Feng Shui Glossary

holidayeveryday — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:14:51 +0000

Black Hat Sect
An unorthodox sect of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism that in China mixed Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan Bon with indigenous Chinese beliefs and practices. It combines religious and philosophical Taoism, Confucianism, folk cures and customs, and feng shui.
ch’i (chee)
Cosmic breath or energy ascribed to the atmosphere, the earth, and humans. This is the most important principle that feng shui experts seek to alter; they channel and enhance environmental ch’i flow to improve human ch’i and thus increase happiness, wealth, and vitality.
chu-shr (chew-shir)
The yet-to-be-discovered; that which is outside science and our range of knowledge; “illogical” cures.
feng shui (fung shway)
Literally translated as “wind and water,” it is the Chinese art of placement, of balancing and enhancing the environment.
I Ching (ee ching)
An early mystical text of divination, the mother of Chinese thought, used to tell fortunes and to give guidance. Its texts offer wisdom and depict the universe and man’s fate in constant flux. Its trigrams embody an early cosmology linking nature and man, and provide a mystical chart where human fate is directly linked to surroundings.
ling
Tiny airborne particles of embryonic ch’i — the prenatal and post-death spirit of an individual.
mantra (mahntra)
A ritualistic chant that, combined with a mudra and a wish, blesses a home or an individual to enhance environmental and human ch’i.
mudra (moodra)
A hand blessing — often similar to hand gestures of the Buddha — which, with a mantra and a wish, can bless or exorcise a place or person.
ru-shr (roo-shir)
That which is known, within our scope of experience and knowledge; “logical” cures.
sying (shing)
Forms, the immanent aspect of feng shui — what we can see, feel, and move, ranging form earth shapes, landscaping, road directions, houses, and rooms to furniture placement.
Tao (dow)
“The Way,” a philosophical concept of unity of opposites that describes the true nature and harmonious governing principles of man and the universe.
Taoism
Both a philosophy and a religion. As a philosophy, it preaches transcendence of the mundane through identifying with Tao and the laws of nature; as a popular religion, it integrates Chinese custom and wisdom, encompassing folklore, astrology, herbal medicine, and feng shui to help devotees achieve worldly success, happiness, and comfort.
TTB or Tibetan Tantric Buddhism
A form of Buddhism prevailing in Tibet derived from Indian Mahayana Buddhism. Based on the esoteric mysticism of Tantra (tradition of ritual and yoga) and on Bon (a primitive and mystic religion of Tibet See Black Hat sect.
yin-and-yang theory
The Taoist concept that unites all opposites.

Course Information

holidayeveryday — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:25:46 +0000

Feng Shui for Your Home

NOTE :: Originally a Barnes U Noble University online course I completed Dec. 2001, immediately after the 9-11 tragedy.

Visit today’s: Barnes & Noble.com – B&N Book Clubs

Description: In this course, you’ll discover how feng shui influenced ancient Chinese architecture and landscaping and how to employ some basic principles in your own home. You will trace its roots from ancient Chinese philosophy and practice to modern day practical uses. You will be able to examine drawings and photographs of feng shui do’s and don’ts. Most important, you will come away with an idea of how your surroundings affect your life.

Prerequisites

All you need is to bring an open mind, good judgment, and an artistic eye and imagination. The lessons and readings will do the rest.

Objectives

Understand the basic philosophy behind the practice of feng shui
Learn how feng shui shaped the Chinese landscape, design, and life
Discover how these ancient precepts can be applied in your own surroundings
Begin to create a more harmonious living environment

Materials You Will Need

Feng Shui Design: The Art of Creating Harmony for Interiors, Landscape and Architecture
In Feng Shui Design, Master Lin Yun and Sarah Rossbach have written a serious guide to the Chinese art of placement, providing historical information as well as modern practical ideas to incorporate feng shui into your home, garden, or office.

Interior Design with Feng Shui: New and Expanded
A centuries-old Chinese practice, feng shui has captured the Western imagination as a tool for design and well-being. In this classic book, complete with helpful drawings and photographs, Sarah Rossbach shows how anyone can apply its principles to enhance their careers, family life, health, and prosperity.

Additional materials

Living Color: Master Lin Yun’s Guide to Feng Shui and the Art of Color
Colors are key to the Chinese art of feng shui (“fung away”), a system of placement whose simplicity and ecological good sense have struck such a chord recently in the West. Now Lin Yun and Sarah Rossbach, well known for their introduction to the West of feng shui, have written a fully illustrated guide to color application in all areas of life: home, garden, clothes, food, environment, health, and fortune-telling.

Feng Shui: The Chinese Art of Placement
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice based on principles from design, ecology, architecture, mysticism, and common sense. In this masterful work, Sarah Rossbach interprets the teachings of feng shui master Lin Yun for contemporary Westerners, offering the classic essentials on achieving harmony with one’s environment. They apply not only to the layout of a building, but also to the arrangement of furniture within a room and to the best design of offices and public spaces — in short, to any arrangement of man’s environment. Learn the philosophy of this centuries-old art to help you achieve financial prosperity, good health, and happiness in today’s complicated world.

Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui: Learn the Art of Space Clearing and Bring New Energy into Your Life
Feng Shui is the ancient oriental art of enhancing and harmonizing the flow of energy in your surroundings. Over the last twenty years, Karen Kingston has pioneered the study of a specialized branch of Feng Shui called Space Clearing. In this fascinating and easy-to-follow guide she shows how you can use Space Clearing and other principles of Feng Shui to enhance the flow of energy in your home or workplace and so create happiness and abundance in every area of your life.

Suggestions for Further Learning:

Feng Shui at Work: Arranging Your Work Space for Peak Performance and Maximum
Profit
Lillian Too’s Feng Shui Space Clearing Kit
Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life

Feng Shui For Your Home