Chapter 10-4 Qingming Festival and Ancestral Worship

Understanding the relationship between Feng Shui and energy fields allows us to appreciate China's millennia-old traditions of ancestral worship and the Tomb Sweeping Festival (Qingming) customs.

Many of life's wonderful encounters and precious awakenings, most notably, occur after the departure of loved ones. I am no exception. Looking back, I realize how ignorant and unaware I was in my youth regarding the workings of life. There were no channels to learn about these matters, nor anyone to explain them to me, leaving behind a sense of regret. With this book, I hope to shed some light on the significance of the Qingming Festival.

Modern science struggles to explain how, after death, a person who becomes "nonexistent", reduced to dust and ashes, could influence their descendants. However, according to the "Law of Conservation of Energy", death is merely the disappearance of an old human form, while the fundamental elements (quantum particles) that composed the body remain eternal. Through the transformative processes of fire and water, these elements may turn into gas, ash, or soil, potentially giving rise to new forms of life. Similar to how we discussed earlier, a portion of a loved one's spirit of the land may merge with newly born descendants, akin to crops absorbing nutrients from decayed soil and fertilizers, nurturing future generations.

From an energy perspective, there is no fundamental difference between humans and plants or animals; all must obey the natural cycle, endlessly repeating, generation after generation. Though our ancestors have "passed away like extinguished lamps", their energy fields still permeate spaces connected to us, silently influencing descendants. The closer the blood relationship, the stronger the influence, owing to shared genetic inheritance encoded in DNA. The tiny particles dispersed in DNA carry the same frequencies and magnetic fields as those of their forebears, making it easy to communicate energetically and trigger resonance effects. While perceptions of such energies may currently be dismissed as superstition due to their intangibility, it's foreseeable that the "Feng Shui studies" passed down by our ancestors may one day be recognized as a ancient scientific "achievement".

All things in the universe share the same yin and yang energy. Ancestral graves are not only the final resting place for the physical bodies after death but also a spiritual site for descendants to honor their ancestors. These graves create an invisible magnetic field that influences the prosperity and continuation of future generations. Elders' spirits, due to their genetic blood ties with descendants, can absorb Dragon Qi if their remains are buried in a true dragon vein. In turn, they cultivate Qi and absorb bones; Dragon's yang Qi nourishes the yin of the bones, which will subsequently produce responses equivalent to those of the blood-related descendants. This is the interaction between yin and yang, a manifestation of the resonance between heaven and humans, where heaven's will aligns with human action, and similar energies attract each other.

Ancestral worship is common in countries across the world. Despite varying beliefs, rituals, and forms, the significance of commemorating ancestors remains the same. In 110 BC, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty led an army of 180,000 soldiers to worship the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum, which is known as the "First Mausoleum of China", has been the site of national grand sacrifices by successive dynasties. The Mazu Temple in Fujian, was first built after Mazu Lin Mo ascended to heaven during the Northern Song Dynasty. Today, there are over 10,000 Mazu temples in 46 countries and regions worldwide, with more than 300 million worshippers... The divine spirit remains eternal, protecting countless descendants for thousands of years.

Our deceased ancestors, in turn, protect our future generations. Building a geomantic influence is like planting fruit trees, while sweeping tombs and worshiping ancestors are like watering and fertilizing. "The ancestors planted trees, and the descendants enjoyed the shade." 

We might understand it this way: the ancestral grave is the root, the ancestral hall is the trunk, the family home is the branches, descendants are the leaves, marriage is grafting, love experience is the flower, career is the fruit, creditor is the pest, and unfilial acts or unjust death are withered branches and leaves... Sweeping graves is to trim the branches and roots, and good roots can resolve grievances and debts. People often say that passing on the family line is like branching out, flowering, and bearing fruit, which also carries this meaning.

Not only are our relationships with deceased relatives akin to "Quantum Entanglement", but so are our relationships with living relatives. Two microscopic particles with a common origin, no matter how far apart they are, experience an instantaneous influence when one particle undergoes a change. This is similar to twins or siblings, where if one person suffers, the other immediately senses it. Sometimes, on the very day a close relative passes away, we might feel extreme discomfort even before we receive the news, or we might even sense their departure in advance. Sometimes, after a relative has passed, they may appear in dreams to those still living, seeking help.

