RINPOCHE'S ADVICE ON USING FENG SHUI

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Question :
A father insisted on moving to a new house with much better feng shui. He had saved for the last 8 years for this new house. The son who was reluctant to move before, received a double promotion just 1 month before the moving date. The son kept reminding the dad, 'I got the double promotion when I was in the OLD house - why do we need even need to move?' . The father is now in doubt whether his new house does have better Feng Shui.

Do you think the FS of the new house has anything to do with the son's double promotion?

Answer :
The new house's Feng Shui has NOT yet affected the father and son because they have not yet moved in. I also agree that good ol'fashion hardwork and perseverance are essential for success in work.

Does the new house has better Feng Shui - my answer is ...WHY NOT?

Think about it this way - when Obama was running for the US President, did he win it from the White House? He won the post from his old house right? So does this mean his old house has better Feng Shui than the White House?

The White House's FS is suitable for one with the power to rule the country. When Obama's BaZi moved into a phase where he has such power and influence, he automatically was able to 'move in' to the White House. Different houses are suitable for different 'classes' of people. Each house can help activate or deactivate different aspects of our BaZi chart.

Likewise for this case - perhaps the New house has the type of Feng Shui suitable for senior management level in a large organization... and only occupants which such a level in his/her BaZi is able to occupy.

Does it mean that moving to this new house - EVERYTHING will be better because the Feng Shui is better? My answer is NO. One will have a different level of gains and problems. Think about it - does the White House has the best Feng Shui?

Different BaZis suit and will be attracted to different classes of Feng Shui structures.

By JOEY YAP

If you are a Feng Shui practitioner, you are going to get this one question asked of you all the time, in the most inconvenient of places and quite frequently, by people whom you have never met till that very moment of their question: "Can you tell me if the house I am planning to buy has good Feng Shui or not?"

I am sure you will agree with me that being a psychic would usually help in these circumstances since you, the Feng Shui practitioner, will usually not be presented with any information at all with regards to the property.

Prevention is better than cure - so it is always better to undertake a Feng Shui consultation of your property prior to buying a house. So, what I will try and do today is give you one or two guidelines that will help when you are out hunting for your dream home.

One other thing before we proceed, certain houses need no cure (I will elaborate more on this later) and with other houses, there is simply no cost effective way to make them Feng Shui compliant; it would simply cost too much. A great deal (i.e. of running into either of such houses) depends on your luck.

Fortunately, finding a totally disastrous house is quite a rare possibility, so don't get ahead of yourself with worry just as yet.

Feng Shui - The Real Thing

Your immediate environment exerts the largest influence in the overall Feng Shui of your home - where you are LOCATED is one of the key factors to consider when buying a new home. When engaging a Feng Shui consultant, assuming you have some leeway in this, ask him or her where in your town or city is a good spot to build or purchase a home.

Different areas of a city or town have Qi (energies) that are sourced from different mountains (we call these dragon veins in Feng Shui). The real study of Feng Shui revolves around how to locate the 'correct' spot where the Qi will support your endeavors. Keep in mind that one man's meat is still another's man poison - a spot may not be as suitable for you as it would be for your neighbour.

Obviously, the structure and formation of mountains and Qi flow in the environment (meaning Classical Luan Tou Feng Shui) is out of reach of the average Feng Shui enthusiast at this point in time. However when you engage your consultant, you need to check with him your area's Landform Feng Shui and which choice plots you are able to tap to these Qi.

Many people are under the mistaken assumption that landform Feng Shui is primarily about looking out for "poison" arrows and "Sha Qi" features from your neighbors. To some extent, these are the basics to look out for but keep in mind that we are taking into consideration the MACRO Feng Shui of your property - the WHOLE area. It only makes sense to pick an area that is good from the beginning to work with.

Land And House Selection Criteria

Let's take an example of an area, you arrive to find that the area is extremely windy - BAD Feng Shui. Why? Because wind disperses the Qi. In Kuo-Pu's Burial Book, known as the main source book of all Feng Shui studies today, it is clearly stated that the Wind disperse the Qi. So, if your area has very strong winds, you can be sure that the Qi in your area is not very positive, so give this area a miss.

Merciless Tiger and Dragon Embrace

"Merciless what?!", I can already hear the worried cries for help now. The Tiger and Dragon refer to the left and right surrounding hills or even houses. If they do not 'embrace' your land area and instead is outward moving as in the diagram below, this land is one that will not be very suitable. The Qi in this area cannot be contained and you are better off looking elsewhere.

