The Feng Shui of Abundance
Red Envelope QuestionYou may wonder "Why is there a Red Envelope on the cover?" Or "Why do some Feng Shui consultants follow the Red Envelope Tradition?" The following was given to Suzan Hilton on July 18, 2001, by H.H. Grandmaster Professor Lin-Yun Rinpoche to accompany his preface for The Feng Shui of Abundance. Two very wise sages of the Black Sect Tantric Buddhist Feng Shui community share their views: By Dr. Chang Chiu Compensate "From an earthly point of view, you pay lawyers, accountants and doctors who provided services to help solve your problems. Similarly, you should also compensate a feng shui consultant who employed his or her knowledge, precious experiences, time and effort to answer your perplexing questions, whether they are related to health, career or wealth. Red Envelope Offering "You do this by offering the consultant red envelopes with offerings in them. The purpose of the feng shui advice is to assist you, not because the feng shui consultant wants to get money out of you. Symbolizes Sincerity "Transcendentally speaking, offering red envelope symbolizes your sincerity. Secret cures are sacred, and not to be disbursed at random. Otherwise, the teachers of the secret cures will be condemned by heaven. So by giving your teacher the red envelopes, he or she can thus be protected. Protection "You may wonder, helping others is a good deed. Why should the teacher be punished for performing a good deed? Example of A Good Heart "I once was aboard a bus, and I saw a thief pickpocket another passenger. Out of good heart, I immediately called the attention of that passenger as to what was going on. The thief left empty-handed, but after I got off the bus, the thief ran after me and beat me. Wasn’t I doing a good deed? So how come I was punished? Secretful "Secret cures are also 'secretful'. The saying goes, 'A cure should never pass through six ears'. In other words, those cures are for your ears only. Once you receive a cure, tell no one unless you also receive red envelopes in return." ======== ========= ========= Originally written by Teacher Ho Lynn Tu, and reprinted with permission from Yun Lin Temple News, Vol. III, No.11, pages 19 & 20: Questions and Answers Question In learning feng shui of the Black Sect Tantric Buddhist tradition, the Red Envelope Ritual is an important practice. Please reiterate its meanings and significance as well as ways of proper applications. Answer Over the years, many people have raised the issue concerning the red envelope ritual, not only by those who have just begun to study but also by returning students and people who have become professional feng shui consultants. The Red Envelope Ritual is indeed a very important concept that needs to be understood clearly. Historical Development If you know about the historical development of Black Sect Tantric Buddhism, you should understand that Black Sect Tantric Buddhism at its fourth phase of development guided by Professor Lin-Yun today has distinguished itself from other Tantric Buddhist schools in two major aspects. Culturally, it represents an amalgamation of Indo-Tibetan, Chinese and modern studies of sciences; religiously, it is formed by an embodiment of the indigenous Tibetan Bon religion, esoteric Tantric Buddhism and Esoteric Sutrayana Buddhism. As you practice feng shui or learn about any other areas of studies of the Black Sect Tantric Buddhism traditions, such as Holistic Healing, practical I-Ching, Spiritual Cultivation and Meditations, or Transcendental Solutions from Professor Lin-Yun, you have become the holder of an immensely sacred pool of knowledge. Safe-guarding Sacred Knowledge Thus, the question of how to safe-guard and cherish the sacred knowledge you have in your domain becomes an imminent necessity. According to Professor Lin-Yun, the answer to that question relies firmly on the Red Envelope Ritual. As all this knowledge you have acquired or are interested in learning are esoteric in nature, has deep rooted influences in the Chinese folk culture and has followed the oral transmission tradition of Tantric Buddhism. They are therefore, not to be indiscriminately shared. [Emphasis added by the webmaster.] Esoteric The word esoteric in Tantric teachings has two fold of meanings, there are, (1) respectfully sacred; and (2) carefully and cautiously sacred. Thus the teachings should be guarded with great respect and care before sharing. Buddhist Doctrine According to Buddhist doctrine, it was said that when the Buddha was spreading the Dharma, he taught 84,000 different ways to his disciples to enable them to reach the state of enlightenment. One of his many disciples questioned the effectiveness and wondered how anyone could learn these many different ways in a lifetime and yet be assured of reaching the state of nirvana. With that awareness and compounded by his belief that the Buddha had a supreme infinite power, he addressed his concern directly to the Buddha. In the end, he requested for a teaching which would allow him to reach the state of Buddhahood in the now and present lifetime. The result of this episode was the beginning of esoteric, Tantric Buddhism. Unique Dharma Teachings It was said that the Buddha was delighted to note such an awakening among his disciples. Realizing the presence of a very special karmic link between this disciple and himself, the Buddha chose to share some unique Dharma teachings directly and discreetly to this disciple alone. Since then, the teachings have been traditionally transmitted to those who share a special karmic link to the brand of knowledge. Due to the sacred nature of these teachings, the knowledge has been shared only by oral transmission, [only] on a one to one basis, directly from one teacher to a student. The stated guideline in transmitting follows the principles of [many beautiful Chinese characters]. Translated