“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