Introduction
Feng Shui has been practiced in China for centuries. Throughout ancient China,
masters of Feng Shui “were highly respected meteorologists, astronomers, and other
scientists and who were charged with sustaining the good fortune and prosperity of the
royal court. It has been guardedly passed down the generations through very specific
lineages” (Feng Shui Advisors). It was widely practiced in modern-day China until the
Cultural Revolution when Chairman Mao utilized mass force to destroy those with different ideas (Craze 9). It has evolved to be both a science and/or an art, depending on whose opinion is being given or taken. The science comes from the calculations and methodology used to analyze the space/site that one lives or works in. Some consider it an art because there are many aspects to it, and, ultimately, it is up to the person living/working in the space to determine whether it “feels right” for him/her. Chuen states, “It is an analytical system developed, not by one person, but by a centuries-old cumulative tradition based on meticulous observation and experimentation” (8). Feng Shui is also described as an “art of arranging one’s life in accordance with the forces of the universe,” and it “stretches back over at least 7000 years and probably far further” (Chuen 14). Feng Shui literally stands for wind and water: two of the most basic forms of life’s energy. “Without air we die within seconds.” “While we can live weeks without food, without water we soon perish” (Chuen 14).
The I Ching, or “Book of Changes” is an ancient Chinese divination manual and book of wisdom. It is a sacred text that ancestors of ancient China received through their meditative and spiritual practices. Made up of eight trigrams, or gua (kua) and sixty-four hexagrams (combinations of two trigrams) the symbols of the I Ching are known for its oracular qualities (Chuen 24). Each of the eight trigrams, or gua (kua) is associated with an element and a set of specific qualities, polarities, colors, etc. The I Ching, combined with the five elements theory, form the foundation of many Chinese arts, including martial arts, medicine, music, and of course Feng Shui. The I Ching is important to Feng Shui because it contains the “64 hexagrams [that] are important as they combine the eight house directions ...
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...earchers and authors of Feng Shui literature. This was an enormous problem for me because half of what I read said one thing, and half said something different. I believe that the discrepancy may have come when the principles and rules of Feng Shui were translated from Chinese to English. For future study, one could compare all of the different discrepancies, and try to find the original belief or principle.
References
Chuen, Master L.K. (1996). Feng Shui Handbook: How to Create a Healthier Living and Working Environment. New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc.
Craze, R. (1999). Feng Shui Made Easy: An introduction to the basics of the ancient are of feng shui. New York: Godsfield Press.
Feng Shui Advisors. (1999). What is Feng Shui: A brief Feng Shui introduction. Internet Source. Last Modified 03/09/2002. Internet Explorer April 2, 2002. Available: http://www.168fengshui.com/Articles/whatis.htm
Weightman, B. (2002). Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
The Cultural Revolution in China was led by Mao Zedong, due to this Liang and many others faced overwhelming obstacles in many aspects of their life such as work, family and everyday encounters, if affected everyone’s families life and education, Liang lets us experience his everyday struggles during this era, where the government determined almost every aspect of life.
From 1750 until 1800 the colonial United States endured a period of enormous achievement along with a substantial amount of struggle. Before 1750, the new colony’s first struggle was between the colonists and England over who would have leadership within the New World. Once settled, the issues emerged from within the colonies themselves, particularly with the “belongings” they brought and imported. African American slaves were seen as property, and were not given any innate rights such as liberty or freedom when following their master to the New World. The revolution for the colonists from England began, with new freedoms received by the colonists; the slaves began to question their rights as humans. Innate rights such as liberty and freedom
legal action because of faith but as a whole it would not prosper. To understand the level
"Main Concepts of Taoism: Yin and Yang." Taoism and the Taoist Arts. April 2002. http://www.taoistarts.net/main.html#yin LeGuin, Ursula K. The Lathe of Heaven. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 2000.
Chang, Kwang-chih 1968 The Archeology of Ancient China Yale University Press, New Haven & London
Cao Xueqin’s Story of the Stone is a classic in Chinese literature, showcasing the life and exploits of the wealthy Jia clan during the feudal era. Through Cao’s depiction, the reader is afforded a glimpse into the customs and lifestyle of the time. Chinese mode of thought is depicted as it occurs in daily life, with the coexisting beliefs of Confucianism and Taoism. While the positive aspects of both ideologies are presented, Cao ultimately depicts Taoism as the paramount, essential system of belief that guides the character Bao-yu to his eventual enlightenment. As was the case in China, Cao depicts the two forms of belief existing alongside one another, and not necessarily practiced exclusively to one another.
All in all the American Revolution had a contradictory effect on the conceptions of freedom and slavery within American life. Colonial peoples desired universal freedom for all, however they did not understand how this new notion of freedom would apply to African-Americans slaves, in which they perceived as “property”. With the language of freedom changing, along with the uprising of petitions and the mobilization of slaves during the 18th century we began to see a glimpse of abolition, for the first time in American
Lauer L., Gould D., Roman N., Pierce M. (2010). Parental Behaviors That Affect Junior Tennis Player Development. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11, 487-496.
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Ever since I began reading about Taoism I have change my point of view about life. “Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart”(Tao). This line in itself has taught me to not look at life as objects but to look at it as a gift. People today have lost touch with what is really important about living. No one goes around smiling anymore. I can remember as a child seeing people smile all the time, maybe that was because I was young and did not see a lot of people. I believe that if people would start to read Taoism and try to understand it than people maybe happy to be alive. This paper is going to focus mainly on ways that the average person can use Taoism to better his or her life.
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