literally it means: "Do not speak up when there are 3 mouths present and, do not transmit when there are 6 ears listening." Cherish and Respect These guidelines constitute the basis of an adequate attitude in dealing with any esoteric Tantric teachings today. We have been constantly reminded by Professor Lin-Yun to cherish and to respect the sacred teachings we have acquired with extreme care and to exercise caution when sharing them with others. For if you fail to comply with this principle guideline, the sky may fall upon you unexpectedly! Why the Red Envelope Ritual? How does one implement the ritual properly? How many red envelopes should be offered? Why do we need to put money within each red envelope? In the Chinese folk culture and custom, the color red signifies positive power, courageous strength and auspicious good luck. All of these qualities when combined provide a strong power to drive away negative and evil forces. Besides, the shape of the red envelope resembles an ancient shield that protects the body of a soldier from being harmed. Receiving Transcendental Knowledge When you receive transcendental knowledge, and regardless of the form of receipt, whether it is Feng Shui advice, mystical, holistic healing or transcendental solutions, or divination, physiognomy, palmistry, meditation and any other additional teachings of the Black Sect Tantric Buddhism lineage, you should give the person who transmitted such knowledge directly to you, a number of red envelopes with some money within each. This offering of the red envelope symbolizes our respectful intention towards the sacred esoteric information. Giving Transcendental Information On the other hand, when you are giving away any transcendental information, you must clearly explain the red envelope ritual and request that the person you are helping to comply with the ritual. This process shows your deepest commitment in safe guarding the sacred knowledge you have with greatest caution. Therefore, you will avoid running the risk of being “punished” by sharing with someone who has no respect towards nor respectful intent to learn these (sic) sacred knowledge. Professor's Example In the past, Professor Lin-Yun has used the following example to illustrate his point. He said, "Pretend that you are in a situation where you witness a pick-pocket in action. As a righteous by-stander, you will feel obliged to give the innocent victim a helping hand. You may perhaps interfere directly by warning the victim or perhaps you may notify a policeman to stop the crime. Either way, the petty crime will be foiled. Though you have done a good deed, the thief will undoubtedly be furiously upset. In turn, he may even direct his anger at you instead! If you do not know how to protect yourself, you will be harmed by him, as if [Imagine Professor vigorously dropping his arms from the sky down to the ground!] Why include money? Why should money be placed in each red envelope? The answer is that, money is a universal tool to complete a transaction. When the sacred knowledge is shared, it signifies that transcendental information is changing hands, from the giver to the receiver. Using money is a symbol of completion. Professor's Actions With Professor Lin-Yun’s spiritual power, he usually accepts your red envelopes but will always return the money within to you to demonstrate his pure intention to help. However, none of us should follow his behavior unless advised by Professor Lin-Yun or when you are confident that you are of the same level of spiritual attainment as [His Holiness Grand Master] Professor Lin-Yun [Rinpoche]. One to One In general, to each transcendental solution, one should offer one red envelope with a token of monetary appreciation placed inside each, depending on the individual’s financial means. Express Great Respect However, in some instances, when you have difficulties in keeping an accurate count of the number of solutions received, or, when you want to express your greatest respect toward the knowledge that is being given or received, 9 red envelopes or increments of 9, such as 27, 99, or 108 red envelopes may replace the exact number count. Heartfelt Respect It is important to know that when you present the red envelopes to the giver of transcendental knowledge, you should have respect in your heart. Receiving Red Envelopes On the other hand, when you receive red envelopes, you should place them under your pillow and sleep over them for a night, apply the method of the reinforcement of the three secrets—chant 9 times the Six Syllable Mantra, use the expelling mudra and visualize that the sacred information you have shared with others will provide the strongest positive effect, and you will not become the target of any adverse or negative Ch’i. Constant Reminder The Red Envelope Ritual serves as a constant reminder for all of us who believe, share, teach, or practice transcendental solutions in life to exercise the greatest respect and caution towards the sacred knowledge. The great knowledge is not for sale and should not be forced upon a non-believer. It can be shared only when positive Yuan is in presence. Yuan Yuan (pronounced as YUAN), is a word in the Chinese language which illustrates a wonderful concept that means karma, fate, luck, coincidence, chance and destiny, all combined into one. Perhaps it is best explained by a Chinese couplet which means we will remain strangers sitting face to face. On the other hand, when there is Yuan between us, you and I who are thousands of miles apart, will be brought together." Copyright 1998 Yun Lin Temple ========= ========= ========= Teacher Ho Lynn Tu is the founder of the Worldwide Lin Yun Educational Foundation, now called Yuan Yuan Eudcational Foundation Yuan-Yuan No part of this site may be quoted or reproduced without prior written permission. |
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