Monday, October 20, 2008

Education: Science vs Feng Shui

Sir Issac Newton said, "What Descartes did was a good step. If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

Feng Shui practitioners today claim to be the xxx generation disciple of Yang Jun Song or even Guo Po, Huang Shi Gong, ... They are proud of peeping under the trousers of these great Feng Shui masters in history. This is how the lineage game is played.

How did Newton learn from Descartes? The answer is simple: from his written work.

If we want to see more, we have to stand on the shoulders of Giants and not hiding under the legs of Giants and claim to be closely related to the Giants. How? The answer is simple: learn from the books written by the great people in history.

The "lineage holders" will say, "You can't learn Feng Shui from books. The masters in the past wrote the books in cryptic language and only the lineage holders can understand the secret. This is because the masters did not want the powerful Feng Shui technique to be in the wrong hands."

How much damage can Feng Shui do if it falls in the wrong hands? Can it be worse than using the knowledge of science and technology to create modern weapons that can kill millions?

There is a Chinese proverb: Stop eating because of hiccups 因噎廢食 that describes this stupid excuse.

Our attitude should be to stand on the Giants' shoulders to see further and to respect the Giants who give us a lift. How? Learn it the way scientists do.

JY

Monday, October 13, 2008

Playing the Lineage Game

The lineage claim is just a game Feng Shui practitioners love to play. Most schools claim Yang Jun Song 杨筠松 (better known as Yang Jiu Pin 杨救贫) to be the founding great grand master. Come to think about this: Where and from whom did Yang Jiu Pin learn Feng Shui?

It is interesting that no one suggested he got the knowledge from some aliens who were much more advanced than our civilization. It is the only sensible answer if the lineage game is to be convincingly played.

People who know me well understand that I learned Chinese Metaphysics from ancient books under the guidance of an old master. Our relationship is just like that between a doctorate student and his professor. The lineage game is not played in universities but there may be a school of thought honoured by people with like minds.

The lineage game has suffocated the development of Chinese Metaphysics. I am giving out the wake-up call to dreamers and if my voice is not loud enough, please join me.

JY