What is the difference between Feng Shui with ashes buried directly in the ground and Feng Shui with ashes buried in coffins?
As far as Taoism is concerned, our soul is attached to our whole body, and we have "vitality". Although the soul will leave the body after we die, Taoism says that we have three souls and seven spirits. After death, the seven souls disperse continuously, and the soul of heaven goes to heaven (referring to participating in reincarnation), while the soul of earth goes to the so-called ghost world, while the soul of man is attached to the body. After burning the body into ashes, it can be said that the body has been destroyed, so it will also affect the existence of the human soul. Our worship of ancestors is actually the worship of ancestors and human souls.
Whether in traditional geomantic omen, Taoism or folk customs, the requirements for funeral are very strict, because although our ancestors died, they still left behind human souls and earthly souls, especially earthly souls, which are commonly known as ghosts. So people are very particular about the funeral of their ancestors. A good burial method will have a good influence on future generations, and a bad burial method will have a bad influence on future generations.
The strict requirements mentioned above are for the whole body. If it is ashes and the body is destroyed, the human soul does not exist, only the soul of the earth is left. At that time, it was only necessary to set up a coffin at home to worship, and it was best to have a portrait of the ancestors. Because if an ancestral tablet is established, as long as that person has this name before his life, then everyone can come to incense.
Therefore, the influence of ashes on future generations is not completely absent, but very small, so it can sometimes be ignored. So don't worry too much about the location and burial time of the funeral, or there will be a big problem in the collective funeral of those cemeteries. Because the funeral of the whole corpse is very strict and the burial time is very accurate, the cemetery can't meet this requirement at all, but now many people bury the ashes of their ancestors in the cemetery, and even more people choose to put them on the shelf of the funeral home, which shows that the ashes have little influence on future generations.
But for the disposal of ashes, it is best to choose a time and place for burial. This is to ensure "safety" and feel better psychologically. Moreover, the ashes are not completely unaffected. Or like Grandpa Deng, bury the ashes at sea and scatter them in the sea or river.
Speaking of another problem, I even suggest scattering the ashes in the sea or river. After all, "one generation of relatives, two generations of representatives, three generations will not", so the ashes of ancestors will go to worship, which is a matter of one or two generations, and future generations will not go to worship again, so this time it has become an "unmanned tomb". This is not very respectful to our ancestors, so for the sea or rivers, it is simply a matter of "dust to dust".