The Fundamental Framework

Central to the principles of Chinese Metaphysics is the concept of the Cosmic Trinity - Heaven, Earth, Man - as the fundamental framework of the Universe. The Chinese believe that each component of the Cosmic Trinity exerts equal influence on a person's fortunes.

Heaven pre-determines a person's inherent traits or heritage, and is hence fixed. It is considered in two main aspects: (i) Destiny and (ii) Luck.

Destiny is a constant, the givens at the moment of birth, eg. one's innate character, family lineage, race, dialect group, place of birth, time of birth, etc.. These are qualities bestowed upon a person at birth, and are hardly within mortal control. Therefore, there is a saying that Destiny reflects heaven's wills. Some relate it to the religious or perhaps philosophical belief of the past, present and future lives - karma.

Luck is an involuntary variable, which will change with time and thereby bring about a reaction on the givens. The basis of this thinking lies in the notion that space exists relative to time. And man being a creature in this dual realm is subject to the effects of both. Therefore, even if a person is born with a less than ideal set of intrinsic qualities, the factor of time may be able to make up for it. On the contrary, a person born with a desirable set of qualities should not be complacent.

Ancient Chinese developed many sophisticated tools for gauging heaven's wills. One of the widely practised method is the BaZi (or birth chart) analysis.

Earth determines the compatibility between a person and his outer physical environments. It is external to oneself, and therefore can be avoided or modified to suit. Ancient Chinese's solution lies in what is now popularised as Feng Shui.

Contextual influences have profound effects in shaping a person's inner self, and hence his life. The moment a baby is born, it is inevitably being exposed to its surroundings through its senses of touch, sight, sound, emotions and smell. The comforting voices of parents giving it a sense of security whilst adapting to the new world, the sight of physical references helping it map out 3-dimensional spaces, etc.. The shortfall of modern architecture is precisely a lack of sensitivity to such subliminal influences. While Feng Shui is not a fool-proof solution, it does offer a formulaic, time based approach to architecture which is purportedly sensitive to the subtleties of life.

Man is about personal efforts or input. It consists of two aspects: (i) Philanthropy and (ii) Diligence, and is sometimes called inner Feng Shui.

Philanthropy refers to the cultivation of a healthy state of mind through good deeds, which will then bring forth favourable conditions. It is not restricted to merely lending a helping hand to the needy, but rather, has to start from within - oneself and family. For instance, during pregnancy, quit smoking, refrain from alcoholic drinks, listening to soothing music, etc. is philanthropic; husband putting up with the wife's mood swings, talking to the baby is also philanthropic. Because such actions will indirectly contribute to the foetal formation in many ways, some believe even the date and time of birth!

Diligence refers to a person's sheer determination and perseverance in seeing a cause fulfilled. One cannot just sit and wait for things to happen; but instead, has to be proactive and make things happen. This involves also changing personal bad habits and cultivating good ones, eg. quit smoking because it is detrimental to health, etc.. And as man is a product of his historical bondages, diligence entails also the relentless pursuit of wisdom, to break free.

Achieving a favourable Cosmic Trinity is the ideal, but no one can be perfect afterall. Since each aspect carries equal weightage, the strategy is to be in command of two-thirds, so as to gain an upper hand in overcoming life's many challenges.