There are many different Feng Shui Schools today, including prominent ones such as the Eight Mansions School (Ba Zhai Ming Jing), the Xuan Kong School, the Three Essentials of Yang House (Yang Zhai San Yao), and the Xuan Xue School. Each school has its own fundamental theories and applications for Feng Shui arrangements. However, all are fundamentally based on the Pre-Heaven and Post-Heaven Bagua as the primary theories to derive their specific Feng Shui practices.
In practical application, it can be particularly challenging for beginners to choose a Feng Shui school for the house they are evaluating. Therefore, understanding, interpreting, and applying Feng Shui correctly is crucial to ensure accuracy and avoid ambiguities that could lead to mistakes in application.
To address this issue, it’s important to recall that, according to Eastern philosophy, everything in life adheres to the principles of Heaven – Earth – Human. According to this principle, humans are the most representative products of Heaven and Earth, always considered the center of the universe. Living in harmony with Heaven and Earth is the essence of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, bringing happiness and luck. Harmony between Heaven and Humanity brings blessings, while discord can lead to many risks.
In other words, humans must align with nature and the heavens for longevity and happiness. Different schools of Feng Shui offer various foundational theories to apply to Feng Shui practices. Here is a more detailed explanation:
- The Eight Mansions School uses a person’s Kua number and direction to determine luck and misfortune. This approach aligns the energies of Heaven with those of the individual to achieve harmony. This is the principle of Harmony between Heaven and Humanity.
- The Xuan Kong School relies on the movement of cosmic energies, specifically the movement of the Flying Stars in a given area, to determine the influences of luck and misfortune on everything on Earth. This involves studying the laws of cosmic movement and the interaction between Heavenly Qi and Earthly Qi to determine fortune and disaster. This is the principle of Coordination between Heaven and Earth. However, this school tends to downplay the impact of Heavenly and Earthly Qi on the individual. It emphasizes the absolute power of Heaven and Earth.
- Other Schools primarily study the operation of Earthly Qi (such as some Xuan Xue schools that focus on specific locations and burial sites) and certain human factors applied to Feng Shui improvement (Three Essentials of Yang House).
In summary, Feng Shui, like other mystical sciences, is relatively easy to learn but very difficult to master. It is prone to errors and requires significant experience to be effectively beneficial. Often, books provide only basic information, and understanding how to effectively integrate and apply various theories and schools is crucial. Only with this knowledge can Feng Shui be effectively applied to enhance life.