A Brief Explanation of Master Lai Buyi's Letter to the Ancestral Lord of Longchuan on Selecting a Yang Site

Having recently parted from your virtuous presence, I have already looked up to you with deep respect. I specially awaited your letter detailing the investigation, and received your instruction on choosing and relocating a yang site. The eastern hills are tall and elegant, and you wish to face Jia-Yi; the southern hills stand arched and proper, and you again wish to face Bing. Yet according to art, mountains have form and force; one should choose that which has feeling and face it. Though the white mountain is somewhat plain, its feeling is lush and worth viewing; even if low and small, there is no great harm — no need to take the large silver vase as the most honorable.

Sanfu notes: not facing the large one, because it lacks feeling — discussed later in the text.

Moreover, each of the twenty-four directions has its auspicious and inauspicious; whenever there is a good mountain form it must sit in an auspicious position. And for the eastern horizontal mountain catching water rising upward, vulgar people take it as an "upstream golden fish" — in my foolish view this is wrong. The dragon peak stands specially tall; vulgar disciples call it a "writing brush" — I too think this wrong. Furthermore, forms like fish or like seal should belong to Geng-Dui as golden fish and golden seal; belonging to Jia-Yi as wooden fish and wooden seal; belonging to the four tombs as carrying a corpse and a false seal.

Sanfu notes: seeming like fish and like seal, obtaining water one might say "like a fish in water" — but only metal of Geng-Dui is truly golden fish and golden seal; if Jia-Yi, then wooden fish and wooden seal; at the four tombs of Chen-Xu-Chou-Wei, the earth collapses and the water dissolves.

The dragon peak at Xun is a writing brush; what is regrettable is the Chen position — though the mountain is good, it sits in an inauspicious direction, like a good person placed in the wrong. The site's quality also changes accordingly; though form and appearance are worth viewing, the heart is hard to entrust. Thus when an inauspicious mountain gains the auspicious, the mountain is its master — just as a petty man cannot do without a gentleman for his master. When an auspicious mountain does not gain the inauspicious, the mountain is its servant — just as a gentleman cannot do without petty men as his servants.

Sanfu notes: the Xun peak as writing brush sits wrongly at Chen.

The Book says: "The five inauspicious are never entirely absent" — broadly, they must be kept outside; if the land is not high but sits on an auspicious position, troubles and calamities naturally are forever eliminated.

Just as the Bing mountain, low and small, catching the upward auspicious direction, its feeling is like an excellent guest joining and clasping hands, ascending the hall and pouring in, embracing the dragon mountain at the center. The tall silver vase does not match the correct star; servants of that sort should be seated outside the gate and fed wine and meat — if made to rush into the courtyard and stand on equal terms, they will surely bring humiliation upon themselves.

Notes: using the small, not the large — only the tall and large places lack feeling.

Kun is the Earth Mother, to whom all mountains may be entrusted. In seeking feng shui, one should use the Kun trigram to take the three auspicious. Thus Gen-Bing, Dui-Ding, and Xun-Xin stand out in solitary elegance at the positions of the six nobles, like gentlemen among the crowd. Using the dragon of the six elegances, and also using the six elegances for the facing, is like a gentleman who cannot be interspersed with petty men.

Notes: the three auspicious and six elegances from Kun take Gen-Bing, Dui-Ding, and Xun-Xin.

Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li are yang; Gen, Xun, Dui, and Zhen are yin. Stems and branches also follow the trigrams in pairing; the yang site of a residence likewise accords with this matching. Thus it is said: "If the incoming mountains do not match the six dragons, one vainly faces a thousand hills and ten thousand layers. Speak not of children and grandchildren prospering in rank — one must yet not avoid calamity and disaster." In releasing water, yang mountains use yang, yin mountains use yin; yin and yang must not be mixed.

Sanfu notes: this is pure yin and pure yang.

