Principle 1: Focus on the whole.
The word "feng shui" comes from the book of burial: "Qi dissipates by the wind, and the boundary water stops. The ancients gathered for it and stopped it, so it was called Feng Shui. " Geomantic omen theory is to regard the environment as a whole system, take people as the center, and regard all things in the world as interrelated, mutually restrictive, interdependent, mutually antagonistic and mutually transforming elements. The function of geomantic omen is to grasp the relationship between subsystems, optimize the structure and seek the best combination. This actually coincides with the system theory in modern science. The general principle is the general principle of geomantic omen, and all other principles are subordinate to the general principle. It is the basic feature of modern geomantic omen to deal with the relationship between man and environment with the principle of wholeness.
China ancient Huangdi House Classic advocated "taking the situation as the body, the spring as the blood, the land as the skin, the vegetation as the hair, the house as the clothing, and the portal as the crown belt. If so, it is a matter of elegance and luck. " This is actually a simple application of system theory when the ancients chose their residence.
Principle 2 of site selection: adjust measures to local conditions
The Book of Changes and the Big Zhuang Gua says, "Enough is enough." In the pre-Qin period, Jiang Taigong advocated adjusting measures to local conditions. "Biography of Historical Records of Huo Zhi" records: "King Taigong was sealed in Yingqiu, with few people, and Taigong advised him to be a woman, extremely skilled and salt-free." This is actually the expression of the natural lifestyle adopted by our ancient ancestors according to the objectivity of the environment. According to the actual situation, take practical and effective methods to make people and buildings adapt to nature, return to nature, return to nature, and integrate heaven and man. This is the true meaning of Feng Shui.
Principle 3 of site selection: near mountains and water.
In the process of living practice, our ancestors summed up many life experiences with wisdom, among which it is very important to build settlements where there are mountains and water behind them. Today, almost all the primitive tribal sites discovered by archaeology were built on riverside platforms, which were suitable for the production and lifestyle of the ancients who were hunting, fishing and picking fruits at that time. In fact, this is also the origin of the principle of relying on mountains and rivers in Feng Shui theory.
During the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang led his people to Weidong Township, Yueyang County, Hunan Province. The terrain here left a deep impression on him: the 500-mile shogunate mountain stretches here, and there are three mountain peaks protruding in the northeast and west, such as three large petals forming a lotus flower, which is a typical "adobe house" climbing form in Feng Shui. So Zhang took everyone to settle down here and live a quiet and peaceful life. In the past 500 years, it has developed into a large family with more than 600 households and more than 3,000 people. This is a typical example of a good feng shui house.
Site selection principle 4: Observe the shape and situation.
China's traditional philosophy of "harmony between man and nature" makes China people have a unique view of heaven and earth and life, especially paying attention to the coordination and unity between man and nature. The traditional geomantic omen theory is actually the application of this idea in real life. The Ten Books of Yangzhai in Qing Dynasty pointed out: "People are mainly suitable for living in mountains and rivers, with the greatest momentum and the most important relationship with people's fortunes." In other words, when choosing a foothold, we should pay attention to the mountainous terrain and put the small environment into the big environment to investigate, which is the so-called "observe the shape and observe the color" principle.
Gong Yu divided the mountains of China into four columns. Feng Shui calls the rolling mountains Long Mai. China's Long Mai originates from Kunlun Mountain in the northwest, and three Long Mai extend from Kunlun Mountain to the southeast. Beilong entered Shanxi from Yinshan Mountain and Helan Mountain, starting from Taiyuan and ending at crossing the sea. Zhonglong entered the customs from Minshan and entered the sea from Qinshan. Nanlong goes from Yunnan to Guizhou and from Hunan to Fujian and Zhejiang. Every big Long Mai has a dry dragon, a branch dragon, a real dragon, a fake dragon, a flying dragon, a hidden dragon and a flashing dragon. To investigate Feng Shui, we must first find out the context and conform to the trend of Long Mai.
