The Breakthrough

A few years back a momentous event occurred which greatly facilitated the deciphering of the meanings of the ancient Feng Shui and astrology texts. Grandmaster Francis Leyau had requested me to evaluate with him the ancient Feng Shui texts of Green Satchels, i.e. Qing Nang Jing, Qing Nang Xu and Qing Nang Aow Yi. He was surprised that I had found it easy to understand and interpret the Green Satchels.

The Green Satchels form part of the 5 books forming the Di Li Bian Zheng, the remaining two books being Tian Yu Jing and Du Tian Bao Chou Jing.

The Ming Feng Shui master Jiang Da Hong had tried his hand in interpreting the 5 books. People in his days did not agree with his interpretations and accused him of trying to bluff them. Around 1930's renegade master Tan Yang Wu, who renounced Fei Xing for Liu Fa, also tried his hand in interpreting Di Li Bian Zheng, once from the Xuan Kong Fei Xing viewpoint before he renounced Fei Xing and then later another from Xuan Kong Liu Fa viewpoint. Tan Yang Wu claimed that certain parts of Di Li Bian Zheng were practically not understood even up to his days. Tan Yang Wu's case shows how easy it is to be so sure but would change later!

As Francis said, everyone interpreted according to his school!

Practitioners have found the ancient Feng Shui and astrology texts difficult to understand. One master admitted that he read Han Lung Jing and gave up. A student of mine looked up a Mandarin commentary to Zhang Shu and said he could not take head or tail what was discussed. Many so-called Mandarin commentaries proved to be nothing more than re-phrasings which continue to leave readers frustrated in the dark.

The Di Li Bian Zheng is supposed to be a Bible of Xuan Kong Feng Shui. If the text is so difficult to penetrate one would wonder whether the differing schools have anything right at all. It is definitely due to the difficulty in understanding that the different schools arose, with contradicting views.

Francis had asked me to interpret as he felt that I had a fresh mind and would not be prejudiced to read according to any particular school.

Basically the ease with which I understand the Green Satchels was greatly due to a pivotal translation made by Francis to a passage in Qing Nang Xu :

• QNX 2.7, 2.8: Observing the South Water Dragon incoming from the North. Looking at the East, see the Dragon departs from the West
  QNX 2.9, 2.10: It is the sage who selected the site for Luoyang at Henan province, where the two flows of water from Chan river and Jian river intersect between the two mountains of Hua Shan and Song Shan.

As pointed out by Francis, instead of "Luoyang at Henan", others had translated the passage as He Lo and mistakenly claimed the phrase refers to the Hetu and Luoshu. At that time, a flash of inspiration went through me and I realised Francis had unwittingly made a pivotal translation which is to be the key to the whole understanding not only of the Green Satchels but also of other ancient Feng Shui and even astrology texts.

• The key is the fact that the ancient capital of Luoyang was the physical model of all Feng Shui and also astrology! Hence, Di Li Bian Zheng is about site selection. The text is primarily discussing the physical parameters of Form Luan Tuo Feng Shui and not Compass Feng Shui!

From the pivotal clarification I was alerted to that a number of passages within the Green Satchels are actually passages in the writings of Confucius! Hence, much better understanding of the Di Li Bian Zheng can be obtained if one has understood the writings of Confucius.

It was said that Confucius visited Luoyang to study its Feng Shui, especially of its Ming Tang. Much of the ancient texts on Feng Shui and astrology relate to the physical mountains and rivers environments surrounding the Chinese capitals. If one is familiar with the physical geography around the Chinese capitals one can understand much better the ancient texts on Feng Shui and astrology.

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Confusions over 24 Mountains

The Di Li Bian Zheng talks about mountains and water flows, which are obvious references to the physical geography requirements of Form Luan Tuo Feng Shui. What confuses many are the references to Yin Yang, trigrams and the dizhi tiangan signs of 24 Mountains. The confusion over the 24 Mountains arises owing to failure to understand such passages as in Qing Nang Xu :

• QNX 2.45, 2.46: 24 Mountains have two formulas of calculations. Not many masters today understand this theory...
  QNX 2.49, 2.50: Dragon from the mountain does not get into the water, same as water dragon does not climb up the mountain.
  QNX 2.51, 2.52: Apply this method of calculation to the mountain and water and hundred of miles of mountain and water can be measured within a short time.
  QNX 2.53, 2.54: Another method is to calculate completely Yang and completely Yin. Eight feet to the front and back must not be in the mess.

The 24 Mountains revolve around the 8 feet gnomon stick to track the solar shadow. Those who understand geography will realise that the annual variations of the solar shadow form the Yin Yang diagram, the 8 trigrams and eventually also the 24 Mountains. The annual variations of the solar shadow track the variations in qi, and this means that qi is actually solar energy! There is nothing mysterious about qi, as its main natural component are negative ions in the solar radiation.

• The whole of Di Li Bian Zheng is connected to something measurable by the gnomon stick! It revolves around the natural variations of negative ions, as affected by both the physical geographical terrain and astronomical Time and measurable by the gnomon stick.

  The site necessarily must have a South frontage to receive the solar energy and its qi. This frontage has to be reversed for the Southern Hemisphere.

