How to change one’s fate or the nation’s

(BÍ QUYẾT SỬA ĐỔI VẬN MỆNH – Submitted by Vinhphuc on Sep 19-2010- Translated by Blessed – Edited by Xiaobaiyun)

After extensively studying Feng Shui, I’ve reached the firm conclusion that it is rooted in superstition derived from Chinese traditions. This belief system suggests that individuals can alter their destiny through seemingly trivial actions like repairing their homes, offering gifts to deities like the earth god or fortune god, or acquiring various talismans. Additionally, there’s a notion that a family’s prosperity can be ensured by constructing tombs for their deceased relatives at specific cardinal points, believed to be guarded by dragons and tigers. Moreover, there’s a belief that the fortune of a dynasty or nation can be perpetuated indefinitely by identifying auspicious sites known as dragon veins, typically found in mountainous regions where energy is believed to be concentrated.

Below are anecdotes I personally know, which serve to illustrate these beliefs:

AAround a decade ago, there was a surge in popularity among the Vietnamese community in the US for raising dragonfish. According to Feng Shui beliefs, dragonfish, also known as the fish of good fortune, were believed to bring luck to their owners.

During this time, the price of a single dragonfish ranged from $5,000 to even tens of thousands of dollars. My wife’s brother was among the fervent believers in the power of dragonfish. He went ahead and purchased one for a staggering $20,000. However, his daughter confided in me that her father had become completely absorbed in caring for the fish, neglecting her in the process.

Despite residing in a million-dollar mansion, he had also spent a considerable sum constructing a fish pond. Drawing from my knowledge of mystical principles, I tried to explain to my relatives that the notion of achieving good fortune through raising dragonfish was mere superstition. True change in one’s fate, I emphasized, comes from living virtuously, performing good deeds, and cultivating positive virtues.
There’s an age-old saying that those with merits of good virtue will always have plenty to eat, a timeless truth. Unfortunately, my words fell on deaf ears, and my relatives dismissed them as mere jealousy on my part.
Five years passed without any further news of my brother-in-law. Then, one day, I heard that he had gone bankrupt and fled from his unsettled debts with the bank. His house had been seized, forcing him to seek temporary refuge with relatives. This unfortunate turn of events served as a stark confirmation of the validity of my earlier remarks.

This story underscores a crucial lesson: prosperity cannot be attained through extravagant purchases like a $20,000 dragonfish, nor through the pursuit of superficial activities advocated by Feng Shui practitioners. Practices such as planting trees, hanging bells, or making offerings to deities in the hope of altering one’s destiny are merely superstitions with no basis in reality.
I’m familiar with a Cambodian shaman renowned for his use of charms and spells in the local community. Once, a restaurant owner facing severe financial difficulties sought his help. The shaman visited the restaurant, inspected the premises, and attributed the troubles to malevolent underworld spirits. He attempted to counteract their influence by reciting magical formulas, mantras, and making mudras. As part of the ritual, he hammered numerous nails into the restaurant’s pillars, repeating the process three times on separate occasions. However, despite these efforts, the restaurant eventually went bankrupt mere months after the shaman’s final intervention.

From this, it’s evident that if Feng Shui fails to alter an individual’s fate, it’s equally improbable for it to change the destiny of a family or dynasty.

Throughout Chinese history, emperors and kings sought guidance from great magicians and Feng Shui masters in their quest for eternal reign. However, despite their efforts, all dynasties eventually met their demise. Royal families with good merits might govern for centuries, while those with fewer or no merits might only rule for decades or even collapse within a few years. A poignant example is the last Emperor Puyi of the Qing dynasty, who ended up serving as a guide for tourists visiting his former palace.

This reality aligns with the proverb: “wealth or poverty – neither lasts longer than three generations.”
And yet, people still perform absurd superstitious practices that do not really work. The poor still buy fruits and flowers; better-off people buy chickens, ducks, and roasted pork; the rich make offerings to monks, and donate to charity. Kings and rulers still consult Feng Shui masters for auspicious times to start any kind of work, to build royal tombs, and to lay out the palaces according to Feng Shui instructions to have long-lasting luck. It is mankind’s wish and desire to get blessings from Heaven and deities while living in sin and doing evil, creating bad karma instead of mending themselves. People bribe the gods with offerings to ask for small favors or pray to divine beings for bigger ones, instead of cultivating virtue without realizing that it is useless to pray for wealth and glory when one is doing evil things.

Hence, the key to altering the destiny of an individual, a family, or even an entire nation, and transforming misfortune into prosperity lies in the cultivation of virtue and the performance of good deeds. A nation’s wealth and strength are attributed to the wisdom and righteousness of its leaders, who employ skilled individuals and enact beneficial policies for the welfare of their citizens and the nation as a whole. Moreover, the populace must lead honest and virtuous lives, adhering to the laws of both Heaven and Earth.

The advisors to the nation must possess a deep understanding of spiritual principles and worldly affairs to effectively aid rulers in governance. By imparting moral values and metaphysical principles in alignment with the natural order, they can positively influence the fate of the country. However, this cannot be achieved through the practice of Feng Shui, but rather through the application of timeless principles by the will of Heaven.