Site Selection Principle 5: Soil Quality Inspection
Many tombs of ancient emperors have now become tourist attractions. It is not difficult to find that the location of these tombs is generally characterized by beautiful scenery, fresh air and lush vegetation. In other words, the terrain and water and soil here are excellent. In fact, in the process of choosing a mausoleum for the emperor, Mr. Feng Shui not only attached great importance to orientation and other factors, but also attached great importance to and criticized the local soil quality. In order to solve these problems, they often explore in situ, twist with their hands, chew the soil with their mouths, and even dig wells to see the deep soil and water quality, and bend over to listen to the flow and sound of groundwater. These seemingly pretentious, in fact, not without reason.
Site Selection Principle 6: Water Quality Analysis
The Yangtze River and the Yellow River are called mother rivers by us, because the water of the great rivers nurtures the people along the coast and is the source of our life. Laozi said: one life two, two lives three, three lives everything. One is the sky, so there is water, the other is the earth, and the third is water. Translate this sentence of Laozi: Nature is aquatic in heaven and earth, and everything in heaven and earth is aquatic. This shows the importance of water.
The ancients in China were called geomantic omen, also called geography. We might as well read it with geomantic geography. We can also explain it this way: observing the sky, observing the earth, wind (airspace), water (hydrology and water quality), land (topography and geology) and science (research and analysis theory). The wind here refers to the air that people breathe, the water that people eat and the source water, and the soil that grows crops and acupoints. Air, water and soil are the most basic substances for human survival. As we all know, if the wind (air) quality is not good, the water quality is not good, and the soil quality is not good, biological growth will be bad, people will get sick and life will be in disaster. This is also the reason why the concept of green environmental protection is strongly advocated now.
The ancients thought that "the grass is rich, the water is deep and the soil is thick" and the feng shui must be good. This is actually a way to distinguish the quality of wind, water and soil by visual inspection.
As for how to distinguish water quality, Guanzi Dizhen thinks that soil quality determines water quality, and water quality is judged by its color. The water is white and sweet, yellow and astringent, black and bitter. Boshan Pian, a classic of geomantic omen, advocates "seeking dragons to recognize qi, recognizing qi and tasting water". Its color is blue, its taste is sweet, its smell is fragrant and it is expensive. Its color is white, its taste is clear, its temperature is mainly expensive, and it is not enough. "On the cloud of water good and evil in" Prosperous People ":"It is extremely sweet and delicious, so it is called Jiaquanchang. Spring is not full, and autumn is not dry. Better find a good place here. ""the taste of pulp is fishy, just like hot soup boiling, turbid and red is unlucky. "
There is a mountain spring at the foot of Chengtian Elephant Trunk Mountain in Taishun, Zhejiang. The spring keeps steaming all year round. When the local people are sick, they will soak in the spring water, which is more effective than taking medicine. After inspection, it is found that spring water contains a lot of chemical element nitrogen. According to Shan Hai Jing ·Xi· Shan Jing, there is irrigation water beside Cui Shi Mountain. "There is a flow in it, so that cattle and horses can draw without disease."
There is a Queqiao Spring in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province. The spring is crystal clear, but there is no life in it. Birds such as ducks will die in spring. After testing, the spring water contains a lot of toxic substances such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. Settlements must be built away from these water sources.
Ancient emperors also attached great importance to local water when choosing tombs. There are abundant water sources near the Ming Tombs, so there are abundant plants and trees all year round, and the biodiversity is also developing well. Today, the Ming Tombs Reservoir, as an important part of Beijing's urban water supply, has provided strong support for Beijing's healthy and rapid development.
Principle 7: Sit facing south.
Feng Shui pays great attention to the choice of direction. After choosing the location of the Yin and Yang rooms, the Feng Shui master should also choose the most suitable building direction, so that the building can receive the vitality of the surrounding landscape space. This is also called vertical orientation, which is a key in geomantic omen.
As we all know, the traditional buildings in China usually face south, with Zishan facing noon. Explained by modern science, this is because China is located in the eastern part of Eurasia in the northern hemisphere, and most of its territory is north of the Tropic of Cancer (23 degrees 26 minutes north latitude), so houses facing south are easy to receive sunlight. This will not only make the house warmer in winter, but also be very beneficial to the health of people living here.
