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What do you think of Feng Shui (Geomancy)?
Oct 15, 2008 02:00
  • BBQQ
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Recently, a college in China has decided to introduce Feng Shui (Geomancy) to its students as a selective class and it is called Construction and Feng Shui. This has caused a stir among the internet users. Well, it is actually not the first example. Nanjin University once opened Fei Shui training class in 2005, aiming at imparting some knowledge about Construction and Feng Shui to the trainers. And the China Architectural Culture Centre affiliated to China's Ministry of Construction offered some help to Nanjin University.

As you can see, Construction has a close relation to Feng Shui. This is why Feng Shui is so popular. Some people invite the geomancers to choose a cemetery site for their passed-away parents or relatives. When moving into a new house, they invite the geomancers to see if this house is auspicious and good for their families, fortune and development.

The reason why many people oppose to introduce Feng Shui to college students is that they think Feng Shui is superstition and it shouldn't appear as a selective course in colleges. What do you think of Feng Shui? Is it totally about superstition?
Oct 15, 2008 07:07
#1  
  • DODGER
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Feng Shui is all about superstition but so are all religions. None of them can be proved.
I still say “bless you” when I hear someone sneeze. That dates back to the Great Plague or Black Death when a sneeze was the first sign of infection.
My Wife asked me to sleep on the other side of the bed some time ago as it was better Feng Shui.
Yes, I followed her instructions. Did it work? LOL
Dodger.
Oct 15, 2008 10:52
#2  
  • SETH
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I've read about Feng Shui and a lot of the principles make some sense, especially when you put it into perspective. If you believe that avoiding sharp corners in construction creates a more harmonious setting, then (like many self-fulfilling prophesies) it will seem more harmonious. If you believe that placing the front door away from the stairs decending from the upper level avoids letting good 'chi' flow out of the house, then you will feel better about the house. Sleeping with your feet towards the bedroom door and not your head is suposed to be more harmonious and safer. Sounds ok to me.

Cause and effect may not be all that simple, but I think it makes some sense.

Oh, and Dodger, did you ever think that maybe your lovely wife was using tact (more than Feng Shui) to get you to change sides? Do you snore more on one side or the other? :-)
Oct 15, 2008 21:03
#3  
  • JIMMYB
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As BBQQ said, Feng Shui has very close relation to Construction. One of my college teacher's husband is an architect. My teacher goes to the bookstore to buy some books about Feng Shui for her husband from time to time. Sometimes, she tells us something about Feng Shui in class. I remember clearly that she once told us you had to pay special attention to the mirror and clock in your house. The mirror and the clock are necessary but you should know where to place them. If your house is not big, you shouldn't have a big clock. As for the mirror, you should let it face your bed. Otherwise, you won't have a good sleep. More terribly, you may suffer from a certain illness.

Look, I am not advocating superstition here. When my teacher told me these, I just thought they were interesting. Nothing else. By the way, Feng Shui is very popular in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Do you ever think why it is still popular today?
Oct 16, 2008 09:30
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  • CARLOS
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I agree with Seth.
If believe in Feng Sui, I am sure it works then too.
I myself believe that certain harmony at home, furniture and colours too, makes people feel better. Whether is brings money or not... perhaps happy balanced people make better decisions in life.

Carlos
Oct 20, 2008 02:43
#5  
GUESTSUNAMI Feng shui should not be included as a subject of study in institutions of higher learning because it is superstition, not science.

Unlike astronomy (studies of celestial bodies and the universe), astrology is pseudo-science claiming divination by the positions of the planets, sun and moon - it is open to limitless interpretations by practitioners who can be anybody (you and I can be fengshui experts too if we read up on the subject).

Feng shui is popular especially in the Far East and entrepreneurs have recognised that there are millions to be made. I think it is a harmless pursuit IF not inter-mixed with religion (Chinese fengshui practitioners often mix fengshui with religion like Daoism).

I am not totally discounting the 'usefulness' of fengshui because there are good commonsense features about this ancient Chinese practice but I feel fengshui should not be offered as a study course at universities - it makes a mockery of the other sciences.
Oct 20, 2008 21:48
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  • YVONNE
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I am not totally discounting the 'usefulness' of fengshui because there are good commonsense features about this ancient Chinese practice but I feel fengshui should not be offered as a study course at universities - it makes a mockery of the other sciences.

What about religion? Is it a science? There are some schools that offer classes about Buddhism, Christianity etc. Should they be closed too?

"All that is real is rational; and all that is rational is real"---- Hegel’s famous statement. According to this statement, the existence of Fengshui is rational because it has existed for thousands of years. So is religion. By the way, Fengshui is not all about superstition. According to Fengshui principle, the houses sit north and face north are the best. Is it reasonable? Yes. Have you found that most houses in China face south? Why do they face south? China is in the Northern Hemisphere and most parts are in the north temperate zone. In winter, more sunlight can enter the houses that face south. Thus, it is warmer in the houses that face south. On the other hand, China is mostly affected by the South Asian Monsoon. The northwest wind dominates most parts of China in winter. The houses facing south can avoid the attack from the northwest wind.
Aug 28, 2009 06:21
#7  
GUEST11955 what do u mean by " so are all religions"?
Sep 5, 2009 05:50
#8  
GUESTAM The ignorant, the ill-informed will say feng shui is superstition, of course it is not. Cosmography has a striking resemblance to modern feng shui devices and formulas. It was found on a jade unearthed at Hanshan dated around 3000 BCE. The design is linked by archaeologist Li Xueqin to the liuren astrolabe, zhinan zhen, and Luopan.

All capital cities of China followed rules of feng shui for their design and layout. These rules were codified during the Zhou era in the Kaogong ji 考工记; "Manual of Crafts". Rules for builders were codified in the carpenter's manual Lu ban jing (鲁班经; "Lu ban's manuscript"). Graves and tombs also followed rules of feng shui, from Puyang to Mawangdui and beyond. From the earliest records, it seems that the rules for the structures of the graves and dwellings were the same.

The history of feng shui covers 3,500+ years before the invention of the magnetic compass. It originated in Chinese astronomy. Some techniques can be traced to Neolithic China, while others were added during the Han dynasty, the Tang, the Song, and the Ming.

It is good that Chinese universities are offering study programs in feng shui as it would lead to a systematic study of this ancient Chinese practice; leading to qualified scholars in the discipline.
Sep 5, 2009 06:14
#9  
GUESTOFU
Quote:

Originally Posted by DODGER View Post

Feng Shui is all about superstition but so are all religions. None of them can be proved.
I still say “bless you” when I hear someone sneeze. That dates back to the Great Plague or Black Death when a sneeze was the first sign of infection.
My Wife asked me to sleep on the other side of the bed some time ago as it was better Feng Shui.
Y...


WHAT AN IGNORANT MAN.
Sep 7, 2009 10:24
#10  
  • DODGER
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Guestofu, you are the Son of BY and I claim my $10.00.

Dodger.
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