The teachings of Feng Shui are largely comprised of nonsensical beliefs. However, there may be a small fraction, approximately 10%, that could be effectively utilized. The caveat is that for any Feng Shui practices to yield positive results, individuals, families, and entire nations must undertake the task of self-improvement and align themselves with the will of Heaven.

Without a genuine commitment to virtue and harmony, even if that 10% of Feng Shui principles are meticulously followed — such as identifying auspicious locations and conducting elaborate ceremonies to honor the divine — all endeavors to enhance one’s fate, or that of their family or nation, are bound to fail if rulers and citizens are driven by evil motives and greed.

(revised 3/1/24)

Suppressing “dragon veins”

(TRẤN YỂM LONG MẠCH by vinhphuc on 28 Sep 2010, Translated by Blessed – edited by Xiaobaiyun.)

All nations are believed to be guided by celestial beings in Heaven, who communicate their will through coded messages decipherable only by individuals gifted with the ability to interpret divine revelations. A classic example of this can be found in the Old Testament of the Judeo-Christian Bible:

The Pharaoh of Egypt once experienced two vivid dreams. In the first dream, he saw seven fat cows devoured by seven gaunt cows, and in the second, seven thin heads of wheat consumed by seven fat heads. Unable to find interpretation among his court’s necromancers, the Pharaoh called upon Joseph, a Hebrew slave renowned for his dream interpretation skills. Joseph revealed that the dreams prophesied seven years of bountiful harvests, to be followed by seven years of famine. He advised the Pharaoh to store surplus grains during the years of plenty to withstand the impending scarcity. Following Joseph’s counsel, Egypt was able to weather the famine without suffering its dire consequences (Genesis 41:1).

Mystics in Asian countries, particularly in Vietnam and China, often receive visions of Lung Mai or dragon veins being suppressed, or of the earth’s energy being obstructed at certain underground locations. However, these visions are symbolic and metaphorical in nature, not to be interpreted literally. They are not intended to prompt shamans or Feng Shui masters to physically search the land, rivers, and mountains for blocked dragon veins or underground meridians. Nor are they meant to encourage the setting up of altars and the performance of magical rites in an attempt to clear these supposed obstructions.
Breaking invisible spells cast on the land requires a deep understanding of exorcism principles. Exorcism and the removal of magic spells operate on the same fundamental principles.

Exorcism serves to aid individuals afflicted by demonic possession due to their past negative karma. Such occurrences are orchestrated by the Divinities for several purposes: firstly, to compel the affected person to acknowledge the supernatural origin of their affliction and seek assistance from shamans and mediums; secondly, to provide practitioners of mysticism with practical experience in dealing with the supernatural; and thirdly, to guide the possessed individual towards encountering a knowledgeable and compassionate master who can facilitate their release from possession.
Throughout this process, the Divinities orchestrate the exorcism scenario, aiming to introduce the true master to the public and facilitate their ability to teach the laws of Heaven and assist others in spiritual cultivation. The rituals and practices involving mudras, yantras, and mantras play a minor role in driving out demons; their significance is often overestimated by outsiders who attribute the shamans’ perceived power to these “magical weapons.”

In mysticism, a nation afflicted by cursed auspicious sites (dragon veins) is likened to a person suffering from demonic possession awaiting the arrival of a true master for healing, much like a chronically ill individual awaits the right doctor. When the genuine master, someone possessing virtue and profound understanding of both the physical and spiritual realms, someone capable of benefiting the nation and imparting spiritual wisdom, emerges, the Divinities grant them the seal of mandate. This seal empowers them to effortlessly dispel the spells afflicting the land.
However, individuals who arrogantly set up altars and perform magical rituals in an attempt to remedy the situation will not only fail but may encounter severe repercussions, akin to dishonest shamans facing the consequences of their exorcisms. To truly uplift a nation and revitalize its dragon veins, a genuine spiritual master is essential. Such a master must possess comprehensive knowledge across various societal domains, enabling them to identify and address societal maladies such as decay and corruption, and implement meaningful reforms. This master is not merely a shaman versed in geomancy or Feng Shui but a beacon of wisdom and radical transformation for the nation.

Here’s a revised version for clarity:

“What a country truly needs for prosperity is a righteous, wise, and skilled ruler. However, in ancient times, many rulers were misguided and even downright evil, leading them to embrace Feng Shui as a means to satisfy their ambitions and greed. Consequently, they often fell victim to Feng Shui charlatans.

Several historical examples illustrate this point. For instance, during the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Qin Shi Huang dispatched a Taoist priest with 500 boys and 500 girls aboard 10 ships to search for the elixir of life on Bong Lai island, only to realize he had been deceived when they failed to return. Similarly, the Empress Dowager Cixi’s misplaced faith in the supernatural invincibility of the Boxers, who advocated for a righteous and harmonious society, led to Beijing’s defeat by the Eight-Nation Alliance during their attack.

When rulers and commoners alike believe in magical powers or fabricated Feng Shui tales and base their actions on superstition, a nation’s fate becomes difficult to alter.

The Divine revelations regarding blocked dragon veins and cursed underground caves signify that the nation is burdened by its karmic debts and requires a genuine spiritual master. This master will not engage in magical battles or resort to charms and spells to manipulate the earth’s energy. Instead, he will impart wisdom, initiate reforms, and guide all levels of society to align with the divine will, thereby inviting blessings from Heaven.

Revised 3/01/24)