In addition, the topography of China makes the monsoon climate characteristics of China very remarkable, and most parts of China are affected by the monsoon climate. In addition to the temperate continental climate in northwest China, there are mainly temperate monsoon climate and subtropical monsoon climate in China, and a few areas such as Hainan and Xishuangbanna in Yunnan are affected by tropical monsoon climate. So the house faces south, not only for lighting, but also to avoid the north wind in winter. There are records of wind measurement in Oracle Bone Inscriptions. "Historical Records" says: "Evil winds live in the northwest, and October is also. According to the north, it is also 1 1 month. The wind lives in the northeast, and the first month is also. Fengzhu East is also in February. " At the end of Qing Dynasty, He Guangting said in "geoscience correction": "Pingyang is not afraid of the wind, but there is a difference between Yin and Yang. The warm wind from east to south is called yang wind, so it is just right. The cool wind and cold wind from west to north are called evil wind, so it is advisable to have a close case to stop it, otherwise the wind will blow the bones and the family will die. " This means avoiding the northwest wind when determining the position.
There are several ways to express the position of geomantic omen: First, take five elements of wood as the east, fire as the south, gold as the west, water as the north and soil as the middle. Second, take gossip as the south, ridge as the north, earthquake as the east and exchange as the west. Third, take Party A and Party B as the east, Party C and Party D as the south, Geng Xin as the west and Gui Ren as the north. Take the son of the earthly branch as the north and the noon as the south. 4. Black Dragon in the east, White Tiger in the west, Suzaku in the south and Xuanwu in the north, or "Left Qinglong, Right White Tiger, Former Suzaku, Later Xuanwu."
In our country, the general imperial tombs are facing south or facing the mountain, such as the Ming Tombs in Nanjing and the Ming Tombs in Beijing. However, the Ming Taizu Mausoleum in Fengyang was built facing north, and the road was slightly skewed. The reason is that Zhongdu City Wall Palace is located in the northeast of the imperial tomb, so it is very difficult to make the imperial tomb face Zhongdu.
In a word, the principle of sitting north facing south in geomantic omen is our ancestors' understanding through thousands of years of practice, which is actually a way for human beings to live in harmony with nature.
Location Principle 8: Ride with anger.
Traditional geomantic omen theory holds that qi is the source of everything, and everything can't be separated from qi.
Guo Pu, a great geomantic master in ancient China and a scholar in Jin Dynasty, wrote the Book of Burial, in which he expounded the principle and function of induction. "Burial Book" said: "Bury people, take advantage of anger. Qi of yin and yang, namely wind, clouds and rain. Walking underground is angry, and everything is born. People suffer from their parents, and their bones are angry and their bodies are yin. Cover the living, the condensation of qi, the formation of bone knot, die and stay alone, so burial, resistance to gas entry, the same shadow. As the saying goes, the spirit should be blessed by ghosts and people should be blessed. This is based on the premise of copper landslides in the west, bells in the east, wooden flowers in spring and chestnut buds in the room. Qi moves in the ground, and its actions are also due to the potential of the ground; Its gathering is also due to the situation, and the ancients gathered to make it sticky. There is a limit to what you can do. " It means that the mausoleum should be chosen in a lively place, that is, the so-called land of feng shui, where everything is animistic. Man is a product of qi, and human bones are condensed by qi. When people die, their breath is gone, leaving only a pair of dead bones. If the bones are buried in a busy place, they will be dry and spring, and the soul will be sublimated. Everyone is born by his parents, just like a big tree. Parents are the "roots" and the trunk, and future generations are the "branches" of parents in the world. Parents' bones are alive in the ground, and the "Ben" will be full of vitality, and the "branches" connected with the "Ben" will also benefit a lot, flourish and last forever.
Liao Xiyong, another Feng Shui master in the Ming Dynasty, pointed out in the Book of Buried Scriptures that anger should be distinguished by mountains, rivers and vegetation. "Where there is purple gas in the mountain, if there is light smoke floating, the clouds are steamed and moist, and there is Shi Ming, if there is, the gas will come to interest. Clouds don't soar, their colors are dim, they crack, rocks dry up, vegetation withers, and springs dry up. If this is the case, unless the hill is dug, then the angry journey will depend on others. " It can be seen that anger is the vitality of all things and the best state of ecology.