Many people have questions: If the soul persists after death, and humanity has existed on Earth for millions of years, the number of people who have lived and died far exceeds the current global population. Rough estimates suggest that over 100 billion humans have passed away. Does this mean the world is overrun with ghosts? Laozi explains in the "Tao Te Ching": "The still visible is called 'Yi', the inaudible is called 'Xi', and the intangible is called 'Wei'." In other words, when a person dies, they become a ghost; when a ghost dies, it becomes "Ni"; when "Ni" dies, it becomes "Xi"; when "Xi" dies, it becomes "Yi"; when "Yi" dies, it becomes "Wei"; and when "Wei" dies, it becomes formless. Even ghosts fear death; after dying, they become "Ni", gradually losing their voice ("Xi") and eventually their form ("Yi"), finally fading into nothingness. According to ancient beliefs, ghosts fear "Ni", and Taoist talismans often include the word "Ni" to repel wandering spirits and evil energies.

This explains why, despite the countless people who have died throughout history, the underworld is not overrun, and it also sheds light on why our ancestors insisted on ancestral worship. Annual rituals honoring the deceased not only provide offerings to ancestors but also serve as days for us to remember them. If the living do not regularly remember the deceased, their spirits may gradually fade away. Conversely, some individuals, beloved by the people during their lives, are remembered and revered after death, with temples built in their honor and incense burned year-round. These heroic spirits, even after hundreds or thousands of years, continue to protect those who revere them.

Here are answers to some common questions about life, death, and ancestral worship, presented in a Q&A format:

Q: Can those who choose to take their own life transcend life and death?

A: From the perspective of the meaning of life and the reality of reincarnation, people do not fear death, but they do fear a life worse than death. Some, when facing great hardships, feel that life is unbearable and think that death would bring an end to their suffering and resolve all their issues. At that moment, they may experience extreme self-denial, with their life energy rapidly declining, leading them into the lowest state of existence. To use an analogy, if life is like an exam, every second in the exam room has its value. If you become disillusioned with the exam, there's no need to choose suicide, as that would be akin to walking out or handing in a blank paper—nullifying all the effort you've already put in. This kind of reckless action is a complete negation of your inherent worth,  making it extremely difficult for the intermediate state to regain confidence and embark on a new journey of life.

In the "Six Realms of Reincarnation", being born as a human is actually very difficult, and it requires us to cherish life and the human body. In all religions, suicide is considered a grave sin, with very serious consequences, as it is seen as disrespect for life and a desecration of the way of heaven. In the movie "Inception", the protagonist's wife committed suicide and mentioned being "stuck in a space that is hard to escape from", illustrating that suicide did not solve her problems.

Q: If we already chose an excellent Feng Shui location for our ancestors, why might it later be "broken"?

A: Many emperors and high-ranking officials had great Feng Shui, but their dynasties eventually fell into decline. The main reason is that the descendants lacked the virtue and fortune to sustain or stabilize the good Feng Shui, causing it to deteriorate. It's like having wealth that cannot support an elephant—eventually, the elephant will starve. However, in a more modest setting, if you're raising a small dog, it might thrive and be lively. From an external perspective, natural disasters, pests, or human actions can "break" or alter Feng Shui. Therefore, descendants must cultivate themselves and accumulate virtue to be supported by good Feng Shui; otherwise, it will be difficult to maintain prosperity and blessings.

Q: Is the influence of an ancestral grave the same for all descendants?

A: The influence of an ancestral grave on descendants is not the same. The most direct impact is usually on the male descendants in the family. In many cases where the ancestral grave is "broken", the male lineage of the family gradually weakens. Even among sons, the impact may vary: typically, the eldest and fourth sons are affected similarly, the second and fifth sons similarly, and the third and sixth sons similarly (this is based on the principles of the Eight Trigrams). Furthermore, according to the Nine Palaces, the ruin of ancestral graves in different palaces has the greatest impact on the corresponding children of that palace.

Q: Are there taboos for tomb-sweeping? Who should not visit graves?

A: For some children whose souls are unstable and whose heavenly eyes are not closed, especially children under 5-years old, it is not advisable to take them to cemeteries. Even for adults sweeping graves, respecting religious customs and maintaining a sense of reverence is crucial. They should not be noisy, exceed boundaries, or take photos of the graves. Pregnant women should avoid visiting graves because their unborn babies have insufficient yang energy and unstable souls. To prevent external spirits from taking over or exchanging souls, places with excessive yin energy like funerals or cemeteries are not suitable for pregnant women.