Piercing Water

Water in the practice of Feng Shui can help enhance Qi and can just as well do the exact opposite and cause harmful Sha Qi. If the water path (usually in the from of drains or gutters) directly in front of your main door rushes in a straight line, it is known as "Wu Qing Shui" -Merciless Water. This type of water not only drains the Qi of your house, but ultimately emits Sha Qi. If you see such a structure, it would be futile to try and fix this property.

Bright Hall

The bright hall refers to the generous space in front of your property. Check that you do indeed have a bright hall and that it is not TOO tight or TOO spacious. If it is too tight, no Qi can accumulate, if it is too broad, then Qi disperses without having a chances to collect. When faced with such structures, move on and keep looking.

Hills at the Back and Water in Front

Contrary to popular belief, it is not always necessary to have mountains at the back and a water feature or a lake at the front. This really depends on the overall structure of your landform. Sometimes it can actually be better to face a good mountain to receive Qi directly from the dragon veins.

By Joey Yap

An increasing number of us are learning to be friendly towards the environment we live in. In becoming more responsible for the Earth on which we live, we take proactive steps such as recycling and using energy efficiently in our everyday life. However, how do you first go about finding an environment which is friendly towards you - enough to make you want to set up your home there?

You can use Classical Feng Shui to help you look for a place with decent Feng Shui. Start by looking for natural features in the vicinity of your property such as a mountain or a body of water. In the study of land formations, mountains represent the Yin (unmoving) component of the Earth, which gives out Qi , while water (rivers, lakes) is the Yang (active) component which gathers Qi. Having both features present in the vicinity means that you have found the ideal balance, and this will make your property far more better than just decent!

Now, spotting a mountain takes practice, what more recognizing mountains in towns or cities! One telltale clue is when an area has 'hills' or 'heights' as part of its name. This indicates the area is situated on a mountain or a hill at least. If you are an avid house-hunter, you may realize that residential areas that thrive are always in the vicinity of good mountains. Go for a weekend drive to check this out!

Having identified a peak in the vicinity, how can you tell if it is a 'good' mountain or hill? A mountain with lush green vegetation releases positive Qi whereas a rocky mountain with exposed 'broken patches' or cracks releases aggressive Qi. The ideal site of a house should be supported by hills at the back and a clear, uncluttered view in front. In addition, the land (or hill) on the left (looking out the facing direction of the house) should be higher than that on the right.

This formation is known as the Four Celestial Animals in Classical Feng Shui. The hill formation at the back of the property is called the Black Turtle. The clear, uncluttered area in front is known as the Red Phoenix, which should ideally be of the same level or slightly lower than the house. It should also include a slow meandering river, pond or lake or a low mountain (at eyebrow level in the distance). The hill formation on the left is called the Green Dragon while the formation on the right is known as the White Tiger.

In urban areas, the Black Turtle, Green Dragon and White Tiger can be represented by buildings or trees while the Red Phoenix can be an open field or a fountain. The Four Celestial Animals formation helps to accumulate life-sustaining Qi, which should flow gently into the house and its surrounding areas. Occupants of the house can then tap this beneficial Qi to enjoy better health and greater vitality in their lives.

After finding the house you like, and it has got a clear view of a beautiful green hill, what is next? This is when you need to get a little more technical. Use your Feng Shui compass to measure the direction of the mountain relative to your intended house. Is the mountain in the Northeast, West, Northwest or even South?

If it is in any one of these four directions, congratulations! The Feng Shui of your desired house can offer you and your family members good health, harmonious relationships and maybe even power and authority. What if you do not get a mountain or hill in the above-mentioned directions? Check whether the ground level is significantly higher compared to the property. If it is, you can still receive a portion of the said benefits.

A word of caution, though: These mountain locations will only last you until about year 2043! (Period 1 in Feng Shui terms). For now, most will agree that the Feng Shui is decent enough to set up home.

The Mastery Academy Team

One of the fans on this page, Maxx Ha, asked: "Hi, does anyone know why there are differences between 'God' and 'Tong Shu' auspicious date selection? For example, God said this is a good date for marriage, but Tong Shu said it clashes with your animal sign so it's not good for marriage. Which to follow?"

For the sake of... clarity, Maxx is referring to Mediums who communicate with Deities (Gods) at temples.

