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Day 4: Kung Fu Fighting Qi - The Feng Shui of Shaolin Temple
Reported by Bernice Low
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After spending the night at the Sofitel Hotel in
ZhengZhou, Henan Province, it was an early start again
for the students of the Mastery Academy China
Excursion 2005.
It was a two hour ride to the Shaolin Temple, the
world famous home of kungfu, made famous by the Jet Li
film, Shaolin Temple. The temple has been in existence
for over almost 2000 years and it is today, a leading
center for the study of martial arts, as well as Zen
Buddhism.
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Time of course is best spent either looking at the
mountains during the journey or if the scenic view is
not so interesting, there’s always time for a spot of
BaZi and appreciating a beautiful chart or two. Today,
Joey selected the BaZi of the first Ming Emperor, Zhu
Yuan Zhang and that of the 2nd Ming Emperor, his
grandson, for the students to analyse.
Time passes quickly when one is absorbed in the
intricacies of BaZi analysis and the Mastery Academy
students soon found the bus was pulling into the
entrance to the Shaolin temple. Joey got the students
to refocus their minds on the Dragons in the vicinity.
For centuries, Shaolin has been the focal point for
those seeking to learn more about kung fu. Today, they
would be visited by students seeking to find out more
about its unique Feng Shui.
Unlike the mountains that had been seen in the
previous days, which were elegant and gentle, the
students were alerted to the difference in the
appearance of the mountains surrounding the Shaolin
temple that provided a hint of the type of Qi that was
permeating the area. Bony, hard, tough looking
mountains surrounded the area.
The visit began with a stop at the foothills, about 15
minutes away from the main entrance of the temple.
Students immediately observed the external Bright Hall
(Ming Tang) and the coiling Dragon formations.
However, a few made the mistake of attempting to name
every single star form in the mountains, whether or
not, there was indeed a star formed.
This pointed out Joey, was a mistake, but a good
mistake. The key, he told them, is not to be
distracted by naming the mountain, but to ask always,
the important question: what is the purpose of the
mountain and why is it in that sector? He reminded the
students that each type of mountain serves a purpose
and that one of the key aspects of an audit is
identifying the purpose of that mountain.
Students were also shown the locked watermouth at the
foothills and the special formations (structures) in
the area.
From the entrance, students took an electronic motor
vehicle ride to the entrance of the temple, passing a
large dried up creek. Upon arrival at the entrance,
students were taken into the temple, which was set
against a Military Arts mountain.
Inside, after hearing the history and background of
the temple, the teams got to work, evaluating the Feng
Shui of the Shaolin temple. Most of the students
picked up the Military Arts mountain and the Spiral
City that was similar to that found at Huang Da Xian
but as Joey pointed out, most of the students were
also able to ‘sense’ a difference in the Qi.
The Shaolin Temple, explained Joey, is perfectly
located for the study of ‘Mou’ (Wu) or art forms that
are physical in nature. The table mountain at the
front is high but because the purpose of the Shaolin
temple is for spiritual learning and for the study of
martial arts, this is fine. For a tomb or to benefit
descendants, a lower table mountain is required but
here, given the purpose of the place, and also the
fact that the temple is itself located higher up, the
high table mountain in front is fine.
The temple is tapping into a unique gnarled Greedy
Wolf mountain but what makes the landform formation
interesting is that it is very clearly a Wood
transforming into Fire formation, perfect for a
religious place but also, for a place that is engaged
in the cultivation of fighting skills and art.
A few students picked up on the presence of several
wind gaps that strike the temple directly but after
the audits of the last few days, they were confident
that these wind gaps did not affect the temple
adversely. Wind gaps are unfavourable for tombs
because the purpose of Feng Shui in a tomb is to
benefit descendants. Since theoretically, the
individuals coming to Shaolin are seeking Zen
enlightenment or to devote their lives to martial
arts, descendants are not of interest to them. Hence,
the wind gaps are acceptable at Shaolin.
The Shaolin temple audit tested students skills once
again because it required them to not only question
what the Feng Shui is meant to achieve, but also
recognise that landform should be used to dictate the
use of the land. In the case of the Shaolin temple, a
similar property, with similar landform or structures
around it, would be suited for any business or
activity involving physical activity or aggression,
such as a sports stadium or a gymnasium.
Again, a bonus was in store for the students. Since
there was a little bit of time left before the
students had to depart, Joey took them to a nearby
gravesite where many of the illustrious masters and
monks of Shaolin were buried in pagodas.
This was an excellent opportunity for the students to
put together what they had assimilated in the previous
few audits. Luan Tou, as Joey explained during the
introductory lectures, is about the face of the
mountain. The goal of Luan Tou Feng Shui is make use
of the landform, based on the location of the
property, since in different directions, a landform
can change appearance. What is a Sky Horse in one
direction, can be a Huge Door from another view. In
this case, they were evaluating on Yin and one Yang
House location, based on the same set of mountains.
The day ended on a high note with a visit to a nearby
martial arts school for a martial arts show by the
local Shaolin martial arts exponents. Students were no
doubt blown away by the amazing kung fu and Qi Gong
skills of the Shaolin martial arts exponents and it
was a fitting way to end a visit to the birthplace of
kung fu.
The last few days have been hectic but the students
have seen so many different varied landforms, unique,
special, powerful and fascinating. Students have
crammed a lifetime of study, into a few compact days
and seen landforms that only after 10 years of study,
will most masters deem to drop a few cryptic lines
about.
Truly, walking the mountains, chasing the dragon vein,
standing on top of a meridien spot, is an experience
that no book, no video, and no classroom, can ever
recreate. One must feel, sense, hear, and see, Feng
Shui and landform, in order to appreciate it,
understand it and most importantly, use it in one’s
daily practice of Feng Shui. It is one thing to read
the classics, and know the theory of what landform can
produces Immortals, Emperors, and great Fighters. It
is another thing to be there, see it, and know it
really exists, as described in the ancient classics.
The next stop for the students of the Mastery Academy
is Beijing, where they will continue their trail of
the Ming Dynasty Emperors, studying their tombs and
co-relating the Feng Shui of the Emperors, with the
historical events that took place.
But first, it was to a restaurant in Beijing for an
excellent dinner and a surprise celebration! Our
thoughtful tour guides had arranged a
birthday cake for Alex Ho, who was celebrating his
60th birthday. No doubt, it will be a 60th birthday
that Alex will not be forgetting too soon!
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