Thursday, November 28, 2013

Zhang Zhu - The Inner Chapters Part 2


葬书

The Inner Chapters No 2

內篇二

Arteries and Branches.









地勢原脈,山勢原骨,委蛇東西,或為南北。
Arteries are the source of the topography; the bones are the source of mountains.
Winding like a snake from East to West or from South to North.
·       Comment: The topography of the land forms mountain ranges. (Many and varied) The mountain itself is defined by the bone structure. (Singular) It can go in all directions and not fixed.














千尺為勢,百尺為形。
Thousands of feet are considered as contours; hundreds of feet are considered as features.
·       Comment: Whatever is far away is considered as general contour of the land which provides the power for the Qi and should be considered differently from whatever is closer which is considered as features/shape.
勢來形止,是謂全氣。全氣之地,當葬其止。
From the contours coming from afar ending in nearby features; this is considered as the complete Qi.
The place for burial is where the Qi is complete. The Xue position where the Qi has stop and accumulates.
·       Comment: To analyze the Qi fully, it is important to understand fully the distant topography to the near features where the Qi terminate. The best place for burial is where the full Qi terminate and accumulate.

宛委自複,回環重復。
若踞而候也。若攬而有也。
Winding, twisting and turning back, further turning around to the original self.
As if crouching and waiting, waiting to seize or grasp something.
Comment: Describing the movement of the dragon which is the mountain ranges. In reality mountain ranges behaves in such a manner as described above. It is often quite difficult to ascertain whether it is moving or turning around or waiting to move again. 
欲進而卻,欲止而深。
Moving forward and then retreating, when it stops it goes deep.
來積止聚,沖陽和陰。
Arriving and gathering, accumulating where it stops, clashing the Yang and Yin.
Comment: The Qi gathers and build up as it flows. Where it stops the Qi will then accumulate. Mixing the Yang Qi and the Yin Qi. The Yang being moving Qi and the Yin being still/not moving Qi.  When it stop the Yang Qi becomes Yin Qi and is blended together.
土高水深,郁草茂林。貴若千乘,富如萬金。
With high mountain and deep water, where the vegetation is thick and dense.
It is considered noble (nobility with a thousand chariot) and fortunate (riches with ten thousand gold).

經曰:形止氣蓄,化生萬物,為上地也。

Classics: Qi is stored at the Xue feature, transforming to produces all living beings, it is considered as Superior land.
Comment: Where the contour stop at the Xue point. It is where the Qi accumulate and is transformed into Living Beings.

平支, 乘气

Flatland and Branches, Riding Qi.

地贵平夷,土贵有支

The noble land is level ground, the noble earth has branches.
Comment: The 2 categories of land for Feng Shui. One which is the Flatland Dragon and the Highland Dragon. Both of them can be good or bad. It is not a matter of saying only the highland has good Feng Shui.

支之所起,氣隨而始。支之所終,氣隨以鍾 (气随而终)

The rise of the branches is the starting point of the Qi.
The end of the branches is the stopping point of the Qi.

觀支之法,隱隱隆隆,微妙玄通,吉在其中。

The method of observing the branches, partly hidden and partly distinct.
The auspiciousness lies within the subtle methodology of Xuan.
Comment: Through observation and applying the theory of Feng Shui, it is possible to detect the quality of the Qi even though it is partly hidden and not easy to detect.
經曰:
地有吉氣,土隨而起。支有止氣,水隨而比。
勢順形動,回復始終。法葬其中,永吉無凶。
Classic:
Where there are auspicious Qi in the ground, the land will rises accordingly.
Where there is accumulated Qi in the branches, the water will follows accordingly.
Where the topography rises and fall with moving feature, returning to the beginning. Burial carried out in such a place will attract eternal good fortune without any misfortune.

山势

Mountain Topography.
山者,勢險而有也,法葬其所會。
Mountain: There are dangerous mountains when we carry out burial.
Comment: There are good and bad places for burial in the mountains.

乘气所。审其所废。擇其所相。避其所害。

The Qi riding the In-Coming dragon. To examine the deficient Qi, select the acceptable ones, avoid the harmful ones.  
Comment: Basic Feng Shui methodology. To examine the land to determine the Qi. Whether it is deficient and unusable or prosperous which is acceptable or harmful which should be avoided. Whether it is good or bad is determined by the In-Coming Qi which came from the topography of the land.
是以君子奪神功,改大命。
In this way the gentlemen grabbed the magical power from the gods to change the destiny.
Comment: A Feng Shui master who understand how to tap the Qi can change the fortune of people and is described here as having the power of the god.
禍福不旋日。
Fortune and misfortune does not revolve based on the days.
經曰:葬山之法,若呼吸中言應速也。
Classic: The method for mountain burial is comparable to shouting in the valley where the echo is immediate.
·       Comment: When burial is done correctly, the effect is very fast.

