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Continue on this topic of Burning Paper-offerings for the passed-on & Ancestors.
These few recent years, Folks not only like to consult any Un-authorized Mediums to issue Talismans for the accompanying of the Paper-offerings that being burnt for the passed-on or Ancestors, such ignorant Folks also like to request for Talismans to be burnt during Funeral Wakes or Taoist Rituals that performed for leading the Soul of the newly passed-on to the Eastern Palace (東極青華宮).
This is ultimate a Rude and Inconsiderate action to get involved in.
If a person who are being educated and bring up Uprightly and with Good Knowledge of what is Right & Wrong, the one self will know that, Talismans that being issued by Mediums are just Nothing when there are Big Deities, such as San Qing (三清道祖), Lord Tai Yi (太乙天尊), Dong Yue Da Di (東嶽大帝), etc, involved or present during such Events.
2ndly, this is a very Dis-respectly action to happen on the passed-on. This will only add on the sins & debts of the passed-on and not assisting the passed-on to get his/her Enlightenment in any short moment.
If the passed-on is destinated to proceed to the Land of Eternal Joyous (長樂界) and yet, some one approach the passed-ons Family to present a Nether World Talisman to accompany the passed-on to the Nether World, so, what will happened to the passed-on? Just ponder on this question.
3rdly, these recent years, some ignorant and cruel Non-Official Taoist Priests or Spiritual Leaders have come out with Rituals/Ceremonies of Crossing the Nai He Bridge (奈何橋) for Souls or Spirits that have pass-away for many years, this is Ultimate Ridiculous and Not Realistic (each Soul or Spirit will only Cross the Nai He Bridge once, if the Soul or Spirit will to cross the 2nd time, meaning that, the Soul or Spirit is dying for the 2nd time and the whole suffering will restart once again).
A Trained and Official Accepted Taoist Priest or Spiritual Master will know that, for a Soul or Spirit to cross the Nai He Bridge, that will only occurred when a newly passed-on for not more than 7 Days, once a Soul or Spirit pass-away for more than 49 Days, the passed-on will automatically being summoned to the Nether World (if the passed-on is not a Merit-Holder Taoist or a Non-Taoist).
For Souls or Spirits that pass-away for more than 49 Days to 3 years or 3 years onwards, there will be Rituals/Ceremonies to lead the Souls or Spirits to cross the Immortal Bridge aka Xian Qiao (仙橋), Golden Bridge aka Jin Qiao (金橋) & Silver Bridge aka Yin Qiao (銀橋), definitely not Nai He Bridge.
So beware of such Ignorant & Un-trained Spiritual People, Sintuas & some Non-Upright Local Taoist Organisations.
Shifu, there is something i dun understand and hope you will enligthen me. During my grandfather wake last year, the priest lit white candles instead of red color. From what i understand it should be red. Am i right?
ReplyDeleteThis is a Chinese Custom that being passed down since the Ancient Era.
ReplyDeleteWhite to represent deep sorrow or mourning, this happens when the passed-on does not have Son or Grandson - meaning No Family to carry on,
Or the Passed-on have yet to exceed the age of 70 years old.
Red to represent sorrow but yet, blessing the passed-on of having a Good-life, usually the Passed-on must be over 75 or 80 years old or with more than 4th Generation sending off the passed-on's departure.
For those who are in-between 71-75 years old, the color of the candles will depend on the Leading Priest, he will do a checking on the background of the Passed-on and then he will make a decision for the Family.
As for what background, this depends, so I cant comment much.
My grandfather is 86 when he passed away . Got sons and grandsons.I also dun understand
ReplyDeleteThen what is the cause of the Death?
ReplyDeletePM me the Priest Group, I will check for you, cos this is against the Custom that being passed down.
Shifu here in the Philippines the Taoist Custom here dictates that all the people who just passed away would be offered white candles for the first year, yellow on the second year and finally red on the third year. 99.9% of all chinese and taoist here do this custom is it wrong?
ReplyDeleteThere's no such thing as offering candles on different years.
ReplyDeleteThe color of candles used during Funeral Wake is just a symbol of indicating the age and the background of the passed-on.
The Light Ray emitted from the candles & lamps to lead the way for the passed-on to proceed to the other realms.
Once after the funeral wake, the color of the candles will not have much meaning, just that, in Chinese Custom, due to the color Red is an Auspicious Color, so the Chinese will tend to use Red Candles to do offerings for the Passed-on.
White & Yellow will only be used in Buddhism.
One Amma from the mainland once told the people to light red candles and she was sneered and ridiculed. I wonder how the tradition came to be. But it is the rule here.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, unless the Amma is from a Rural Area and is not a 100% pure Han People meaning Chinese, if not, since the 1st Color Rule being set in China, we Chinese have been using the color Red.
ReplyDelete