• History
• Basics of Vastu
• Importance of vastu
• Determination of directions
• A note on trees
• Vastu and Feng Shui

With the growing awareness about both Vastu and Feng Shui, I often came across people who want to know whether there are any points of similarities between the two. A common confusion is regarding the appropriate use of these sciences. Sometimes people have a notion that Vastu Shastra deals with buildings while Feng Shui deals with the interior decoration. The practitioners of both arts are viewed at times same as an architect dealing with the building and an interior decorator doing the interiors. The goal in both the sciences is the designing of human habitat in a manner to achieve maximum harmony with nature. Vastu and Feng Shui both are closely linked to nature. It is based on the idea that chi or the energy vibrations of every place have a distinctive personality and when this energy is in harmony with nature, benefits flow in. According to Feng Shui, it is the environment which shapes and changes things for the better. Inner changes are brought about by external environment.

The environment has several elements which according to Vastu are Jal, Vayu, Prithvi, Aakash and Agni. As per Feng Shui the basic elements are Water, Wood, Fire, Metal & Earth. Black Hat Sect of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism occupies an important place among Feng Shui schools, which evolved out of the long journey of Buddhism from India through Tibet into China, absorbing enroute the Chinese I-Ching and Confucianism, Taoism, folk religions, traditional Feng Shui, traditional beliefs and symbolism and the theory of chi. They are certain basic differences between Vastu and Feng Shui which need understanding. Greeks, Egyptians, Christians, Jews and Muslims knew the four elements Earth, Water, Fire and Air. The fifth element, Akash or Space, was only known to the Indians. As per the Indian thought, ‘Space’ is the fundamental source and energy for all things, for their origination and for their existence.

The Chinese also believed in five elements but they were Wood, Earth, Metal, Fire and Water. All of these belong to the material field. The stress in the Chinese case was on achieving worldly success, longevity and comfort, while Vedic wisdom was the understanding that mind with its worldly desires was the cause of all suffering and transcending the body was the only way of achieving the state of ultimate bliss. Both Vastu and Feng Shui make use of objective and subjective practices. Objective practices involved furniture and building placements, topography of land and its shapes etc. The subjective practices use mind as the medium, using your thoughts, beliefs, religious convictions etc. The Chinese use twelve animals to express Zodiacal time. Indians use twelve rashis, seven planets and two nodes Rahu and Ketu. Feng Shui uses the ba-gua to relate eight directions with eight aspects of life. Vastu uses 12 Bhavas of the horoscope and their intricate relationships with planets, directions and 12 major aspects of life.