Feng Shui advocates building urban houses in busy places, which is called "riding with anger". Because only by gaining enough vitality can plants flourish and human beings live a long and healthy life. According to the geomantic omen theory, the door of a house is an air port, and if there are roads and tap water leading to it, it is the spirit. On the other hand, if the gate is located at the back, it is not angry. Getting angry is good for air circulation and people's health. Brightness in the room is auspicious, and baldness is evil. Only riding on a busy building is good for the people who live in it.
As the seasons change, life and orientation have also changed. In different months, the direction of anger and death will be different. Anger is auspicious, death is fierce. When doing things, people should also act with the changes of nature in order to achieve the best results.
Since ancient times, people have chosen to worship their ancestors and sweep graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day in mid-spring, which is related to the ancient geomantic theory besides outing. "Guanzi Situation Solution" says: "Spring begins with the sun, so everything is born." The exchange of breath is vigorous, which is the most active time of "telepathy" between the dead and the living. It is also necessary for the living to visit the yin house to balance yin and yang, and they will get peace of mind for one year. Moreover, the ancients also believed that the residence of the living, that is, the Yang House, should be maintained from time to time, and the mausoleum where the deceased lived, that is, the Yin House, should also be scanned and repaired regularly, and slope protection should be added to prevent "discouragement". From an ethical point of view, it is to encourage future generations to sacrifice their ancestors and friends regularly every year, which is what each of us should do. Now Tomb-Sweeping Day is listed as a public holiday in our country, which is also a good measure for the government to conform to public opinion and advocate harmony.
Site Selection Principle 9: Universal Greening
Our ancestors have long noticed that the environment and people interact, and the quality of the environment is closely related to the number of trees. Therefore, it has become an essential behavior to plant trees around the houses of the living or the graves of the dead.
Almost all feng shui masters attach great importance to tree feng shui, and its function is not as simple as shading and beautifying the environment as most people think. Folk feng shui masters all believe in such a saying: "When people live in the countryside, trees flourish and houses flourish. If the tree falls, the house will die. Da Luan Lin Daxing, Xiao Luan Lin Xiaoxing. If you don't plant trees, people have no clothes and birds have no hair. Can you keep warm naked? " He also said: "the front door is bright and clean, and the back of the house should be shaded by trees;" The four seasons are lush, and they live in peace for a long time. " Only when it has a lot of vegetation, it is full of vitality, shade and pulse protection, and it is rich.
Feng Shui pays attention to "both form and spirit" and thinks that what spirit is bound to produce what spirit. They think that people can rise and fall according to the quality of trees. This also reflects the important role of trees in Feng Shui. Feng Shui believes that trees have four functions. First, gather gas: especially in the open countryside, the gas is not gathered, and trees are planted reliably to reduce the residential area and make it look like reunion. Second, shelter from the wind: the wind is strong in mountainous areas and coastal plains, and the north wind is strong and biting in winter, which is harmful to people, livestock and crops. You can reduce the harm of wind by planting windbreaks. 3. Shading: If there are cracked mountains, corners, corners, chimneys and high-voltage towers opposite the house, planting trees or vines is more reliable. Fourth, ventilation and physical coverage: the vitality of the house is in front of us, but it can be seen and touched in the distance. You can plant bamboo or plants with sparse spacing to cover the fierce shape and let good luck pass.
Guo Pu's "Funeral Scripture" said: "Five people in the mountain can't be buried: Qi can be harmonious, and Tongshan can't be buried. The land is flat and lush, which is the beauty of the land. Today's Tongshan is thick and stubborn, and the soil veins are withered. There is no conflict, so it cannot be buried. " In particular, it is pointed out that barren bald mountains can not be used as yin houses.
The old system stipulated: "The emperor's tomb is three years old and the tree is loose; Half of the princes, the tree is cypress; The doctor is eight feet, and the tree attracts the wind; Four feet, a tree with locusts; Shu Ren has no grave, and the tree is a willow. " This has actually fixed the principle of general greening of tombs in the form of ritual. We can see that, whether in the Ming Tombs or the Ming Tombs, the places where ancient emperors were buried are basically lush trees and lush water plants, which is not only the strict requirements for the environment when the site was selected at the beginning, but also the result of future generations planting trees for greening.