五不葬

5 Types of mountains unsuitable for burial.
山之不可葬者五,
The five types of mountains which are unsuitable for burial.
氣以生和,而童山不可葬也。
Qi accumulates where there is Sheng Qi. “Child Mountain” which is bare and lifeless is unsuitable for burial.
·       Comment: “Child Mountain” means mountain which is still young and has no vegetation and is devoid of life.
·       Mountain devoid of life is unsuitable for burial. Sheng Qi and life are connected. When a mountain is rocky and devoid of any life, it also represent a place having very little Sheng Qi.
氣因形來,而斷山不可葬也。
Qi is derived from the shape/feature of the land flowing according to the countour. “Broken Mountain” which is cut/broken is unsuitable for burial.
·       Comment: The meaning of cut/broken is where the Sheng Qi has been removed. Example part of a mountain where the vegetation has been totally removed by nature (soil erosion) or due to action by man.(Mining)

氣因土行,而石山不可葬也。

Qi travel through the earth. ‘Stone Mountain” which is rocky is unsuitable for burial.
·       Comment: When the ground is too rocky, the Qi will not be able to flow freely.
氣以勢止,而過山不可葬也。
Qi stop or accumulate where the contour comes to an end. “Running Mountain” is not suitable for burial.
·       Comment: “Running Mountain” is where the Qi has not stopped and accumulate in a Xue and is still flowing.
氣以龍會,而獨山不可葬也。
Qi originates from the dragon (Mountains), “Lonely Mountain” is not suitable for burial.
·       Comment: A standalone mountain will not have the powerful Qi described in the earlier phrase where the Qi is like surging waves and galloping horses which came from the mountain ranges.
經曰:童,  , , , , 生新凶而消已福。
Classic: Child, Broken, Stone, Running, Broken Mountains will reduce new misfortune and reduced the acquired fortune.
·       Comment: Those who are buried in the 5 danger mountains will not only experience bad luck but their own acquired good luck will be reduced.

万乘

Superior Mountains.

上地之山,若伏若連,其原自天。

若水之波。若馬之馳。

The superior mountain, through a series of ascending and descending, originally from the heaven. Like surging waves, or galloping horses.
·       Comment: This phrase is about the movement of the Qi from the original mountains ranges through a serious of ups and downs like a roller coaster. The power of the Qi flow is like the surging waves and the power of galloping horses.

其來若奔。其止若屍。

In-Coming in a rush, when stopped it is like a corpse.
·       Comment: The Qi flowing down from the superior mountain in a fast mode due to the contour, but when it stopped, it will stop totally. The Qi will all accumulate in that spot. That spot is the “Xue”.

若懷萬寶而燕息。

若具萬善而潔齊。

Similar to a person resting peacefully holding a treasure;
Or someone who has collected enough merits but still pure and humble.

若橐之鼓。若器之貯。

Like a bulging bag, or a storing container which is full.

若龍若鸞,或騰或盤。

Like dragon soaring or phoenix circling.

禽伏獸蹲,若萬乘之尊也。

Birds submitting (concede), the beast crouching in submission, to the King with ten thousands chariots.
Comment: The few phrases describing the power of the Xue point.

天光發新。朝海拱辰。

New heavenly lights shining brightly. The rivers all returning to the sea.
·       Comment: In-Coming dragon coming into the Ming Tang (Bright Hall) with renewed prosperous energy. Out-Going water going towards the sea where the water mouth is located.

龍虎抱衛,主客相迎。

Embraced and protected by the Dragon and Tiger, Host receiving and Guest welcoming.
·       Comment: The Xue spot being protected by the dragon on one side and the tiger on the other side. The dragon In-Coming to the Xue spot (Ming Tang) and Out-Going to the Water mouth representing the Host and Guest relationship.

四勢朝明,五害不親。十一不具,是謂其次。

The four Directions are correct and proper, without the 5 dangers.
With only one such non-conformation, it will be considered as lower category.
·       Comment: The 5 dangers include “Child Mountain”, “Broken Mountain”, “Stone Mountain”, “Running Mountain” and “Lonely Mountain”.

No comments:

Post a Comment