange diseases. Their children also will suffer these ailments.

I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, feel that the front door is a major chi entrance, as well as the portal through which people come and go. As such, it has an extremely significant role in affecting the fortune of the whole house. One should pay special attention to the conditions inside as well as outside the front door, and should avoid all destructive features. Otherwise, even if the house is designed to be auspiciously oriented, the existence of adverse conditions will ensure that one's fortunes will come to nothing.

Ideally, treatments for a house with adverse conditions existing inside or outside the front door include alterations that will remove the offensive features. True geomancers are able to employ simple altering methods to rectify the situations. These achieve better results that resorting to the hanging of objects that provide mainly psychological relief.

The treatment for a house with adverse conditions outside the front door is to change the position of the front door to an orientation that does not have the destructive conditions but that is still compatible with the birth magnetic orientation of the head of the household.

To treat the adverse conditions inside the front door, one can remodel or relocate the offensive feature.

Regarding the size of the front door, it should be entirely determined by the size of the house itself. Both a large house with a small door or a small house with a large door are inappropriate. Fire, toilets, and filthy objects either outside or inside must absolutely be avoided as the adversely affect the health and harmony of the family living in the house.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap12.shtml

Chapter 13 :The Money-Reserve Spot is the Chi-Gathering Spot

Written by : Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by : Janny Chow

I once evaluated the feng-shui of a rich man's new home. Although a self-proclaimed master in the art of residential feng-shui had designed many elements of his new house, I found many of the designs riddled with errors. I could not help but mentally note the ineptitude of this individual who had fanned his reputation through advertisements.

As the rich man walked me through his new house, parading the original designs and his collection of antiques and wealth, I discovered that this luxurious garden villa was missing its "money-reserve spot." The nook where the "money-reserve spot" should have been located had been turned into a passageway.

The rich man said to me, "The person I hired to design this villa is a world class geomancer. His name is often in newspapers, he gives feng-shui talks on television, and he has numerous students."

"Then why did you invite me here?" I said smiling.

He replied, "Because you, Living Buddha Lian-sheng, have the faculty of dharma eyes and can tell whether these designs are any good by simply taking a look around. And, of course, it is also a great honor just to have the Living Buddha shine some light upon this house."

"Well," I said, "Would you like to hear the truth or not?"

"Is there something wrong?" he asked astonished.

"Close this passageway..." I began as I pointed out to him specially designed by a renowned feng-shui master, to be filled with so many errors. He did not say a word. As I looked at his dejected mien, I realized I had spoken out of turn.

This rich man chose not to follow my suggestions to make the necessary changes. After all, the original designer was a feng-shui master who often appeared on television.

Approximately one year later?

The same rich man was in his kitchen one day when he suddenly decided to slice some fruit for his guests. He was using a very sharp knife and the knife slipped, severing one of his fingers.

Some time later, he ran for the legislature assembly but failed to be elected.

In another incident, the car he was driving accidentally hit and killed two elementary school students coming out of the local school.

Five of the six factories he owned shut down.

Finally, the rich man called me, "Living Buddha, you were right. It has only been one year and I am finished. The so-called master was a phony and he is still deceiving others!"

Today, I write this book, Household Feng-shui, because I wish people to have some knowledge about the workings of earth chi. I hope they will not be fooled and hurt by the many fraudulent feng-shui masters.

After examining the conditions outside and inside the front door, one next must determine where the "money-reserve spot" is.

The money-reserve spot is located at the corner diagonally across from the living room entrance. If the living room door is on the left side, then the money-reserve spot is the "kitty corner" on the right. If the door is on the right side, then the money-reserve spot is the kitty corner on the left. If, however, the living room entrance is in the middle, then both the left and right corners of the opposite wall are money-reserve spots.


The money-reserve spot in a house is the spot most able to easily gather and store chi. The chi here is not the "dead chi" found in storerooms but "live chi" that continually flows in, accumulates, and gradually flows out.

At the money-reserve spot, there should be no windows, doors, or passageways, and it is best that no one walks around that area. It is a nook, a corner formed by two walls.

At the money-reserve spot, it is best to place an evergreen houseplant such as a Japanes rohdea, kapok, palm trees, rubber trees, etc? these plants symbolize vitality, vibrancy, and growth, and thus promote auspiciousness.

It is also a wonderful idea to place a fish bowl with golden fish at the money-reserve spot. Golden fish symbolize gold and wealth, and the word for fish in Chinese rhymes with the word for "leftover" or "reserve." A bowl with live fish located at the money-reserve spot also enhances vivaciousness and the thinking power of the owner. Furthermore, a fish bowl at the money-reserve spot prevents visitors from stepping upon that location.

If there is a French window at the money-reserve spot, chi will slip away. Similarly, if there is a door or passageway, chi also will not gather there. In these situations, wealth will be diluted and money will be lost.

If the money-reserve spot is handled and decorated appropriately, one's luck will steadily rise and produce extremely beneficial profits. By locating the money-reserve spot and giving it the proper attention and decoration, one brings out the most positive features of a home.

The living room is the heart of a house and should not be too gloomy or too bright. The spot that gathers chi is the money-reserve spot and, being the center of all affairs, exerts an important control and influence on the house's overall state.

Source:
http://www.padmakumara.org/books/book69/chap13.shtml