When people speak of feng shui, the first thing that comes to mind is their usefulness as a collection of decorating principles to create a harmonious living environment. But inner feng shui has more profound content and deeper inner meaning. The Tao Te Ching by Laozi speaks of the goodness of water, living in a good place, and the merit of a good heart. Of these factors, the last one is the most important — the feng shui created within oneself.
3 principles of inner feng shui
1. Kindness towards people is manifested on the face
Thinking of people’s kindness and benevolence is called gathering light. When dealing with people, you should always think about the good of others and compare your heart to their hearts. Only by learning to forgive and tolerate others can you exchange your sincerity for their well-being.
At the same time, when you think about the good of others, the light goes up, and the expression on your face is a smile. The smiling face is ingot-shaped and the mouth is like a lotus flower which is sure to bring wealth. When you think bad about others, complain about others, envy others, or hate others, “yin” energy gathers on your face, and the expression on your face is like a bitter gourd, which is sure to bring bad luck.
2. Filial piety to ancestors
The source of good feng shui also comes with filial piety toward ancestors. It is deeply rooted, and the branches and leaves are naturally lush. It is difficult to change your destiny if you always despise your parents, and those who are not filial always find it hard to think of others. Parents are your roots. If you don’t even know how to care for the roots, the branches and leaves of the tree will naturally wither. This is the most basic truth.
If you respect your parents and teachers from a young age, your character will not be bad when you grow up. If you know how to be a good person, things will naturally turn out well. If you respect your parents, you will be able to tolerate them when you find them confused and messy. If you know how to make your parents happy, how to restrain your emotions, and can get along well with your boss, colleagues, and everyone else, then your daily work will be smooth. The most important thing that you can reap from filial piety is the accumulation of wealth and merit. Behind everyone’s success are innate blessings
3. Harmony between husband and wife
In the philosophy of the Chinese classic Book of Changes, husband and wife are “yang” and “yin”, and the harmony between them makes all things prosper. A prosperous career, a prosperous family, and encounters with nobles all depend on the harmony between husband and wife. If there is disharmony between husband and wife, everything is sure to fail.
The root of the harmony between husband and wife is that both husband and wife abide by their own duties. A husband and a father is the pillar of the family and he must actively undertake family responsibilities and earn money to support the family. As a wife, she should abide by her duties to teach the children to be good and be filial toward their parents. In this way, the family will be harmonious and businesses will prosper. When “yin” becomes too dominant and “yang” declines, the “yin” and “yang” are not in harmony, and the family is sure to decline.
We often think to ourselves: “What can a person rely on to be successful?” Some people say it’s talent, some people say it’s opportunity, and some people say it’s all luck. But the question is: Since there are thousands of talented people, why is it that some people can succeed and some can’t? So talent alone is not the answer. Why does opportunity favor some people and stay away from others? There must be something at work behind this — a person’s innate blessings.
Good fortune depends on virtue, and good feng shui depends on self-cultivation of the heart. If you understand tolerance and do more for others, your own good fortune comes naturally. Feng shui is a blessed inner world for you to live in. If you are an upright individual, no matter what other aspects exist, any place you live in can be turned into a blessed home.
Translated by Chua BC
