May all souls rest in peace.

Article by Singapore Feng Shui Master Edwaard Liu

Death is a taboo topic; many people do not know about it, many people do not care about afterlife. Many teachings are lost along the way with the enlightened people. I am hesitant to write about this topic because people tend to link real spiritual knowledge with superstition. However, as a traditionally trained Feng Shui Master, I feel I have the responsibility to share this knowledge so that more people and souls will benefit.

There is a Chinese phrase”入土为安” it means that when a person dies, the body must be buried for the deceased to have peace. In many different cultures and traditions, burial is an important and sacred process and different cultures have their own rituals.

Do note that scattering the ashes on the ground is not the same as burying the ashes in a container or urn underground.  Scattering the ashes on the ground, the ashes will be blown away and disperse, it is also subjected to the bright sunlight. If the ashes are not complete or subjected to sunlight which is strong Yang energy, the soul attached to the ashes which is Yin, will suffer. The ancient Chinese have evil curses 死无葬身之地 or 死无全尸, which means “dying without a burial place” or “dying without the body parts complete. “ Because they know that for a dead person the journey does not ends in death.

Humans have 10 souls. 三魂七魄Divided into 2 categories, 3 souls are called hun 魂。7 souls are called po 魄. One of the hun魂, is known as “you jing”(幽精 )or the soul that stays with the body (守尸鬼).If the body is not complete this soul does not rest in peace and he or she will suffer, This soul depends a lot on the descendants’’ prayers and offering. That is also why many cultures consider having descendants something very important.

If a soul suffers so does the descendants, it will affect nine generations of descendants. Our ancestors are not linked just by DNA, we are also linked by our karmic imprints.  That is why Chinese place a lot of emphasis on Feng Shui for the Burial place of ancestors. If someone is buried in a place with good Feng Shui, descendants will also benefit from the good energies of the burial place.

During Chinese Qing  Ming festival, it is the time when descendants visit the tombs to make sure it is not damaged; repair works are done immediately if there are any damages. It is also a time to clear any big plants that grow on the burial mount. If a tree or big plant grows out of the mount, it will also suck away the energy of the soul affecting the descendants at the same time. If the ground surrounding the tomb collapsed, it will affect certain family members’ health or wealth, depending which location front, back or sides collapsed. If the burial ground has water seeping in or is flooded, it will also have negative impact on the descendants. Qing Ming for the Chinese is also a time to pray and pay respect to the dead.

In the ancient days, one way to punish the worst criminal or enemy is to kill the person, hack the body into parts, burn and pound the bones into ashes and then throw them everywhere( 挫骨扬灰); so that the dead will suffer in the afterlife eternally(永不超生).

That is why we should never ever scatter the ashes of your ancestors or loved ones everywhere whether it is on the ground or in the sea. I have personally seen a few cases of young children or descendants having rheumatism or bad skin problems after having ancestors ashes scattered in the sea.

If the dead cannot be buried in the ground, at least it is important for the ashes to be complete and contained in an urn and placed at a proper columbarium. Nowadays people are getting creative dealing with the remains of a dead person, sometimes it is the deceased’s own request. Now you know these are really bad ideas.

Some people like to keep the ashes of their pet in an urn and store it at home, this is also not a good idea. They should also be buried to have peace.

May all souls rest in peace.

You can read more Feng Shui articles in my blog.