Paying Respect to Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling (正一張天師聖誕)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

Last Saturday (21 June 2008), was consider as the Manifestation Anniversary aka Birthday of Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling aka Zhang Tian Shi.

On that Morning, at about 9.00++, me and one of my Students & his Wife went to Swissotel at Cityhall to pick up one of my Classmates (Bro Matt from London) to visit the Tian Gong Temple located at Havelock Road to pay respect to Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling.

Upon arriving at the Temple, a few Buddhist Monks were at the Temple preparing for one of the Blessing Ceremony for the Devotees who came early to pay respect to Jade Emperor of Heaven (due to Tian Gong Temple at Havelock Road had ben working closely with the Buddhist Organisations, nowadays, no more Taoist Rituals/Ceremonies are being conducted in the Temple for our Upright Taoist Deities).

After laying out the necessary Offerings, the group of us went to pay respect around the Temple before we proceed to the Rear Hall, Lef t Altar to pay respect to Zhang Tian Shi. Soon after we pay respect to Jade Emperor of Heaven to report on the main purpose of this Trip, we proceed to where Zhang Tian Shi was.

Soon, our Paying Respect started, as usually, I would be the one to lead the Honouring and after Offering our Incenses, each of us made a 3 Kneeling & 9 Kowtow (三跪九叩) Respect to Zhang Tian Shi, in-order to ask for his blessing for our Country, the People, the Sufferings and of cos, Long Shan Men.

Right after the Kowtowing, the whole group of us proceed to the Main Hall and this is the Peak of the Day - to get the Spiritual Authority from Jade Emperor of Heaven to do Enhancing on our Long Shan Men's Wu Lei Hao Ling (The Five Thunder Command Block 五雷號令).

The whole process took about 10 minutes to complete with a final Positive Agreement by Jade Emperor of Heaven. Once getting the approval from Jade Emperor of Heaven, we went back to where Zhang Tian Shi was to get his blessing and this time, just by throwing the Divination Block (筊) once, I got the agreement from him and immediately, I "injected" the "Energy" emitted by Zhang Tian Shi into the Block by writing the necessary Talismans Symbol onto the Block.

And so successfully, the whole Paying Respect and getting of the Authority were being done and so, after leaving the Temple, we proceed to Bugis (Rochor Center) to have out Lunch and then proceed to get a Wonderful Statue of Zhang Tian Shi for Long Shan Men.

Upon arriving at Heng Moh Seng (the usual shop that I ordered and get my statues from, the one that situated opposite Bugis OG), I saw my Favourite Statue of Zhang Tian Shi and within a 2nd Thought, I got the statue and it was being sponsored by my Classmate Matt.

Soon, my 3rd Classmate from Penang called, saying that he was in Town and so, we metup with him and then proceed to another Temple before we headed home to rest.

That was really a Wonderful and Fruitful Day.

May Zhang Tian Shi give the necessary blessings to All the Mortals and Upright Official Taoists.

Wu Liang Shou.

Special Sharing on Spiritual Encounter (雲霧聚﹑魂魄齊)

Rating:	★
Category:	Other

While I was on my way to the East Side of Singapore just now (around 11pm), on BKE (in the mid-point of between Woodlands & Bukit Panjang, just before the Exit to Mandai), a Large Area-covering Mist appeared, which cover about 300-500 meters wide.

This is a Rare Scene to appear in Singapore, after some many decades, this Scene appear again (according to record, it happened in abt 50++ years ago, str8 after WW2).

According to Old Records, when such a Scene appear, meaning that certain Spiritual Beings are moving around in the Area from 1 Point to another. From the observation, this Scene happened shall be associated with the Souls that being summoned by the Nether World Guardians to report back to a certain point from a location in Mandai Area.

From the records that I have, if this Scene is associated with the movement of Nether World Beings, that it will last at least for 3 Days and timing will starts from 10pm to 3am every night.

If you are one who dare to witness and wish to find out more on such Special Encounter, try your Luck by going to BKE, hope you can see something and sense something, but 1 thing to remind, if your Luck is extremely Down, certain issue , might happened to you. Do take care.

Introduction on The Eight Generals Incantation (道教八將神咒)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

Recent years, the engagement on the Eight Spiritual Generals (Folks known as Ba Jia Jiang 八家將) have been growing and now almost All Religious Celebration, such Performance Troupes can be seen performing the Cleansing of the Environment for the Temples or individual Religious Group.

So when does this type of Generals started?

If we will to look into the Knowledge that being passed down by our Taoist Ancestors, such Invitation of Eight Spiritual Generals shall start in very Early or Late Song Dynasty, by the time it reached Ming Dynasty, such Belief had grow quite a lot and in almost All Rituals/Ceremonies that involved in Warding-off of Diseases, Illnesses or Disasters, Invitation of the Eight Spiritual Generals will be invited.

Due to certain issues that happened in Qing Dynasty, a lot of our Taoist Practices will being destroy (due to the Believing of Tibetian Buddhism during the Mid-period of Qing) and so, the actual set of Inviting of the Eight Spiritual Generals is gone.

Now the Performance that one self can see is originated from Taiwan in Late Qing Dynasty (which is about 100+ years old) and the Oldest set (more than 200 years) that left in this Taoist Society is in one of the Taoist Association in Singapore.

So who are the Eight Spiritual Generals?

According to the Incantation that being used to invite this group of Generals, we can see that, these Eight Spiritual Generals shall be from the Earthly & Mortal Realm which are put in-charge of:

1 Spirits & Souls of Mortals

2 Spirits & Souls of Animals, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Diseases, etc

3 Stubborn Entities, etc

So why is there a Need in Inviting the Eight Spiritual Generals?

To get the Enhancing Negative Energies that being emitted by them to assist in getting rid or Warding-off of any Stubborn Entities & Negative Energies that stuck to one area.

So by reciting the Mantra, the Eight Spiritual Generals will possessed on one self?

This is one Big Mistake that many Folks tend to made.

The Main Objective of reciting the Incantation is to Invite the Negative Energies from the Eight Spiritual Generals and/or to Inform the Generals to release the Necessary Amount of Energies in enhancing the Cleansing Task.

Nowadays, what we see are still the same, just that some Folks tend to make it look very "Spiritual" by telling the others that the People performing the Cleansing are in Trance, whichis totally Ridiculous and Ignorant.

