Explore

Ancestor’s Advice: “Beware of planting the four deadly plants, or your household will face calamity, which plants are they?”

Green trees are an essential part of our lives. According to ancient wisdom, "Tứ thụ đại ma", do you know which trees they are?

Administrator

21 December, 2023

179

Green trees are indispensable in our lives. According to the teachings of our ancestors, there are four trees called “great evil spirits”, do you know which ones?

1. Mulberry tree

Our ancestors believed that “if you don’t plant mulberry in front of your house, and willow in the back, it will bring misfortune to the whole family.” Mulberry and willow are two of the “great evil spirits”.

The mulberry tree is a fast-growing deciduous tree that can reach a height of 15–20m. The branches do not have thorns and there are many buds on the branches, including terminal buds and axillary buds. The leaves fall in winter. The roots are deep and wide, about 2–3m, but they are mostly distributed in the soil layer of 10–30cm and spread with the canopy of the tree. The mulberry fruit has a mild taste, not as strong as the taste of other types of mulberries such as red mulberries and black mulberries. The color of the fruit varies from white to pink for cultivated varieties, but the natural color of this species in the wild is dark purple.

It is believed that the pronunciation of the word “dau” in Chinese is 桑 (tang) which has a homonym with 丧 (tang) meaning funeral. So, if there is a mulberry tree in front of the house, it will “attract funeral and bring disaster” 招丧引祸 to the whole family.

According to the book “Han Tu”, there was a mulberry grove by the Bo River in the State of Wei, where young men and women often gathered to sing and engage in improper activities. Therefore, people consider the mulberry tree as a symbol of illicit relationships between men and women. Therefore, the mulberry tree is regarded as a “demonic tree” in the belief of our ancestors.

2. Willow tree

Not planting a willow tree behind the house is because in the belief of our ancestors, gold, silver, and treasures enter from the front door and a lot of blessings are kept inside the house, if a willow tree is planted behind the house, then the gold, silver, and treasures will flow out the back door and it symbolizes loss.

The word “liu” sounds similar to “liu” which means flowing away, pouring away, so planting this tree in front of the house can cause the owner to encounter many unlucky events, waste money, and assets flow down to the river and the sea. Therefore, it is best for the owner not to plant willow trees in front of or behind the house to avoid encountering unlucky things according to feng shui.

3. Poplar tree

The poplar tree is popular among plant enthusiasts because of its green leaves and beautiful foliage. However, in folklore, the poplar tree is believed to attract evil spirits to the house, so it is considered an unlucky tree.

In addition, the poplar tree has negative energy, so it will definitely bring negative energy to your house if you plant this tree in your garden. This affects the vitality and health of all members living in the house. That is why many people avoid planting this tree in their yard.

4. Banyan tree

Our ancestors used to say: “The shade of the banyan tree, the shade of the khế tree.” This means that the banyan tree is a sacred tree, a place where wandering spirits reside, so it often has a lot of negative energy. Not only in Vietnam, but also in India, the leaves of the banyan tree are considered a resting place for the god Krishna. In Hinduism, the banyan tree is related to the festival of Vat Purnima. In the Pali scriptures of Buddhism, the banyan tree (Pali: nigrodha) is often mentioned. In the Philippines, the banyan tree is called the balete tree, which is where some gods and spirits reside.

Furthermore, from a scientific perspective, the large and rough roots of the banyan tree affect the terrain of the land, and even the aerial roots penetrate deep into the ground, affecting the foundation of the house.

That is why few people choose to plant banyan trees in front of their houses. They only appear in temples and shrines.