The 24 Mountains have both Form and Time aspects. Most of the Green Satchels are devoted to discussing the physical geography Form aspects of the 24 Mountains, mostly in ensuring that the mountain and water flows are aligned in the proper directions. The Green Satchels touched briefly on the Time aspects of the 24 Mountains, such as in the opening verses of Qing Nang Aow Yi .

• The opening verses of Qing Nang Aow Yi have defied attempts of many to explain them.

  The opening verses actually refer to the concepts of San He (Three Harmony Combinations), Robbery and Opposites. However, Yang Yun Sung did not elaborate on them as he explained them in more details in Tian Yu Jing . The Green Satchels are meant to be primarily discussing the Form Luan Tuo aspects. Nevertheless, the mention of Time aspects of the 24 Mountains in the opening verses of Qing Nang Aow Yi is a warning that the Form Luan Tuo Feng Shui is not complete until it deals with the Time aspects.

  What is more critical is the warning that Compass techniques cannot be used until the Form Luan Tuo Feng Shui is first executed.

Summary of 5 Texts of Di Li Bian Zheng

Qing Nang Jing, Tian Yu Jing and Du Tian Bao Zhou Jing each have 3 divisions into Upper, Middle and Lower chapters. For convenience, we may also divide the other two texts into 3 parts. It may be useful to note in brief what topics these ancient texts are discussing:

• Qing Nang Jing
  Upper Chapter: Hetu, Early Heaven Bagua, Later Heaven Bagua, Evolution of Tai Chi into Yin Yang
  Middle Chapter: Time Measurements by star constellations, gnomon stick
  Lower Chapter:The Lower scroll describes that qi produced by Heaven is affected by certain landform factors on Earth before the final effects on Man.

• Qing Nang Xu
  Part 1: Luan Tou Ming Tang Ci Xiong technique to find physical location of Golden Dragon and Incoming Dragon. Solar radiation as source of qi.
  Part 2: Time Measurememts through 24 Mountains. Time Cycle of Water Hydrology
  Part 3: Errors in Measurements

• Qing Nang Aow Yi
  Part 1: Time markers of Auspiciousness
  Part 2: Luan Tou rules for locating Jin Lung, Golden Dragon
  Part 3: Time and Physical Methods to Activate and Enhance Qi

• Tian Yu Jing
  Upper Chapter: Luan Tou features of physical landform formation of the Four Cardinal Directions with its South "city gate" frontage.
  Middle Chapter: 24 Mountains affecting Time status of Water Flows coming to South "city gate" Frontage - Ai Xing and Tai Sui.
  Lower Chapter: This Outer Chapter describes the auspicious and inauspicious effects if the water mouth is matched with a favourable or unfavourable Element.

• Du Tian Bao Zhou Jing
  Upper Chapter: Physical features of Lung hsueh and Ming Tang.
  Middle Chapter: Yun Chien method of 6 axes of 24 Mountains
  Lower Chapter: Physical features of water flows.

The verses of Di Li Bian Zheng discuss the interactions of two components:

• 1. The fixed physical layout of mountains and water flows which determines the maximum potential qi in the site.

• 2. The Time fluctuations of qi caused by astronomical events such as the seasons.

The interactions between the fixed physical layout and the Time fluctuations compose what is the true "Xuan Kong Feng Shui." What practitioners must realise is that if the fixed physical layout has poor qi potential it is useless to think further in terms of the Time fluctuations. The major parts of the Green Satchels are devoted to explanation of the physical criteria to select the site.

The Time aspects are only touched upon by the Green Satchels as they are more fully expounded by Yang Yun Sung in Tian Yu Jing and Du Tian Bao Chou Jing . However, it is necessary to emphasise that the Green Satchels, as well as other Yang Yun Sung's texts like Han Lung Jing and Yi Lung Jing, note that the fixed physical layout must have a South facing frontage. This was why traditional Chinese architecture in palaces and temples had primary facings to the South. All those Compass techniques claiming shifting entrances or facings away from the South are wrong.

Some of the faked aspects also affect the Ba Zi Eight Characters divination, which is actually an inferior astrology extracted from a small part of Zi Wei Dou Shu.

It may be said that Compass practitioners have made a mess out of "Xuan Kong Feng Shui."

Unable to penetrate the Green Satchels , many could not understand what Tian Yu Jing and Du Tian Bao Chou Jing explain about the astrological interactions between the San Pan Gua (linked to the 3 Auspicious) and the 6 Siews. Also ill-understood is that, as known by Lai Bu Yi, Xuan Kong Feng Shui is intimately linked with Zi Wei Dou Shu astrology!

The major weakness in those trying to understand these ancient texts is their lack of knowledge of geography and astronomy. All the Feng Shui and related astrology are based on geography and astronomy. Nothing happens by magic and superstition but must have logical scientific causes.

• Using the geography and astronomy approach as well as reference to the ancient history, it is possible to unravel the meanings of many other ancient Feng Shui and astrology texts. We at Gui Management Center have managed to translate and evaluate a wide range of ancient texts. Join us to know more!

Gui Management Centre is making available preliminary findings of our highly scientific research into Chinese astrology and Feng Shui, backed up by intensive analysis of the ancient texts. Many findings are new and may disturb current views, but practitioners should be proactive to advance further.

Those who are interested to know more can purchase our translation and commentary of the Green Satchels at the ebook site.