In the following, I will introduce the Incantation for the Invitation. Just to take note that, Not All are fated to have a Positive Result after reciting this Incantation, beore reciting of this Incantation, one self must go thru the necessary training and getting protection before one self can succeed. Even a lot of Groups that practice the Engaging of the Eight Spiritual Generals are not able to achieve the Full Positive effect from this Incantation.

Here it goes:

天地日月星。吾召酆都神。
Tian Di Ri Yue Xing. Wu Zhao Feng Du Shen

隨氣一攝至。追精立現形。
Sui Qi Yi She/Nie Zhi. Zhui Jing Li Xian Xing

不問神與鬼。選甚妖與精。
Bu Wen Shen Yu Gui. Xuan Shen Yao Yu Jing

八將聞吾召。火急見真形。
Ba Jiang Wen Wu Zhao. Huo Ji Jian Zhen Xing

Manifestation Anniversay aka Birthday of Ling Bao Tian Zun (靈寶天尊萬壽日)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

18 Day of Lunar 5 Month (農曆五月十八日或夏至日), a day for the Taoist to celebrate the Manifestation Annivesary of Ling Bao Tian Zun (靈寶天尊).

In Taoism, this is an Important Day for the Taoists to pay their sincere & faithful respect to Ling Bao Tian Zun (靈寶天尊)﹐ one of the San Qing aka Three Supreme One (三清道祖).

Ling Bao Tian Zun, same as Yuan Shi Tian Zun, is one of the Three manifestations of Yuan Shi Tian Wang (元始天王) aka the Initial Gust of Miracle Energy or Force before the Universe & Dimensions existed. After Yuan Shi Tian Wang reaches a certain stage of manifestation, he manifested the very first Manifestation Energy to create Yuan Shi Tian Zun (元始天尊) and then followed by Manifesting Ling Bao Tian Zun (靈寶天尊) and last, Dao De Tian Zun.

So on this Day, what shall one self prepared?

For a Taoist, the things that needed to be prepared are very simple.

Just prepared the Taoist Five Offerings (道教五供) or the most, the Ten Offerings (道教十供), once ready, place them on the Altar that set-up facing the Heaven (with an Urn, 2 Candles and some simple paper-offerings).

After setting up, one self can start the honouring to Ling Bao Tian Zun.

Sincerely make a short report Ling Bao Tian Zun who you are, what is the event today and after the report, make 3 times of kneeling down, each time of the kneeling down, make 3 kowtows (which make 9 kowtows after the whole honouring).

Once the kneeling & kowtow are done, stand-up and make a simple bow and then leave the spot.

Besides doing the honouring, this is a Day that the Taoists will do chanting & reciting or perform Taoist Rituals/Ceremonies. On this Day, all chanting & reciting of Scriptures & Mantras, the credits & merits will be enhanced & multiplied.

For normal Chinese who wished to pay respect to Ling Bao Tian Zun, this will be encouraged. Just prepare the items that one self usually prepared for honouring the Home Deities. After preparation, place the items on the Main Altar or if one self wish to set up a Temp Altar facing the Heaven, this will be best.

Follow the procedure that being mentioned above.

If at home, one self is not able to do the honouring, can visit Temples that dedicate Altar to Ling Bao Tian Zun or San Qing.

So when can remove the Altar?

For those who wish to set-up the Altar till the next day, this is encouraged, if not, can remove the Altar on the very day, after the whole family pay respect to Ling Bao Tian Zun.

After removing the Altar, do not discard the Five or Ten offerings, one self can transfer the offerings to the Main Altar to continue offered to the Main Deities.

Manifestation Anniversay aka Birthday of Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling (祖天師聖誕日)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

18 Day of Lunar 5 Month (農曆五月十八日), a day for All Zheng Yi Sect Taoist to celebrate the Manifestation Annivesary of Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling (祖天師張道陵).

In Taoism, this is an Important Day for the Taoists to pay their sincere & faithful respect to Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling & also to celebrate the Official Taoist Day – this is the Day to keep in memory of how Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling promoted Taoism and assist Dao De Tian Zun in upholding the Upright Reputation of Taoism.

Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling, born in Late Han Dynasty, after growing up, he started his Cultivation and at later part of his Mature-year, he got his Teaching from Dao De Tian Zun and from then, he started to perform more in-depth Spiritual Skills and also, to travel around to perform his Salvation for the Sufferings.

From then, Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling brought the Culture of Zheng Yi Sect around in China to impart to the Folks and interested Taoists.

So on this Day, what shall one self prepared?

For a Taoist, the things that needed to be prepared are very simple.

Just prepared the Taoist Five Offerings (道教五供) or the most, the Ten Offerings (道教十供), once ready, place them on the Altar that set-up facing the Heaven (with an Urn, 2 Candles and some simple paper-offerings).

After setting up, one self can start the honouring to Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling.

Sincerely make a short report Ling Bao Tian Zun who you are, what is the event today and after the report, make 3 times of kneeling down, each time of the kneeling down, make 3 kowtows (which make 9 kowtows after the whole honouring).

Once the kneeling & kowtow are done, stand-up and make a simple bow and then leave the spot.

Besides doing the honouring, this is a Day that the Taoists will do chanting & reciting or perform Taoist Rituals/Ceremonies. On this Day, all chanting & reciting of Scriptures & Mantras, the credits & merits will be enhanced & multiplied.

For normal Chinese who wished to pay respect to Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling, this will be encouraged. Just prepare the items that one self usually prepared for honouring the Home Deities. After preparation, place the items on the Main Altar or if one self wish to set up a Temp Altar facing the Heaven, this will be best.

Follow the procedure that being mentioned above.

If at home, one self is not able to do the honouring, can visit Temples that dedicate Altar to Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling.

So when can remove the Altar?

For those who wish to set-up the Altar till the next day, this is encouraged, if not, can remove the Altar on the very day, after the whole family pay respect to Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling.

After removing the Altar, do not discard the Five or Ten offerings, one self can transfer the offerings to the Main Altar to continue offered to the Main Deities.

Spiritual Sharing: Folks Spiritual Skills for Daily Life (新常用法術分享)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

For some people, due to their internal Fear and Surrounding pressure, such people do not want to seek Official Training under any Official Taoist Schools and so, in the Ancient Era, several Masters had notice that and they had created quite a number of Spiritual Skills for such people.

