front page > The Immortal's Teachings > Member experience sharing > In terms of tree burial, does the 2024 Member Handbook have any impact on the deceased, their descendants, and the environmental energy field?
Student Question:
目前新式禮儀服務「綠色殯葬-環保葬」，其中現代人比較流行也比較接受的是「樹葬」。請問就樹葬來看，對往生者及後代子孫及對環境氣場而言，有無影響？
The teacher recounted:
以前土葬回歸塵土，肉體給它回歸自然，靈就回去。後來人想這樣身體可能會被破壞，就用棺材裝著再下葬。但隨著時代的演進，現在地不够，所以大都採用火化後進靈骨塔方式，而環保葬、樹葬是近十幾年來漸漸被接受，現在政府也開始推行。但以我們練氣修氣的人來說，我的觀念：一個人死掉以後，如果修的好的話，靈歸到西方世界、理天⋯，就不會在意那個體，而會在意體的都是沒有完全修到位。
Tree burial originally involved placing the urn in front of a tree, but it wasn't a true tree burial. This actually made the land unclean and seem worthless. If a person has cultivated themselves well, their spirit will be fine under a tree; but if they haven't, placing it anywhere will cause trouble. Besides, if the urn isn't broken, there's no problem. But if it is broken, and the spirit hasn't cultivated itself well, it will remain wandering in the world, clinging to that tree.
Spirits can be good or bad, but bad ones outnumber good ones because relatively few have cultivated themselves to a high level of energy. They can truly influence the future of the tree. Imagine if every tree had a spirit attached to it; the entire forest would be ruined, like people fighting for territory. If a spirit isn't cultivated properly and its energy field is negative, it will negatively impact the tree, harming many people. Conversely, if cultivated well, the tree will become good.
The worst thing about tree burial is that if the spirit cannot be restored in the future and returns to that place, it will occupy that place, which is actually bad for people. Now we know that there are tree spirits. What are tree spirits? They are spirits that do not want to return to their original place and seek a place to live, which is called returning or seeking refuge. Therefore, there are many tree spirits, especially banyan trees, because banyan trees are more shady.
Unless one's spiritual cultivation is exceptionally advanced, reaching the level of a great immortal, tree burial is permissible. If one hasn't reached that level, the spirit attached to the tree will have excessive yin energy, causing the tree to emit a negative energy field, harming the surrounding land and spiritual energy, and potentially harming many people later. Even if one truly cultivates to the level of an immortal, the tree itself is beneficial, but the demon realm will still try to seize it; everyone desires a place with good energy and valuable resources.
Most people don't think about the existence of a soul. But once they learn about the soul, they will want to protect it. Our physical body is a prosthetic, lent to you for 30, 50, or 100 years. In the end, we will still leave. If you don't want to cultivate yourself but are truly open-minded, you can have your body buried at sea or in the sky, returning to nature and giving it back to the earth.
Normally, after a person passes away, their spirit doesn't leave immediately. It stays there, tending to its body (ashes), for a period of time until it has a place to go before departing. Those who can leave immediately are those who have cultivated themselves very well and reached a high level of spiritual attainment, and only then will a family come to receive and guide them. Higher realms, such as the Bodhisattva realm, are not easy to enter; one must cultivate to a certain degree beforehand. Some spirits, however, have no place to belong, becoming wandering ghosts in groups, and eventually they will be devoured—the strong eat the weak, their energy is absorbed, and the spirit ceases to exist!
Generally speaking, after death, the spirit of the deceased will wander freely. If there is a grave, it will visit the grave; if there is a home, it will return to its familiar place, or visit close friends or family. The duration of this journey is uncertain. Folk customs hold that after death, a local earth god will come to guide the spirit to be reborn or register it, and then the spirit departs. This is not actually the case, but there are indeed exceptions. In fact, there are far more cases involving the dead than the living, at least as far as I know. I will discuss this further another time.
Therefore, regardless of the burial method, those who don't repair their graves will affect the earth, mainly due to the earth's energy, which will influence the fortunes of their descendants. That's why we discourage tree burials; one spirit per tree, and if the energy is bad, it will truly affect the earth's energy and magnetic field, causing chaos in the future. Currently, using columbariums is still the best option; one columbarium can hold hundreds or thousands of remains, and there are people managing it.
We know that the spirit is not immortal, so we must take good care of our physical body while we are alive. This will also make our spiritual body stronger. We must also cultivate our own spirit. We must cultivate our spiritual body to be good and have strong energy. So, for us, body, mind, energy, nature, and spirit, the last hurdle is physical health and mental well-being. If we are healthy and at peace, then we are all set!
