@Awakened_Angel: regarding Taoism I urge you to read : Taoist Master Chuang

I agree that probably 50% of Lillian Too's FS is BS..... don't forget she studied the classical FS principles under her teacher CH Yap.

but FS jewellery?!! ....jeezus give me a break!
but its a money machine for her......

This post has been edited by wongpeter: Sep 19 2010, 08:14 PM

TheDoer said:



What has ethics got to do with a discussion on Feng Shui or Taoism or even a 'study of nature' whatever that means? If by 'study of nature' you are referring to the empirical nature of Taoism then you are right. But don't forget that Taoism is not wholly empirical. The origins of some of the principles, beliefs, rituals etc. are already lost in the mists of time. What is empirical, what was handed down has already been blurred by time.

I read the bk. 'Taoist Master Chuang' many years ago so I am referencing from the book here is to the best of my memory. This professor (sociology? anthropology? I can't remember) was in Taiwan to do research on the subject of Taoism. He asked the Taoist Master Chuang what were the reasons for doing the things that he did, if he could explain how those rituals were supposed to work. The Taoist Master could offer no explanation but just said that if he followed exactly what his master taught him, to write those symbols on the yellow strips of paper, to chant the prayers he was taught, to walk the steps with the requisite twists and turns whilst waving his wooden sword, chanting and imploring the deities to intervene on his behalf and finally culminating in the burning of the yellow talismans then the results would be exactly as expected. It is as if someone who throws the switch on the TV would have about 99.9% certainty that the screen would come alive even though he hasn't got a clue how electricity and electrons and cathode ray tubes works! o what this Taoist Master was saying in effect is that if he "were to draw a symmetrical sign in the sand" (or on a yellow strip of paper) then what was expected would happen without fail. Whether you call the results magical or otherwise is of course dependent on your understanding of the fundamental principles. If an electronics engineer threw the switch on his TV he would never call the results magical because of his understanding of electricity & electronics. If a caveman was taught the physical act of throwing the switch he would say its magic that the screen came alive cos he doesn't understand the fundamental priniples and how they work. Since we don't understand the fundamental principles behind why drawing a symmetrical sign in the sand makes something happen exactly the ways it's supposed to, it may be better to call it hocus pocus bullshit cos it does make us seem more intelligent. After all if we can't explain something than that something must be superstition or just some silly grandmother stories.

Incidentally this professor doing his research in Taiwan was absolutely dumbfounded by what he saw and experienced when he was with the Taoist Master Chuang.

If I told you that you could use the dorian mode instead of the major scale when improvising over a major key would you say it was bullshit just cos you don't know what i was talking about? Of course not! You would get hold of a music teacher or a book on modal playing and spend a couple of years working on your chops. Similarly if you don't understand some aspects of Taoism then what you should do is to do a little more reading and researching on the subject before dismissing it as BS or hocus pocus!

It is evident to me that most of you peeps embroiled in this discussion on Feng Shui are from a science/engineering/math background as can be seen from the terminology used as well as the putting forth of hypotheses argued from a scientific and logical perspective. Without a doubt a group of highly intelligent and knowledgeable people..... in the field of science. Kudos!

I am however appalled by the distinct lack of knowledge on the basic principles of Feng Shui, the topic in question, and what's worse is the obvious fallacious understanding of Taoism and the I-Ching. Trying to argue as to the validity or otherwise of Feng Shui from a scientific perspective is rather pointless.

btw I don't think Yin & Yang gave rise to what-was-it? the 4 powers just because 2x2=4?! I thought it gave rise to the 5 elements. From nothing came something? my my thats mind boggling! I thought Wuji gave birth to Yin & Yang, no? I am quite confused now.

Oh I just wanted to ask if Einstein really did say something like "God does not play dice' and if he did, just what did he mean by it? That God doesn't exist cos it cannot be proven scientifically?

Kinda off topic, just wanting to dispel some misconceptions about Chinese martial arts. Read at your own discretion.



This post has been edited by wongpeter: Oct 4 2010, 10:15 AM

Answer me this, did I say MMA was not effective as a martial art? Did I say Bruce Lee was wrong in what he did with his JKD? Even his master never placed any emphasis on this power of Qi, so when you manipulate your argument this way > "..prove bruce lee to be wrong in mixing the method in various martial art style and not study the power of qi", then you are by inference saying that Yip Man's system of Wing Chun was about the power of Qi which is misleading to say the least.