In here, I will do a few introductions on the various Skills that one self can used while one self encountered any of such issues.

Do be aware that, not All such laymen are able to perform the Skills 100 accurate or effective, this has to depend on the Credits & Merits that one self accumulated in their Previous Life, Present Life, etc.

Okay, here go the Skills:

1 – When one self found out that the House that one self staying is not that Clean, one self can use the follow method to get rid of the excess Negative Energies

Prepare a Glass Bowl to contain the Yin Yang Water (Cold & Hot mixture).

After the Water is being prepared, relax & calm one self down and then, using the Sword Formation to draw these 2 Chinese Characters onto the Water: 龙涎

Upon completion, sprinkle the Water around the House. Usually after sprinkling the Water, a different aroma will appear in the Four Corners and if one self encounter that, meaning that the House has been cleansed.

Besides doing cleansing for the House, one self can use the Water to do cleansing on wounds or scars, the Water will help to do Virus clearing and Scars recovering.

2 – For someone who are infected with Skin-diseases or Virus-invading on the Skins, can prepare the Yin Yang water and then, write the following 4 Chinese Characters on the Water: 九龙(龍)吐水

After using the Water to wash on the infected area, immediately approached any doctors for Official Medication.

The washing is to assist the diseases from worsen during the period of approaching any Doctors.

3 – When one self discovered someone drowning and yet, one self is not able to do the rescuing, one self shall face the person and immediately called upon the name of Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling (正一張天師) non-stop and then using the Sword Formation to write these 2 Chinese Character 浮龍 on the Palm.

Once this method is being done correctly, the person will be able to wait for rescue from the others.

This method is to call upon the Spiritual Blessing from Zhang Tian Shi and also to summon the Dragon Deity in the Water to prevent the person from sinking into the Water.

Manifestation Anniversary (Birthday) of Cheng Huang (城隍尊神聖誕)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

Cheng Huang aka Deity of the City or Lord of the City, a very important Deity in Folks everyday's life.

In the past, whenever someone met with any unsolvable issue, the first person who came into the mind of seeking assistance was usually Cheng Huang.

In Ancient Era, almost in every City, there would be 1 Temple that dedicated to Cheng Huang, and usually the Temple would built just beside the City Gate. Why? In-order for Cheng Huang to check on each individual person who came into the City and go out of the City.

Cheng Huang honouring started from Han Dynasty and then being promoted in Song, Yuan & Ming. By Qing Dynasty. Cheng Huang had become a popular and well-known Deity that every Chinese had to honour and pay respect too, regardless of what issues, etc.

Back to main point, on the 11th Day of Lunar 5 Month (農曆五月十一日), it is considered as the Manifestation Anniversary or so-called Birthday of Cheng Huang (for Year 2008, it falls on 14 June).

And so, what to prepare?

According to our Chinese Custom & Folks Practice, here are some recommended items to be prepared for the paying respect:

1 Five Oranges (桔子)
2 Longevity Noodles (壽麵)
3 Longevity Peaches (壽桃)
4 Ang Ku Kueh (紅龜粿)
5 Huat Kueh (發糕)
6 Rice Wine (米酒)
7 Chinese Tea (茶)
8 Paper Offerings (紙料)
9 Candles (蠟燭)
10 Flowers or Lotus (鮮花或蓮花)

Once all these stuffs are prepared and ready, then one self can proceed to the Temple.

1st, pay respect to the Heaven & Main Deities in the Temple and then last, proceed to the Altar that honoured Cheng Huang.

Make a Bow in front of the Altar and then sincerely kneel down and proceed with the following Passage (for those who know how to recite the Bao Gao of Cheng Huang):

今逢。
Jin Feng.

城隍尊神。(拜)
Cheng Huang Zun Shen (Bow)

千秋聖誕之期。
Qian Qiu Sheng Dan Zhi Qi.

南洋新加坡共和國。 (你的住址) 。
Nan Yang Xin Jia Po Gong He Guo. (Your Address)

信士 (你的名字) 。及闔家同人。
Xin Shi (Your Name). Ji He Jia Tong Ren.

於此。
Yu Ci

虔備薄禮酒儀。
Qian Bei Bo Li Jiu Yi.

敬向。
Jing Xiang.

城隍尊神。(拜)
Cheng Huang Zun Shen (Bow)

虔誠請安。慶賀聖誕。
Qian Cheng Qing An. Qing He Sheng Dan.

於此虔祈。
Yu Ci Qian Qi.

城隍尊神。(拜)
Cheng Huang Zun Shen (Bow)

城中百姓得天佑。隍內清水似甘露。
Cheng Zhong Bai Xin De Tian You. Huang Nei Qing Shui Shi Gan Lu

尊駕聖前香三柱。神光永照萬民戶。
Zun Jia Sheng Qian Xiang San Zhu. Shen Guang Yong Zhao Wan Min Hu

以佑。
Yi You.

信士 (你的名字) 。及闔家同人。
Xin Shi (Your Name). Ji He Jia Tong Ren.

一年平安常在。月月福佑不怠。
Yi Nian Ping An Chang Zai. Yue Yue Fu You Bu Dai.

四季神光普照。萬事遂心安在。
Si Ji Shen Guang Pu Zhao. Wan Shi Sui Xin An Zai.

於此。
Yu Ci.

信士 (你的名字) 。及闔家同人。
Xin Shi (Your Name). Ji He Jia Tong Ren.

敬向。
Jing Xiang.

城隍尊神。(拜)
Cheng Huang Zun Shen (Bow)

獻三拜三叩禮。
Xian San Bai Li.

一拜。再拜。三拜。禮成。(起立)
Yi Bai. Zai Bai. San Bai. Li Cheng (Raise)

After rising, make another sincere Bow and then left the spot.

After about 15 minutes, retrieve the Paper-offerings and then burn them off.

Once the Paper-offerings are being burnt, go back to the Altar, make another sincere Bow and then retrieve back the Offerings, bring them back home and share with the other members in the Family.

And so, the whole Paying Respect to Cheng Huang is considered end.