Now, in order to reduce the occupation of cultivated land, the government has initiated the form of "tree burial", that is, in the place where the deceased buried his ashes, the descendants planted a tree. On the one hand, it expressed their nostalgia for their ancestors, on the other hand, it also greened the environment, so that the deceased could safely return to the embrace of Mother Earth and enjoy rest in peace.
Site selection principle 10: transforming geomantic omen
There is a saying in the Book of Changes: "It is already a blessing, but believe it. Civilization, tycoon justified, regret dead. Heaven and earth change at four times, and the Tang-Wu revolution is based on heaven and people. At the time of the revolution, the righteousness was great. " After having a certain understanding of the environment we live in, our ancestors have realized the importance of transforming the environment. However, this reform is by no means spontaneous, but is carried out on the premise of conforming to nature.
We all know the story of Dayu's flood control. According to legend, Shun ordered Gun to control water. Gun only knew the method of pulling and irrigation, but it failed and was killed by Shun. Yu, Gun's son, accepted the lesson of his father's failure in water control, changed to dredging and finally succeeded in subduing the flood. This may be the earliest record of human transformation of Feng Shui.
Dujiangyan, Sichuan is also a successful example of transforming Feng Shui. Dujiangyan, located in the upper reaches of Minjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, is the earliest water conservancy project in the world and still plays an important role. Since 2260, Dujiangyan's water diversion, flood discharge and water diversion facilities have been operating normally, which has played a very important role in making Chengdu Plain a land of abundance. Later generations summed up the reasons for Dujiangyan's success, and found that: firstly, when Li Bing and his son built Dujiangyan, they followed the concept of water control in harmony with nature, that is, "guide the situation according to the situation and adapt it to the times", so Dujiangyan is a water diversion hub without dams. Secondly, the "Fish Mouth" water diversion project for regulating water flow, the "Treasure Bottle Mouth" water diversion project for controlling water flow and the "Flying Sand Weir" project for flood discharge and sediment discharge have solved the problems of flow control, flood discharge and sediment discharge in the construction of modern water conservancy facilities. Third, adhere to the annual maintenance system and other sustainable management measures. From the construction of Dujiangyan, we have to admire the wisdom and ability of our ancestors. Among them, the advanced thought of harmony between man and nature is especially worth learning.
The ancient imperial tombs in China spared no effort in transforming geomantic omen. The mausoleum of Qin Shihuang is one of them. The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, with Mount Li in the south and Weishui in the north, occupies a treasure land that conforms to the principle of geomantic omen. However, on the east side of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum, there is also a fish pond water reconstructed artificially. According to "Notes on Water Classics", "Water flows out of the northeast of Mount Li and flows northward. Later, Qin Shihuang was buried in the north of the mountain. When the water meandered, it turned from east to north, and the first emperor built a tomb to borrow soil. The land is deep and the water accumulates into a pond. This is the so-called fish pond ... The water in the pond flows through the north of the first emperor in the northwest. " It can be seen that the fish pond water originally came from the northeast of Lishan Mountain, and the water flowed from south to north. Later, when the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor was built, an east-west dam was built in the southwest of the mausoleum. The dam is 1000 m long, generally 40 m wide and 70 m at its widest point. Now the residual height is still 2 to 8 meters, which is what people usually call Wuling site. This dam will turn the fish pond water originally from the northeast of Lishan Mountain into a northwest flow, bypassing the northeast of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum. According to the Water Classic Note, "There is hot spring water in the southwest of fish pond water, which can cure diseases all over the world."
"Saint Ji Qin" says: "There are hot springs in the northwest of Mount Li." It can be seen that the hot springs of that year correspond to the fish pond water in the northwest, forming a trend that there are mountains in the south and water on the other three sides. It can be seen that it is the change in the direction of fish ponds that makes the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor form the characteristics of "relying on mountains and rivers".
When the conditions of natural mountains and rivers are not perfect, they are repaired, supplemented, filled and dug manually. This method of organically combining nature and humanity to create an ideal "man-made" geomantic treasure house has been reflected in the construction of emperors' tombs in past dynasties, and it can also be described as the practical application of geomantic omen theory.