The Classic says: "When yin and yang are mixed, matters are hard to fulfill; even if the Heavenly Heart is matched, it remains unknown. Use one palace of mountain and water correctly, and honor and prosperity naturally come without doubt." Now sitting Dui and facing Jia-Yi — sitting Geng facing Jia is Absolute Life; sitting Xin facing Yi is Wandering Soul — thus inauspicious. Though the dragon mountain's silver vase is elegant and outstanding, to take it by feeling is not yet the most correct.

Sanfu notes: Dui facing Jia — Zhen receives Geng as Absolute Life, Xun receives Xin as Wandering Soul — therefore inauspicious.

Thus the Classic says: "Speaking of facing mountains, it is like a nobleman standing with his back to me; he shares no feeling with me — this is called without feeling." If one chooses the facing by feeling, then the small mountain on Bing is truly the most correct. Ren and Gui receive Jia-Yi as the positions of the five inauspicious; there is originally no noble qi to sit upon, nor can one face them. The old yin-yang receive stems and branches; Jia and Yi are positions of isolation and emptiness — if one insists on facing them with a proper mountain, it is like chaff to relieve hunger; ruin awaits at once.

Whenever establishing a house or setting a grave, one must catch mountains and receive water. Comparing the three kinds of trigram examples, take the three auspicious, and combine with their belonging stems as the auspiciousness of sitting in the hall; Lu, Wen, and Po as the auspiciousness of releasing water — this is the three kinds of trigram examples.

Sitting Dui and facing Jia, using the sitting as the facing — a great error. Yet what matters is the matching theme, valuing the reception; feeling first, form after; avoiding the inauspicious and seeking the auspicious — there is no need for the table mountain and the incoming mountain to face each other before calling it reception; there is also that which embraces and wraps around the city wall.

That I must use the Bing facing: having carefully examined where the force converges, and the water mouth of the facing — delighting in unfurled banners and halted banners, with forward sand and forward water also, rising against the current — it cannot be called without feeling. The writing-brush peak stands right at the water mouth and is not idle either.

Sanfu notes: Gen receives Bing, and is in the Nurturing position, so it is fitting to face it. Later matching the three kinds of trigram examples, again catching mountains and receiving water, taking the three auspicious positions, and requiring their stems to be auspicious; releasing water exits three, four, and seven.

Whenever feng shui auspiciousness or inauspiciousness — within a few feet of the hall — meets the spirits and baleful influences, the appropriate sitting and facing, where the flowing water exits: if one knows the true site, the principle naturally divides itself. Now relocating to the Bing facing uses the lower sand, wrapping closely in embrace — this is the so-called "one palace of mountain and water."

Bing facing from Dui is the yin trigram of Dui, yang within yin; the received stem is yin within yin. Taking the auspiciousness of thunder-dragon matching — Ren and Bing facing each other, yin and yang in harmony.

Sanfu notes: Dui receives Ding; Bing is the yang of Ding. Gen receives Bing; Gen-Bing are again yin — hence yin and yang in harmony.

The Classic says: "On Dui, no matter where one dwells, the distant facing mountains and water are fully sufficient; when Wu Qu suddenly rises as a mountain to illuminate, the Five Ghosts of the Kan palace naturally dissolve." This speaks of Kan, and likewise of Gui. The Classic says: "Zhen as thunder receives and secures the Heavenly Gate; near and far they hasten to court, range on range of peaks; brushed by the benevolent wind for a thousand li, all bow to the Fifth Marquis's office." This speaks of Zhen, and likewise of Gui. Now correctly using this — try following my view, firmly without doubt — then the details of the coming omen may be decided in advance.

Sanfu notes: if Wu Qu appears on Kun, the Five Ghosts of Kan are not inauspicious — Kun controls Kan — hence one knows that Master Lai's primary art was the Assistant Star method.

Examining the Ascending Mystery, it entirely gathers the auspicious in the direction faced, and responds within no more than half a decade. In the year Yi-Si, there will be a small rise and then a setback — Yi-Si Na Yin is fire overcoming metal, indicating setback; do not worry over it. In the year Ding-Wei, when the Virtue luminary arrives, it should mean rising in fame and brilliance; within ten days one will emerge as general or minister — not merely a humbler promotion.