PS: Introduction on Cheng Huang:
http://javewu.multiply.com/photos/album/109

Guan Sheng Di Jun Bao Gao (關聖帝君寶誥)

This is a Bao Gao aka Praise Incantation that is being written to dedicate to Guan Gong aka Guan Sheng Di Jun.

This is a Rare Bao Gao that being recited by the Taoists.

This Bao Gao will only be recited during Rituals/Ceremonies on the Manifestation Anniversary aka Birthday of Guan Gong which falls on the 24th Day of 6 Month.

關聖帝君寶誥
Guan Sheng Di Jun Bao Gao (Praise Incantation)
　　

至心皈命禮。
Zhi Xin Gui Ming Li

太上神威。英文雄武。
Tai Shang Shen Wei, Ying Wen Xiong Wu
　
精忠大義。高節清廉。　
Jing Zhong Da Yi, Gao Jie Qing Lian

協運皇圖。德崇演正。　
Xie Yun Huang Tu, De Chong Yan Zheng

掌混元三教之權。　
Zhang Hun Yuan San Jiao Zhi Quan

管宇宙三才之柄。　
Guan Yu Zhou San Cai Zhi Bing

上司三十六天。
Shang Si San Shi Liu Tian
　
星辰雲漢。　
Xing Chen Yun Han

下轄七十二地。
Xia Xia Qi Shi Er Di
　
冥壘幽酆。　
Ming Lei You Feng

秉注人生功德。　
Bing Zhu Ren Sheng Gong De

延壽丹書。　
Yan Shou Dan Shu

執定生死罪過。　
Zhi Ding Sheng Si Zhui Guo

奪命黑籍。　
Duo Ming Hei Ji

考察諸聖諸神。　
Kao Cha Zhu Sheng Zhu Shen

監制群仙群職。　
Jian Zhi Qun Xian Qun Zhi

德圓妙果。無量度人。　
De Yuan Miao Guo, Wu Liang Du Ren

萬靈萬聖。至上至尊。　
Wan Ling Wan Sheng, Zhi Shang Zhi Zun

忠孝祖師。伏魔大帝。
Zhong Xiao Zu Shi, Fu Mo Da Di
　
關聖帝君。　
Guan Sheng Di Jun

大悲大願。大聖大慈。　
Da Bei Da Yuan, Da Sheng Da Ci

南天主宰。　
Nan Tian Zhu Zai

玉帝殿前首相。
Yu Di Dian Qian Shou Xiang
　
執掌雷部。真元顯應。　
Zhi Zhang Lei Bu, Zhen Yuan Xian Ying

昭明翊漢天尊。
Zhao Ming Yi Han Tian Zun

Full Report: Paying Respect to Tian Jun Fu (天君府-一片丹心侍武侯)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

Ack to Mr Victor Yue of Taoism Singapore eGroup


Tian Jun Fu 天君府
3 Tebing Lane #01-02
Punggol East
Singapore 828849
Tel/Fax: 63385632

Hi folks,
Last night (till this wee morning), two carloads of templers descended on Tian Jun Fu. The place was surprisingly quiet after the experience of loud colours and noise in the "entering of the temple" of the previous two temples (Tian Ci Gong 天慈宫 and Sheng Jia Miao 圣家庙) in this complex months before. With only a small stream of devotees, the temple members could have more time with us, explaining to us the deities of the temple.

This was a temple with a difference. There was an additional pair of Tua Li Ya Pek (Da Er Ye Bo 大二爷伯), said to be Tan Dua Nee 陳大年 and Lee Kek 李客 (Jave, can you give us the full name, and if possible the Chinese characters?) apart from the Xia 谢 and Fan 范 Tua Li Ya Pek respectively. As the statues were made according to the instructions from the medium in trance, each has a unique characteristic of its own. According to our guide, Tua Li Ya Pek advised that he should not have his tongue hanging out, as one would see in the other temples. Instead, it would be just like a usual person with the long beard. I also understand that the hair and beard are all real human ones.



Maybe, we can gather more information about the Tan and Li Tua Li Ya Pek.



The temple was quite meticulate in choosing the wall decos as well as how each statue was made. I learnt that it took them 4 years from the selection of the tree to the final completion of the statues. The time taken was also to allow the wood to mature and dry naturally, otherwise in our tropical climate, it could crack easily. The wood are all from the Zhang Su 樟树. And talking about luck or the moment, they were able to find a trunk that is about 3 metre tall to allow them to carve the image of Tan Tua Ya Pek (dressed in red).

If you look at the two heavy door with the huge Door Gods, you might have thought that the statues were probably plasters. Nope. They were carved out of the same block of wood. One member was telling me that the diameter of the tree trunk was longer than his height! All these were from trees of more than a hundred years old! All carved in Fuzhou, China. No details spared, all carved.





The statue of Guan Gong (known as Guan Sheng Di Jun 关圣帝君) is also interesting. One often sees Guan Gong riding on a horse with his famous weapon, said to be 84 katis heavy (its about 50 kg), or he reading a book. But here is a Guan Gong sitting in a very relaxed manner. It is said that in the 28 years or so of the existence of this sintua turned temple, through various phases of metamorphosis, Guan Gong only came three times! On the night of the opening (Fri 6Jun08), Guan Gong came for a brief moment. The resident medium is a lady and so, when Guan Gong came in through her, apparently, it was too much for her to take the energies. I understand that after Guan Gong left, she was depleted of strength and had to rest for more than an hour.

In front of Guan Gong is Guan Ping 关平太子 and General Zhou Cang 周仓將军.

To the left of Guan Gong is another interesting deity - that of Ci Ren Xian Weng 慈仁仙翁, said to be a Persian Deity. I suppose that is why he has red hair .. like the Hokkien saying, Ang Moh. (^^) It is said that he travels far and wide and would only pop by when he is in the area. We were shown an older and very much smaller statue of him, much more in the "sinocised" form. The feature of his face on the statue certainly has a character of its own. It is said that a temple member was in Fuzhou for a month just to supervise the making of the mould and then, the carving of such intricate facial expressions, to specifications.





Probably to the delight of many, there was the Qi Gong with a cockeral on his shoulder! Ah, I forgot to ask if there is any significance. Most of us who knows Ji Gong 济公活佛, loves his playful and cheeky antics .. probably from movies about him and watching his mediums in trance. The addition of the cockeral certainly adds colour! On the other side of Ci Ren Xian Weng is Lv Dong Ping 吕祖仙师, somewhat more serious in contrast.