My answer would be: Of course, you MUST always listen to God... that is provided you know for sure it is God advising you.

But if you are communicating through a Medium, then I have a question for you: Do you trust the Medium? If you do believe that the Medium is indeed communicating with a Deity or God, then by all means... please follow the advice given to you.

Otherwise, it's best that you study Date Selection yourself and select the Best Dates based on proper calculations, judgment and considerations.

Let me digress a little and tell you a story. It may help you decide when you are in doubt about which counsel to follow.

Once upon a time, there was a Feng Shui Master. He found a piece of burial land for his client. The land had such good Feng Shui that it could help attain wealth equivalent to that of the imperial family! The client was so happy that he decided there and then to transfer his ancestor's remains to the new plot of land.

The Feng Shui Master immediately selected the best date for the burial - a date that could 'activate' the Feng Shui formation of the land. The client was very happy with the selected date.

But the client's wife had some doubts. So she went to a temple to seek confirmation from the Medium there. The Medium went into a trance and, after consulting God, told the client's wife: "The date that was selected is correct. BUT the time is ONE hour earlier!"

This made the husband and wife very worried and confused. They went back to the Feng Shui Master and asked him: "Are you sure it's this time? Because the Medium said it's one hour earlier."

The Feng Shui master immediately reviewed all his calculations and told the couple: "I'm very sure my selection was correct. I don't know why the Medium told you it's an hour earlier! But, since he consulted God, I think it's better you follow his advice. I'm only a humble Feng Shui master - I dare not go against God's advice. Otherwise, lightning will strike me!"

After much deliberation, the client finally decided to follow the Medium's counsel. The burial took place at the hour specified by the Medium, and a new tombstone was erected shortly after.

Within the next three months, the client was found guilty of bribery and embezzlement! As this was a serious offence in the imperial court, the client's entire family fortune was confiscated!

The talk of the town soon spread like wildfire: "How come the Medium's 'special hour' didn't work?"

I'm sure you, too, would like to know why. This is because... God wanted to punish this particular man for all his evil deeds. That's why a BAD hour was selected for the purpose of destroying the Feng Shui formation.

So, the moral of the story is... if you want to consult a Medium in future, make sure of two things:


1. You trust that the Medium is genuine. (That he or she is indeed able to communicate with the Deity or God).

2. You had better not done bad things in your life. (You need to have accumulated enough karma points).

By Joey Yap

The toilet has been given a lot of bad press in Feng Shui - is it true that it flushes away wealth, relationships and other good things in life? While some readily place little trinkets in their washrooms in hope of 'preventing money from being flushed away', others go as far as to structurally relocate their toilets to another sector of the house. Which begs the question: Where is the best sector for toilets to go, if any?

Before we go into that matter, let us first get acquainted with some Feng Shui basics - the 'Three Important Factors' - when assessing the Feng Shui of any property. These three factors are the main door, kitchen, and bedroom.

Main Door is the threshold between Yin (internal) and Yang (external), and therefore acts as the 'Mouth' where Qi (energy) enters the property. A good Main Door ensures that the entire building receives a healthy amount of Qi.

Kitchen in fact refers to the stove. The stove is crucial because this is where food is cooked - when food is cooked, it transforms from one state (Yin) to another (Yang). A stove located in a prosperous sector of the house ensures the occupants are well nourished and healthy.

Bedrooms are where most of our time is physically spent to replenish our bodies (Yin) after a hard day's work (Yang). As such, the location of the bedrooms directly affects the health and emotional well-being of its occupants. Generally, a well-supported bedroom is one that 'sees' a hill or higher ground externally - this is where the Qi is stable and sentimental (versus fast-moving and aggressive).

How about the toilet? Well, it becomes a problem when the main door of a house is directly aligned with the bathroom door. What happens is that when Qi enters the property through the main door, it flows straight into the toilet - thus, not allowing it to meander and flow throughout the entire building. As such, occupants will not be able to benefit from any energy that enters the property. This is especially true when the distance after entering the main door to the toilet door is less than 10 feet apart. In the long run, this condition depletes the positive life force (Yang Qi) of the people in the house.

Today, there are those who spend up to hundreds of thousands to beautify their lavatories. For as long it is kept clean, there should not be any Feng Shui fuss about toilets. After all, no one can live without it, so apply some common sense

By Toh Kong Eu (MA Instructor)