Student Question:
What about sea burial? Sea burial doesn't involve feng shui issues!
The teacher recounted:
Burning the ashes and throwing them into the sea won't harm your descendants, but do you know where their spirit goes? The spirit won't follow them; it will drift aimlessly in the sea and get lost. It will give up and might reincarnate or return to Christ, Allah, etc., in which case it's fine. But if it has nowhere to go and no place to belong, becoming a wandering ghost, it can only wait for the July ritual to be performed for its salvation. If that doesn't work, the spirits that are worshipped in the house will return home. This is the kind of spirit that hasn't cultivated itself or has low spiritual power; some will go to temples or shrines. If there are people worshipping in the house, their spirits will attach themselves to the idols; that's their house, and they'll always be there. The idols are the houses of friends from the invisible spirit world, but most of the spirits inside are low-level spirits, such as friends from the three lower realms, the demon realm, and the spirit world, living with you.
Student Question:
If one chooses to place their remains in a columbarium after death, where and how should the columbarium be placed? Will this have any feng shui implications for future generations?
The teacher recounted:
If a spirit tablet is placed in a pagoda, the spirit will reside there; that is its home. The location of the pagoda is very important. If the earth's energy in the area is not good, or if it is placed in the wrong location, it will have a significant impact on the health and career of the family members.
When I'm handling this, my family members stand to the side. I ask them to feel the moment the urn is lowered into the ground. If anyone feels unwell, I immediately adjust their posture until they feel comfortable and stable. It's not considered complete until they feel comfortable. This is because people are naturally perceptive, and if they feel uncomfortable, it can last a lifetime. This is because the energy field has already entered the urn when it's first placed, and the spiritual energy is very strong. The spirit will try to find its relatives, especially those closest to it in life, such as spouses or friends. Therefore, choosing a good burial site is also very important.
Student Question:
Dear teacher, some people say that the feng shui of the burial site of ancestors can affect the fortune of future generations, while others say that a person's destiny depends on their own efforts or is predetermined by fate and has nothing to do with feng shui. Which one is correct?
The teacher recounted:
It mainly talks about the power of the earth's energy. If you are buried in a place with good earth energy, the so-called bloodline, genes and spiritual power will interact. If there is no reincarnation after burial, his spirit will cultivate and take care of his grave. He will always be there to take care of his body. Some spirits come and go freely and cultivate in the grave.
How does a dead person cultivate over there? They cultivate using spiritual power. They stay inside during the day and come out at night, relying on absorbing the essence of the sun, moon, heaven, and earth. That energy, yang energy, and sunlight slowly strengthen their spirit. The spirit is also cultivating; it is cultivating even invisibly! The energy of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, the qi of heaven, the qi of earth, and the light of the sun and moon interact and transform each other, making the spiritual power even stronger.
If the earth's energy is favorable, we say that as bloodlines are passed down from generation to generation, spiritual energy will directly interact with us. Good earth energy, positive energies, and the good spiritual power of our ancestors will bring prosperity, wealth, and good health to our descendants. Conversely, bad earth energy will harm their health and cause their family to decline. This attraction of earth energy is absolutely related to spiritual power and spiritual energy.
Student Question:
The teacher said that many places are short of people, so why don't we send all those lonely ghosts there?
The teacher recounted:
Space is divided into levels, distinguished by the virtues of spirits—like attracts like. However, most spirits go to lower levels. A space is vast; to go there, you need sufficient affinity and character. Not every space is accessible. Cultivating the ability to freely travel is not easy. Most spirits linger in the mortal realm after death, which is why there's no end to spiritual journeys in the mortal world.
Nowadays, people are easily trapped by negative energies, some even trapped by several. This makes life quite frustrating. For example, someone might inexplicably become angry; this is a common occurrence. It's because negative, impure energy is trapped in the body, disrupting the energy field and causing irritability. This chaos prevents them from calming down. Therefore, people need to cultivate their mind and character, practice breathing exercises to enhance their spiritual power, and cultivate until their spirit is clear and stable. Then they can clearly understand and control their temper.
Perfect blessings!
Compiled by Xiong Yulan
You come empty-handed, and you leave empty-handed! Because when you come, you have nothing; you are merely a primordial spirit. After the primordial spirit comes, it returns, simply returning as a spirit. So, once you cultivate to a clear understanding, you can leave whenever you want, no longer needing this physical body. You've let go! You don't even need the body anymore; it doesn't matter how others deal with you! Only by letting go completely can you ascend to higher realms. But if you are still concerned about this physical body, there is still an obstacle, and your spirit cannot ascend very high, perhaps even descending to the lower realms!