In front of them were Ci Cai Tong Zi 赐财童子 with only a "tor-yeo" (covering for the front - exposing the bottom) and Huo Yan Tai Zi 火焰太子.




It could cost easily S$500K just for the carving of the statues plus with the temple construction and land lease, the estimated cost could be in the region of S$3M. And the land lease is only 30 years, of which some 6 years have passed.

This temple complex did indeed put much effort in using the intricate Chinese temple designs into the construction, save the original wooden forms.

The temple has its celebrations on 1M26 in honour of Tua Li Ya Pek and on 6M24 in honour of Guan Gong. In the past they used to celebrate on 5M13 but have since changed to 6M24. It is said that 5M13 is the birthday of Guan Ping, his son.

Victor
Singapore

Report: Visiting Tian Jun Temple @ Sengkang (夜參盛港天君府)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

Ack to Mr Victor Yue of Taoism Singapore eGroup


Hi folks,
This evening, a little past 11pm, the few of us went to the Tian Jun Fu at Tebing Lane, which is off Punggol East. Matt, Jave & his kakis (Donnie & Davis), Sisi, Doris and I were there.

We learnt that the Jin-keng was yesterday and so, all the activities were last night and today, it was relatively quiet. So, the temple members had time to share with us a little more about the temple. Well, I will try share a little more in my next posting. In the meanwhile some pictures to share with you. So, this combined temples of three temples are now complete.



The main temple hall as you would see as your enter the main door



The main deity being Guan Gong, notice the sitting posture



The door gods, carved out of big tree trunk, said to be more than 130 years old





There are two pairs of Tua Li Ya Pek and there is this interesting Persian Deity

More stories to come. Maybe, Matt and Jave can add in what they learnt too. We were all over the place.

Victor
Singapore

How to Prevent Negative Entities from Entering ones Home Part 02 (防範陰體所入侵分享之二)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

In Taoism, Geomancy Theory, Spiritual Skills and Chinese Customs, there are tons of methods to prevent Negative Entities from entering into ones home.

In here, I will like to introduce a few easy methods for those who are not Spiritually-trained and yet, they can be performed it at home to do self-home protection & prevention.

A – Avoid hanging Clothing Outdoor at Night

A lot of people might have neglected this point of retrieving in the Drying Clothing at Night.

Why?

Cos, if the Drying Clothing is not being retrieved back at Night, different Negative Entities might be able to possess onto the Drying Clothing and if the Drying Clothing is not being Sun-bath on the next day and one self will to wear on the Night-hanging Clothing, one self might get disturb by the Negative Entities.

Many people or Non-Taoists might find this stupid or irrelevant, but according to Scientific Research, part of the saying is quite True and being proven.

How?

At Night, the Atmosphere or in the Air, a lot of Electrons will be released from the surrounding Environment.

If the hanging clothing are wet, such Electrons will stuck onto the wet clothing very easily, which changes the Magnetic Field of the clothing from a more Positive Percentage to Negative Percentage.

Once such Magnetic Field changes and one self will to wear a Clothing with many Electrons stuck onto it, one self Physical Body Magnetic Field will also changed.

Such changes can cause one self to feel restless, energy-less or unable to concentrate, once one self is not able to concentrate well, different forms of illusions will be able to appear and the Mental-health will be affected. As time goes by, one self will look like being possessed.

And so, in-order to prevent such issues from happening, try not to hang out and Drying Clothing at Night, if no choice, then the next day, remember to have enough Sun-bath for the Drying Clothing.

B – Avoid growing Plants that Bloom White Flower

From young, I’m sure most of the Chinese will have got this Teaching from their Grandparents of, Do not grow any form of Plants with White Flowers indoor or outdoor.

Why?

According to Spiritual Theory, Entities tend to rely on the Blossom of White Flowers to stay Alive or get the chances of gaining their Reborn in the way of using the Energy that the White Flowers during they got their Fertility.

And so, when you find a Plant that got many Flowers being Blossom, meaning that, many Entities are being born thru the Blossom and so, Negative Energies will be emitted from the White Flowers.

In someway, this is quite True.

If you will to observe closely and will to go near any Plants that Blossom White Flowers, try to calm one self down and then lift up your Right Hand to go near the Plant, you will be able to sense a drop in the Temperature around the Plant (some people thought that this is normal, but if you will to go near other Plants, you wont be able to sense that drop of Temperature that immediately).

And, if you will to sniff on the Blossom White Flowers, usually the first sniff, you will smell a type of Aroma that are so Familiar (like Josspaper or Paper Objects – even for Jasmine), some will even give out a Rotten-smell (and you shall know why the smell is so Rotten).

C – Stepping on Burnt Josspaper aka Ash

This is quite a common issue that happened in the Chinese Society.

For those who stepped on Burnt Josspaper that dedicated to Deities, then it is fine, but if one self will to stepped on the Burnt Josspaper that are dedicating to Spirits or Ancestors, then one self will have to be careful.

Upon stepping onto the Burnt Josspaper and immediately, one self sense a Cold-feeling crawling from the Bottom of the leg to the Spine, quickly look for a nearby Temple and hide into the Temple, get a set of Offerings, pay respect to Heaven and the Main Deities and use the Josspaper to sweep around the whole Body (this is not encourage to be done, but for this case, No Choice) and then burn it outside – Not into the Main Burning Urn, cos this is a form of Disrespect to the Deities.

But if one self didnt sense anything, then meaning that one self has not annoyed the Beings. And so, after returning home, do not bring the shoes into the House, leave it outdoor and try to put them (the tip of the shoes) facing outward direction and place them in improper manner (some will place them upside down).

In-order to avoid any Fatal Issues to happen, try to be careful while walking on the Pathway during Celebrations or on Certain Periods.

How to Prevent Negative Entities from Entering ones Home Part 01 (防範陰體所入侵分享之一)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

In Taoism, Geomancy Theory, Spiritual Skills and Chinese Customs, there are tons of methods to prevent Negative Entities from entering into ones home.

In here, I will like to introduce a few easy methods for those who are not Spiritually-trained and yet, they can be performed it at home to do self-home protection & prevention.

