Schools Of Feng Shui

Feng shui is commonly known as an ancient science, which provides knowledge on how to balance worldly energies. Maintenance of good health and attracting good fortune are what feng shui is today famous for. When the ancient Chinese started using feng shui three thousand years ago, it was known as the art of KanYu. KanYu studied and observed the forces between heaven and earth. At that time, feng shui was still in its infancy. It based its study only on the principles of Yin and Yang and the five elements. Over the centuries Chinese philosophers have made additions to the knowledge of feng shui and have passed it down to their students. As times passed, new findings were added to feng shui and old theories were refined. This eventually led to different schools of thought in feng shui. Broadly speaking, feng shui can be divided into the following main categories:

Classical/ Traditional Feng Shui
The period when the Tang Dynasty ruled is considered the golden era of KanYu. During this period the San He system of feng shui emerged as the most important ideology.

San He is considered the oldest form of classical feng shui. The San He School gave great importance to environmental features like mountains, topography of the land and water. The direction, shape, flow and appearance of these features became important components to consider before the construction of a building. Around 1640, towards the end of the reign of the Ming Dynasty, a new ideology was born. It was called San Yuan. San Yuan was based on the same principles as San He. The point of departure being that San Yuan gave greater importance to the aspect of "Time", whereas San He concentrated on physiognomy that is appearance, form and flow of the features of the environment especially water.

An important thing to remember is that in the genuine form of KanYu or feng shui each formula has a specific function. These functions are divided into the following types:

The Form School Of Feng Shui And The Compass School Of Feng Shui
Chi can be manipulated by using certain techniques of feng shui, based on the study of natural and artificial environments. Chi is difficult to explain and to understand. It is energy that is present throughout the universe. It is present in all energy and matter. Chi is the life-giving force of the universe.

The Form School of Feng Shui studies the flow of chi in the external environment that is in rivers, lakes, mountains, natural and artificial landscapes, and architecture. The Compass School of Feng Shui studies the flow of chi and its effects in the internal environment of natural and artificial structures, and incorporates some aspects of the external environment. It has been found that combining two schools gives you a more complete and more effective method of chi manipulation.

Xuan Kong School Of Feng Shui
This school is also known as "Flying Stars". The members of this school of feng shui thought base their theories on formulations that date back to several thousand years from observations made by Chinese scholars and philosophers. This school is considered to be the highest form of feng shui. It is also held in the highest of regard in the East.

Ba Zhai School of Feng Shui
This school is also known as the "Eight House", "Eight Mansions" or "East-West Theory". This school too has been formulated over years based on the observation of Chinese scholars and sages. It is a respected form of feng shui in the Eastern World. However, this philosophy does not take into consideration the age of the house while making predictions.

Black Hat Tantric Sect Tibetan Buddhist School Of Feng Shui
This school is also known as "Black Hat", "Black Sect" or just "BTB". It is a famous modern school of feng shui. However, this school of feng shui has been condemned by a large number of Chinese scholars. These scholars say that this branch of feng shui has been fabricated by Thomas Lin Yun, and that it is not based on traditional Chinese fengs shui.

Traditional practitioners believe that BTB is psuedo-feng shui and has been created to make money by creating a product and then marketing it skillfully.This school is very popular in the west as it is easy to learn, apply and does not need any understanding of ancient Chinese philosophy.

Just like literature, philosophy and psychology, feng shui too has its own set of schools. Though the different schools of feng shui use different approaches, their ultimate goal remains one - to bring peace, harmony and stability to worldly lives.