Burial Methods: The Twelve Inverted-Staff Techniques

When the vein descends gently through the center, use the Following Staff for a direct reception — this is called 'collision.' The acupoint follows a dragon whose momentum is soft and supple, whose vein-feeling winds and turns, requiring no adjustment by adding or subtracting. Approach the vein and bury by swallowing: when yang comes, receive with yin; when yin comes, lift with yang — straight rush and straight escort. The lower sand must form a reverse barrier, with a special audience peak, embryonic water, and crossing-knot before it — large and small transverse barriers locking and cutting across. The fortune produced will be great. However, the coffin-head must not be positioned directly atop the qi's apex, lest the qi surge into the brain and scatter.

When the vein rushes urgently through the center, use the Contrary Staff — seeking the dragon's leaning-acupoint from the side. When the dragon's momentum is fierce and strong, the qi-vein urgent and hard, one must adjust by adding, subtracting, turning, and dropping. Avoid the killing-force by burying with an ejecting posture: brush the ear and rest on the arm, convert urgency to gentleness — leaning diagonally or leaning straight. The surrounding mountains must arch and hold firm, multiple waters must cross and knot, the bright hall must be level and correct, and all four beasts must be present. Fortune arrives very quickly.

When the vein is extremely urgent, cap it at the summit — this is called 'retracting.' Like the gathering ring-pommel of a standing sword, this is known as 'descending-killing acupoint,' 'sitting-killing acupoint,' or 'cold-bucket leaking acupoint.' When the four surrounding mountains are high, steep, and embracing, while the host mountain's wrapping is low and the vein is short — one opens the crown-point (百會), approaches tightly with a cap, escorts and brushes the summit, and fights the vein to bury, enabling it to ride the qi. All four beasts must be fully present with no exposure. The rear must have a severed drop that rises again; the acupoint's front bright hall must have a pool of true water for the formation to crystallize. Otherwise, the coarse qi has not been shed, and winds from eight directions blow through.

When the vein is extremely urgent, adhere to the dragon's void emptily — this is called 'separating.' Like a hanging brush from which a pearl drips, it is known as the 'shedding-killing acupoint,' 'casting acupoint,' 'receiving acupoint,' 'great-yang shadow-light acupoint,' or the 'suspended coffin with mane-mound burial.' When the dragon's might is fierce and forceful, it drops down onto level ground, forming a coiled pearl — spreading felt, laying out mats — facing the incoming vein from a distance. Earth is heaped and floated [...], built high and large as a mound. One must understand that gathering qi requires imported earth piled up. There must be a subtle dimple or depression, or the telltale 'grass-snake, ash-line' trace for the formation to crystallize. Otherwise, the vigorous qi has not settled, and disaster is certain.

SUBMERGING STAFF: When the form bows forward and the face is full, use the Submerging Staff. For plump nipple-formations and stubborn metal-shapes where the qi-vein is faint and dim — ride where it halts, open the metal to extract water, broadly arrange the terrace-path, and bury correctly by sinking deep. This is the 'burying-killing acupoint.' But do not mistakenly identify an obstinate, hard Heavenly Destroyer formation — that would mislead people. PIERCING STAFF: When the form faces upward with a small opening, use the Piercing Staff. For lean, pared-down wood-shapes where the qi-vein is shallow and short — thread along where it comes. Find the gentle center, bore a hole and pierce through — side-collision, diagonal insertion, transverse collision, deep insertion. This is the 'struck-by-killing acupoint.' But do not mistakenly identify a tilted, sweeping formation — that would mislead people. FIGHTING STAFF: For mountains that are long and oriented horizontally, use the Fighting Staff. Like the eye of an axe-head — the dragon's momentum extends broadly. Borrow the hall's embrace; within the correct rear-joy alignment and the front audience-pairing position, pierce through the waist and frame the fold. Press against the spine and lean solidly — double insertion, deep insertion. This is called 'mastering the killing-force,' and includes the Grasping-and-Pulling, Bow-Drawing, Wrist-Basket, and Saddle-Mounting acupoints. INTERCEPTING STAFF: For mountains that are long and oriented straight, use the Intercepting Staff. Like riding a horse's spine — the qi-vein does not halt but sheds straight forward. At the place where it slightly pauses, weakens, and slows, where the four confirmatory features show feeling, seek a subtle dimple. Ride the vein and intercept it, constructing according to method. This is called 'fencing the killing-force' — direct interception, transverse interception, riding-the-dragon, and barrier-severing acupoints. OPPOSING STAFF: Hard above and soft below — at the junction of hard and soft, plant directly into the vein's center, hence 'opposing.' High ground is steep and urgent; low ground is faint and soft. At the transition from high to low, the brief boundary between dry and wet — equally distributing gentle and urgent, balancing hard and soft, striking centrally and directly, shaping to fit the momentum. This is the 'centrally-gathered collision acupoint.' ATTACHING STAFF: When momentum is strong and the vein urgent, adhere solidly to the vein at the low, gentle base of the mountain, hence 'attaching.' Directly on the vein means a fierce fight; separated from the vein invites cold qi. Therefore, just before the resting-breath has separated and just after the vigorous qi has faded, withdraw about three feet to soften the ferocity and achieve harmonious balance. This is the 'shedding-killing adhesion acupoint.' TRESPASSING STAFF: Add to the dragon, subtract from the tiger — trespassing across the vein's center, as in 'trespassing across a border.' This means abandoning the dead side and pressing toward the living side, reaching outward toward the hall's qi. This type mostly produces nipple-and-protrusion formations.