A – Avoid North-East Direction (東北) & South-west Direction (西南)

In Taoism, Geomancy, Spiritual Theory & Chinese Customs, NE & SW Directions are considered as the Ghostly or Negative Directions (鬼方).

What does it mean of Ghostly or Negative Directions?

Cos in the Ancient Era, Chinese tend to believe that Spirits, Souls & other Negative Beings will be released from these 2 Directions and once such Beings are being released, Negative Lucks will be bestowed upon the Mortals causing un-necessary issues to happen.

After Thousand years, this Theory is still being widely used and the Chines are still following it closely and respectfully.

And so,

1 – while sleeping, the Top of the Head shall not face these 2 Directions

2 – do not place Died-water (water that is not moving or flowing) at these 2 Directions, Died-water represents Negative Element and if the water is being placed at these 2 Directions, the Water might absorb the Negative Energies that will bring harm to the members in the home (in Health Theory, Died-water will breed many forms of insects which can be harmful to ones health)

3 – do not place Bamboos (real or artificial) on these 2 Directions (Bamboos are believed to be one of the plants that used to summon Souls)

4 – do not place any Metal-form-Wind-charm (風鈴) on these 2 Directions, but Wooden-made-Wind-charms are okay (Metal-form-Wind-charm will sound like Bell that used to summon Souls)

5 – do not place any Un-enhanced Statues on these 2 Directions, as the Entities might enter into the Empty Objects to stay for good

6 – try to avoid placing the Ancestors Tablets on these 2 Directions, if the Ancestors are not there in the House, other Beings might take over the Place

B – Avoid bringing an Opened Umbrella into the House

In Chinese Customs, this is one of the most serious Taboos to avoid.

Usually Umbrellas (especially Black-color) that being used to shade someone in Cemetaries, Temples or during Funerals, are not allowed to bring into the House while they are still being Open-up.

Reason, Chinese believes that Souls & Entities might transformed themselves into smaller form to hide inside the Umbrella and then, follow one self home.

For those who have to bring such Umbrellas home, here are a few methods to use before bringing them into the house:

1 – leave the Umbrella outside the house for a Day or place it under the Sun to allow Sun-bath for 1 Day

2 – open the Umbrella before reaching your lock or Apartment, allow the hiding Souls or Entities to leave the Umbrella

3 – tied the Umbrella with a Red-string before bringing it into the House, but remember, not to un-tie the Red-string in the House, cos the Red-string is used to trap the Souls or Entities in the Umbrella.

Only un-tie it while one self is outside the House

C – Avoid bringing any Old-statues or Furnitures into the House before any form of Cleansing is being done onto the Objects.

A lot of people might have the habits of collecting Old Statues or Furnitures, usually this is the main cause of bringing extra-friends back home without noticing.

So for those who really want to bring Old Statues back home, do try to bring the Statues to a Master ir Priest to allow them to perform the Cleansing before bringing home.

For bigger size objects, then try to allow the bigger objects to get enough Sun-bath before moving them indoor.

For those urgent cases, one self can prepare Pomelo-leaves with 5-color Flower water. After preparing them, washed the objects before moving them indoor.

Once the objects are being moved indoor, light some Good Quality Incenses under the objects to allow Fume or Fire Cleansing.

Spiritual Sharing: How to doing checking on one self's Spiritual Level? (靈超體質檢測法)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

After sharing so many articles on making one self to be more Spiritual, quite a number of the people had PM or email me to make enquiries on how to do the checking on whether one self is being Spiritual Enhanced or Bestowed with the Spiritual Will.

In-order not to promote any un-necessary Superstitious and being criticize by the other Non-Taoist Faith, I will do a quick and brief introduction on how to check on ones Spiritual Level or so-called Spiritual Body.

According to Spiritual Theory or Past-records on Ways of Cultivation, when one self had done the necessary Cultivation or Spiritual Cleansing, one self will tend to have the few possible effects being seen, shown, feel, etc, at any time or any place.

So what are they?

1 – Feeling Hot or Warm suddenly without any contact with Sun or Fire.

This is the moment when one self is giving the Positive Energy or one self is doing Energy Balancing. During the Energy Balancing, the excess or other Bad Energies will be released out in Heat Form and evaporate into the Air – which wont do any Harm to any one that is near by, etc.

2 – Attracting Animals, Insects and the Attention of the others.

For those who have reached a certain Level of Cultivation or Spiritual Will, the Energies that being emitted out from the Physical Body can be very different, such as Comfortable, Warm, Soothing and Peaceful.

Due to the different Frequency that being released into the Big Environment, different groups of Beings will be attracted, such as Dogs, Cats, Monkeys. As for Insects will be Butterflies, Moths, Bees.

But when one self attracted too much Insects, please do RUN for your Life, cos this might bring you un-necessary issues (you are not Snow White or Princess Fragrance, do not stand at the spot for too long as Insects will attract insects, once the amount getting bigger, you will get into deep Trouble).

As for sometimes, one self will also get the attention of the other people, such as the other people turned so suddenly to stare at you or someone approached you to do certain reasonable requests. Why? Due to the Aura that one self is emitted, the other will be attracted.

And last, of cos the Wanderings.

Why they approached you? Cos they wanted your Spiritual assistances such as Chanting or leading them to any Temples for Spiritual Cultivation.

3 – Knowing of the Arrival of Deities or any Heavenly Beings.

For this point, usually the Trained Taoist Priests or Spiritual Masters will have encountered more than any layman Taoists.

During the Arrival of Deities or any other Heavenly Beings, such people will be able to sense the Extreme Heat coming from a certain Direction. Once the Heat getting nearer, the people will start to get various quick signals such as Giddy, Burning, someone standing by the side or getting frustrated.

Once such people got such signals, they will need to calm themselves down and stayed in a Clear and Peace mind in-order to get the messages from the Deities or the Heavenly Beings.

In Main Stream Taoism, we don’t encourage Medium-ship. Why? Due to we know that the Extreme Heat that a Deity or a Heavenly Being emitted out and some other Spiritual Issues (wont be sharing here). No one in this Mortal World is able to withstand the Extreme Heat when a Deity entered into ones Physical Body. If the person is SO Lucky to get the Deity entered into the Body, after the Deity left, the person will look like a piece of Black Charcoal. So do be aware of people using the name of Deities to do conning of Money.

