Know more about The Seventh Month Celebration (了解農曆七月)

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Seventh Month, in Folks Culture known as The Ghostly Month (民間稱鬼月), in Taoism known as Zhong Yuan (道教稱中元節) and in other Beliefs known as Happiness and Joyous Festival (其他外來信仰稱歡喜日).

Upon knowing that the Lunar Seventh Month is coming, a lot of the Mortals will tend to have certain fears arise in them, thinking that everywhere in the Mortal Realm, Spirits & Souls will be wandering around to do snatching of offerings and also to do disturbing to the Normal Mortals. If you will to think that way, of cause I cant say that its wrong, but if you think that only in Lunar Seventh Month, then such Nether Beings are out to do such tricks, then I will need to correct you that, it is not True.

From the Universe started to function like what we know now, different form of Beings had been staying with us, the Human Being. Just that, due to the Un-pureness and Non-Cultivation that Human Being got, we are not able to detect their existence that easily, but other-wise, the other Beings are able to detect that we Human Beings are by their side. And so, whenever someone is there to do certain tricks to harm the others and such Beings got the signal of oneself is going to play nasty, such Beings will tend to return the nasty to the Mortal before the Mortal can do anything and this is why, a lot of of such Nasty Mortals always complaint that they got haunted by the other Beings. And so, next time, before you put the blames to the other Beings, asked yourself this question 1st – Did you try to do any nasty thing?

Okay, back to the Topic.

So does Seventh Month really have close association with Ghosts, Spirits & Souls?

To be more accurate, I shall say that, Seventh Month is not a Ghostly Month like what the Folks Culture believed in.

Seventh Month, started in Zhou Dynasty (中元祭祀始于周朝), is a Month or a Festive Period for the Taoists & Chinese to pay respect to their Ancestors, Passed-on Parents, Masters, Teachers, etc. A Month or a Festive Period of remembering the People who had Positive-ly Influence oneself.

In Zhou Dynasty, the most Official Date to do such Honoring & Celebration was on the 15th Day of Lunar 7 Month, which also known as Zhong Yuan Jie & the Manifestation Anniversary or Inspection Day of Di Guan Da Di (中元地官大帝下降日) aka The Heavenly Lord of the Earthly Realm.

On this Day, Taoist Priests would be engaged to perform the Salvation Rituals for the Passed-on, in-order to assist them to ascend to the Eastern Palace to enjoy the Eternal Joyous and also, to assist a Good Cultivated Person to attain Enlightenment. Besides that, also to show the Filial Piety of oneself or the descendants of assisting the Passed-on Ancestors or Parents to get out of any form of Sufferings after their Mortal-Departure (Please take note that, in Zhou Dynasty, there have yet to have the Nether-World Theory and so, Salvation for the Passed-on is usually mend for assisting the Passed-on to reach Enlightenment faster, etc).

Another saying is that, Zhou Dynasty Zhong Yuan Salvation Rituals were conducted dedicating to those who died in Wars, Accidents, Accused-to-Death, Died-of-Diseases, Homeless-souls, etc. A Month or Festive Period to show Gratitude to this group of Passed-on or to show Compassionate & Kindness to the Poverty.

From the above two Practices, you shall be able to know a little more that, Seventh Month is not solely associated with Ghosts, Spirits or Souls.

So when does the idea of Ghostly Month started?

This actually started after the Non-Taoist Religions being imported into China in Tang Dynasty (鬼月之說始于唐朝年間).

After such Beliefs being imported, the Theory of Suffering-Nether World started to spread around in the Folks Community, causes un-necessary fear and disturbance. From then, in-order to calm the commotion and starting of the promotion of the Imported-Religion, doing Salvation of the Spirits & Souls started.

By that moment, the whole Religion System in China was in a Chaotic-situation, including the stress that the Imperial Court pressing on the various Religion Leaders, a lot of Non-realistic Teaching, Preaching, Knowledge and Information were being created and imparted to the Innocent Commoners and various Religion-followers.

This is why, in Tang Dynasty, a lot of Folks Taoist Group tend to combine the Teaching of the Three Religions together to please the Imperial Court and also to gain the support from the Commoners in-order to strengthen their Base & Power.

So the Seventh Month Celebration that we see today is not the Origin Taoist Practice?

Yes, in certain way, the Celebration that we see together had drift very far apart from the Origin Practice.

Recent years, due to commercialization of Religions, a lot of Religion Leaders, Spiritual Masters or Teachers tend to use such Festival to make Big-earnings, such as burning Tons of Josspapers, making expensive Offerings to the Invisible Beings, etc.

So by doing so, we are not assisting the necessary Nether Beings to gain their Benefits but assisting the Nasty-Human-beings to gain their extra-incomes.

So if we will to do follow the Origin Taoist Practice, what shall one self do?

Very easy, just do the followings on the 15th Day or Lunar 7 Month and one self will be Blessed:

1) prepare the necessary Offerings for the Passed-on Ancestors or Family members

2) visit Temples that dedicated Altars to Di Guan Da Di to make your respect to him and asked for Forgiveness and Blessing for the Passed-on

3) prepare some necessary Offerings to offer to the Wandering Souls outside your premises, here a list of items to be prepared:

a) Incenses (Red-Incense Leg) & Candles (香與燭)
b) Josspapers (including the Clothing, Colored-papers 紙錢及經衣)
c) 1 set of Fruit or 3 sets of Fruits (一色或三色水果)
d) 3 cups of Tea (do not use Tea-leaves only 三杯茶﹐不可單用茶葉)
e) 3 cups or 1 bottle of Rice-wine (三杯或一瓶米酒)
f) 1 bowl of Peanuts (一碗花生)
g) 1 bowl of Biscuits (一碗餅乾)
h) 1 bowl of Raw-rice (一碗生白米-取地之氣)
i) 1 bowl of Eating-salt (一碗食鹽-取水之氣)
j) 1 bowl of Cane-sugar (一碗蔗糖-取天之氣)
k) 1 Huat Kueh (一個發糕)

Once all these are being done, one self is more or less following the Origin Practice that what our Ancestors are doing.

Take Note:

1) During the offering, do not make any un-necessary request.

2) Try to minimize large scale burning during this Day

3) Among all the Offerings for the Wanderings, Salt, Rice & Sugar are the most important. They represent the Nature Energies emitted from the Heavenly, Earthly and Watery Realms. Once a Soul is able to get the necessary blessing from these 3 Realms, the Soul will be able to reach a certain level of Enlightenment.