Nowadays the realm is peaceful, only You-Yan has not yet returned to the registers; the court intends restoration. If at such a time one raises martial might and inspires the army, reckoning not whether fame and rank are high or low, and strives to advance, one will surely establish a rare achievement. I am willing to encourage my slow self and follow at the hour of the triumphal song — not empty words. But if one adds personal views and makes slight changes, rashly touching a single mechanism, a hundred gates all fail; one must shoulder the blame oneself and not ask again. Taste carefully the incoming instruction — might it not lose the grand principle? The wind and dew are already cool; all the more should you by ritual discipline be complete, and bring the great matter to a close. Not further declared.

Sanfu notes: though it is said Longchuan had the affinity of Immortal Lai, in truth his portion was insufficient — they never used Ren sitting Bing facing. What the Hu clan ancestral hall used was Gui sitting Ding facing with a shift toward Zi-Wu, that is, sitting at the minor empty-void; Xin-Xu water comes and exits Yi-Chen.

The Hu clan of Longchuan had the great feng shui master Hu Shunshen; he used the Ancestral Temple five-element water method, and some say he roughly followed that method.

As recorded in Song dynasty Yang Weide's General Record of Tombs and Meadows: "The Great Five Elements are the transformed body of the five elements; only geographers use them. Their principles of branching and belonging — shallow and confused — cannot all be examined; even if obtained, much is far-fetched and forced, not fully exhausting the principle. Used through the ages, they have very clear verifications; the subtlety of yin and yang cannot be exhausted — this is roughly like doctors' use of the five movements; therefore we now follow and use them."

Master Xu said: "What use are the Ancestral Temple stars and trigrams? Yin and yang cutting water is empty blossom."

Master Liao said: "Chanyu and Plum Blossom are not orthodox discussions; how can the heavenly-star Ancestral Temple be known?"

Master Lai said: "The trigrams of the Ancestral Temple mislead many; without dragon and without site, what is there to know?"

According to the Burial Book: Vermilion Bird originates from vital qi, that is the life-nourishing position; it parts against the not-yet-prosperous, that is the bathing and capping positions; it faces the great prosperity, that is the approaching-office and imperial-prosperity positions; it marshals the about-to-decline, that is the declining and ill positions; it flows into imprisonment and withering, that is the death and tomb positions. Drawing near the absolute, that is the absolute and fetal positions. Lu Cun — this is the Ancestral Temple. Little do they know that "Vermilion Bird originates from vital qi" means: qi is the mother of water; where there is qi, there is water. Tracing the source of its flow, it truly overflows from vital qi — hence "originates from vital qi." "Parts against the not-yet-prosperous" means: the water source first divides; the flow, not yet grown, is still not prosperous. "Faces the great prosperity" means: the many waters all face the Bright Hall together, their qi greatly prosperous. "Marshals the about-to-decline" means: before the water flows out, it must first gather into a marsh; its force is about to store and about to decline. "Flows into imprisonment and withering" means: where the water exits, sand heads on both sides interlock like teeth, like imprisoning a thing and not letting it go. "Returning so as not to be cut off" means: qi overflows and becomes water; water again is imprisoned and does not depart, instead nourishing and fostering qi; qi and water cycle and are born, without ever being severed. As for the method of every turn — storing and then releasing — this means desiring its winding turns to stop and store, not desiring it to flow straight and leave swiftly. "Abundantly winding and lingering, looking back as if reluctant to flow" means: it lingers affectionately at the site. "Its coming has no source, its going has no flow" means: its coming is so far that the source is unknown; its going winds so that the flow cannot be seen.

According to the method, called the Great Five Elements — following Hong Fan five elements and mapping the twelve growth stages to the seven luminaries — if the division of yin and yang is without error, then it accords with Hu Shunshen's method.