For those who are being trained to sense the Arrival of Deities or Heavenly Beings, here are some parts on the Physical Body that they will feel the Heat:

1 – Both Ears, before the Arrival of Deities, the Ears will get the signal first and slowly, both the Ears will turn extremely Red and Hot. When one self or other touches the Ears, they will feel a Burning Sensation (very abnormal Temperature).

2 – Back Burning, this is something that a lot of people cannot take it, cos the Burning Feeling is really like one self laying on the Tar-Road in the Mid-day on an Expressway.

Some people might get very annoyed by the Burning Feeling.

But if one self encountered a Icy Feeling, then, one self will have to leave the Spot as fast as he/she can.

3 – Center of Forehead or known as Third Eye jumping.

This is a more Rare case, unless the person is so closely-connected with the Deities or Heavenly Beings, if not, the Forehead or Third Eye wont jumped that easily.

For some people, the Third Eye will Pop-out and leaving a very Visiblely-clear Mark on the Forehead for quite sometime.

Lord Wen Chang Wisdom-enhancing Incantation (文昌帝君開心聰穎神咒)

 

 

Lord Wen Chang aka Wen Chang Di Jun, one of the 5 Deities that being appointed to look into Academic Issues for Students in Taoism Context.

And in Taoism, he is the Only Solely Deity that got the highest Authority to issue Academic Blessings for the Students who make requests in front of him.
 
According to Taoism Deity System Records, Lord Wen Chang Manifestation Anniversary fall on the 3rd Day of Lunar 2 Month (文昌帝君聖誕為農曆二月初三日). Usually on this Day, parents will bring their Children or Students who are attending important Examinations, will visit Temples that dedicate Altars to Lord Wen Chang to make their Respect to him in-order to get Blessing for "Passing of Examination".

In Taoism, we do have a few Rituals/Ceremonies conducted to do enhancement for such events. One of them is by reciting the Bao Gao (Praise Mantra) and then the following Mantra known as Wisdom-opening Mantra.

This Mantra is being recited in-order to allow the Positive Energy that given out by Lord Wen Chang (Wen Chang Star in the Heavenly Realm) to be bestowed (shine) upon one person.

Once such Energy is being bestowed to one person and that person got Good & Direct Connection with Lord Wen Chang or Wen Chang Star, the person will be blessed and of cos, the Wisdom in the Mind will be opened up within moment.

This Mantra is not only mend for students but also for those who are doing Spiritual Cultivation, only by Opening up of one self Wisdom, then one self is able to open up the other Physical Parts of the Physical Bodies to absord the other Spiritual Energies that being released by the Three Realms, Deities or Surrounding.

Okay, for those who wished to start reciting the following Incantation, a few things needed to look into, here they go:

1 - Try to recite this Incantation on every 1st or 15th Day of the Lunar Month in front of the Altar after paying Respect to the Home Deities. Not necessary to dedicate any Statue for Lord Wen Chang, as long as one self Call-upon the Official Title of him (Wen Chang Di Jun)

2 - Before reciting, always try to make one self clean and calm. Try to drink a cup of Luke-warm Water and rest for a while and then start reciting.

3 - Just before the reciting starts, make a simple bow and then kneel down respectfully and then start the reciting.

4 - For Taoism, we can recite such Incantations for 3, 5, 7 or 9 times. If one self got the extra time, then reciting can go up to 21 time. For those who are reciting for the others, do remember to report the name & Date of Birth of the person to Lord Wen Chang first and then proceed with the reciting.

5 - Once the reciting is done, Respectfully stand up and make a bow and then leaven the spot.

Heres the Incantation:

九天大帝。身披白衣。

Jiu Tian Da Di. Shen Pi Bai Yi

日月照耀。乾坤幹隨。

Ri Yue Zhao Yao. Qian Kun Gan Sui

有能持誦。聰明如斯。

You Nen Chi Song. Cong Ming Ru Si

黃老丹元。與心合宜。

Huang Lao Dan Yuan. Yu Xin He Yi

五神衛守。八聖護持。

Wu Shen Wei Shou. Ba Sheng Hu Chi

誦之不輟。萬神赴機。

Song Zhi Bu Chuo. Wan Shen Fu Ji

帝司大化。文冶瓊瑰。

Di Si Da Hua. Wen Ye Qiong Gui

詞源浩蕩。筆陣風馳。

Ci Yuan Hao Dang. Bi Zhen Feng Chi

九天開化。萬章洞微。

Jiu Tian Kai Hua. Wan Zhang Dong Wei

元皇上帝。勿稽勿遲。

Yuan Huang Shang Di. Wu Ji Wu Chi

急急如元皇上帝律令。

Ji Ji Ru Yuan Huang Shang Di Lv Ling

 

Spiritual Army Culture: Intro on San Jun, Wu Fang, Qi Jiang & Jiu Di 3 (神兵文化之三軍/五方/七將/九地簡介)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

Okay, now I will do the introduction on the Qi Jiang & Jiu Di.

So after reading the previous 2 articles, more or less you shall have understand the importance of the various characters and tasks each character is holding.

Let's do a quick revise on the 7 Main Key people that are involved in an Army Troop:

1 Yuan Shuai aka Overall In-charge Marshal (元帥)
2 Fu Yuan Shuai aka Assistant Overall In-charge Marshal (副元帥)
3 Jian Jun aka Disciplinary Chief (監軍)
4 Can Mou aka Advisor (參謀)
5 Da Jiang Jun aka First General (大將軍)
6 Zhi Hui aka Commender (指揮)
7 Xian Feng aka Vanguard (先鋒)

In Spiritual World, Yuan Shuai will be appointed by the Heaven once a Temple, Taoist Group or a Spiritual Person requested for the permission of recruiting Spiritual Armies from the Heaven.

Once the request is being approved, the Heaven will bestowed an Edict to the Main Deity in the Temple, Taoist Group or the person honouring to be the Main Yuan Shuai.

And immediately after the Main Yuan Shuai is being elected, the Fu Yuan Shuai will be chosen by the Main Yuan Shuai as the assistant.

In some Folks Group, usually the Fu Yuan Shuai will be selected by asking the permission from the Main Deities by the Committee or the Spiritual Person him/herself.

Jian Jun & Can Mou will usually be appointed by Heaven to accompany the Requested or Recruited Army Troops. As for which Deity to take charge, usually only the Spiritual Master or Priest will know. Other than that, no One has the Authority to communicate with Jian Jun Can Mou.

Jiang Jun, usually is rhe Deity that come with the Main Deity, such as Personal or Close Assistant.For Female Deities, their Jiang Jun can be a Lady too.

Zhi Hui, the one that assists Jiang Jun in the Troop. In Spiritual World, usually the Deity that stands infront the Main Altar is the appointed one, this is why, in Temple or Taoist Group, it is advisable not to misplace any Deities on Altars as it can bring in un-necessary issues as time goes by.

Xian Feng, the common form that can be seen in Temples or Taoist Groups are the Black Commanding General. But the actual one in Taoism usually comes without a name or form. During Rituals/Ceremonies, a special Deity will be appointed or one will be sent down by Heaven to do the reporting and running or errands.

Okay, last I will touch on what is Jiu Di aka Nine Directions.

In Taoism, it is very easy to know which are the Nine Directions. If you are one who study Geomancy or doing Talisman-writing, one self will know.

The Nine Directions are:

1 East
2 South
3 West
4 North
5 North East
6 North West
7 South East
8 South West
9 Central

In Spiritual World, we believed that in each Direction, there will be some Troop of Armies being stationed at the spot to do Guarding and Protecting.

Such Armies will only be retrieved back after the whole Rituals/Ceremonies are completed.

For Temples or Taoist Groups, usually the Armies will be stationed at the spot for a long period, the Armies will only be replaced with new batches after new recruitments are being made or after A year, on the Day of the Final Rewarding of Armies aka Kao Jun aka Wei Ya.

Deities Birthday/Celebration Banners (Wu Zi Lunar 5 Mth) 戊子年五月神誕及慶典

Deities Birthday & Celebration of Wu Zi Year Lunar 5 Month
(戊子年五月神誕及慶典)

According to Chinese Deity Systems Record, here are the Birthday of the various Taoist Deities, Patrons, Sages & Immortals in the Lunar Fourth Month.

五月初一日南極長生大帝千秋
1st Day of Lunar 5 Month: Heavenly Emperor Chang Sheng

五月初一日東方朔仙翁聖誕
1st Day of Lunar 5 Month: Immortal Dong Fang Shuo

五月初二日保生大帝飛昇日
2nd Day of Lunar 5 Month: Duke Bao Sheng Enlightenment Day

五月初五日地祇溫瓊元帥聖誕
5th Day of Lunar 5 Month: Heavenly Marshal Wen Qiong

五月十一日天下都城隍聖誕
11th Day of Lunar 5 Month: Lord Cheng Huang

五月十三日關平大太子誕
13th Day of Lunar 5 Month: Prince Guan Ping (Foster Son of Guan Gong)

五月十八日(夏至)靈寶大天尊萬壽
18th Day of Lunar 5 Month (Summer Solstice): Ling Bao Tian Zun

五月十八日張府祖天師聖誕
18th Day of Lunar 5 Month: Heavenly Master Zhang Dao Ling

五月廿五日武安張巡尊王誕辰
25th Day of Lunar 5 Month: Duke Wu An – General Zhang Xun

Spiritual Army Culture: Intro on San Jun, Wu Fang, Qi Jiang & Jiu Di 2 (神兵文化之三軍/五方/七將/九地簡介)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

Before San Jun (三軍) can be batched or formed, Recruiting and Training of Armies will be carried out.

Whether is this to involve in the Mortal Realm or the Spiritual World, a Good Troop of Armies will need to go thru Recruiting Process, then Training, and last the Follow-up Drilling.

Once such processes are done, Good & Strong Recruits will be chosen to promote to the next level, in Mortal Realm, we called it Promotion, in Spiritual World, we addresses it as Gaining Enlightenment.

And so, where such Recruits come from?

All over the Country (for Mortal Realm Army System) and All over the Three Realms (for the Spiritual Army System).

In Chinese, we addressed this as Wu Fang Zhao Jun Ma (五方召軍馬).

Nowadays, a lot of Folks will tend to call The Five Camps as Wu Ying (五營), I cant said that this is wrong, just that, the Folks are not that aware of the True Background & the Actual History of how such Armies are being Batched or Formed.

In the Early Days when the Five Camp Spiritual Armies are being introduced, this Spiritual Army System is being addressed as Wu Fang Shen Jiang (五方神將). Wu Ying Shen Jiang (五營神將) is only being used quite recently.

Till today, the Hokkien Folks will still addresses them as Ghor Hong Ghor Jiong and not Ghor Yar Ghor Jiong, from here, you can see the System that the Hokkien used is still being kept and passed down from generation to generation.

Back to the Wu Fang System.

Wu Fang, from the term, you know that it represent The Five Directions, but actually, it goes beyond that Physical term.

Wu Fang, to represent everywhere and every corner that you can find in the Three Realms (the Methods of Recruiting & Training, I will not shared it here).

May it be at the Waterly Realm or may it be in the Higher-Spiritual Realm, once the Spirit is willingly to join the Spiritual San Jun, the Spirit will be accepted and it will go thru the necessary processes to reach the Ultimate Objective of joining the Army System.

After the Recruiting and Training, the Trained Armies will be allocated to the respective Armies Batches that being Batched in the San Jun.

Upon the requesting of Armies by the Taoist Priests or Spiritual Masters, Heaven will somehow grant the permission for the Priests or Masters to carry out the Summoning of Spiritual Armies. Once the signals are being sent out, the Spirits that being Recruited & Trained will go Batched again under a Smaller Volume San Jun and being directed to the Priests or Masters for passing the Spiritual Authority to the requested Group or People.

Take note that, this can only be carried out by a Trained & Skilled Upright Taoist Priest or Spiritual Master, if not, the San Jun that being summoned is just an empty shell that will end up recruiting any form of Spirits, for eg: Demons, Devils, Evil Ghosts or Crude Spirits.

In Folks Culture, due to the Recruiting & Training is done for the Spirits from the various Direction, the Folks addressed it as Wu Fang. And this is being passed down till today.

To be continued… (Next Chapter: Qi Jiang & Jiu Di 七將與九地)