I just came back from visiting my deceased Parent's resting place in one of the temple's match box apartment in Mount Eskine. My Parents have been desd for many years and it has been my family's duty to visit them once a year. My parents are believers in Toaist and we have been carrying out the Taoist ritual for them every year. In one of my article, I have expressed doubts whether they are able to receive our offerings to them.
In modern times, we offered them paper Iphones, Ipads, TVs and the latest TV series, etc. All these things end in smoke and we hold the believe that they will be able to receive all these offerings. We hold on to the hope and that keep us alive.
During the ritual, we burn joss sticks and candles for them and we offer the favorite food of our parent. We arrange all the food on the table and we invite them to eat. The food are real edible cooked food or cookies. After arranging the food and lighting up the candles, we will take two coins and toss on the ground to ask my deceased parents whether they are ready to it. If the result of the coins is a head and a tail, this means they are here to eat or they are eating already. If both the coins showed heads, it means they are not ready but they are grateful for the offering and if it is both tails, they are laughing at us. So, we have to keep on tossing the coins until it is a head and a tail.
After getting the nod that my deceased parents are ready to eat, we will have to wait for them to finished eating. How can we know whether they have finished or not ?. Yes, again, we have to toss the coins to get a head and a tail to indicate that they have finished eating the offerings. We are doubtful of this ritual but sometimes, it is very difficult to get the head and tail and we have to continue to waiting and tossing the coins again and again. Well, whether it is the right things to do or not, nobody knows and that is the reason why we still have the hope even if the procedure looks foolish. We have done it for more than 20 years now and why should we stop unless we can see the truth.
That is not the end. After getting the correct combination or result, we have to pack up all the edible food and bring one set of joss stick, one cup of wine and another cup of tea and all the paper offerings wiht some rice to the a designated area for burning all these offerings except the edible food. After burning all the paper offerings, we bring the food back to our home and we cook it for our lunch or dinner. This way we do not waste food. THis is a logical thingking.
But, to the christians, such offering or praying to the deceased parents is forbided. It is considered an offering to the devil. However, I don't agree to this belief and everyone of us have a choice to keep our belief and our hope. Whatever which make us feel good or happy, we have a choice to make. You can talk until the cows come home, it is still our choice. Don't judge us unless you want to be judge by others.
Next weekend is the real day of the "cheng ming" and the whole cemetery will be pack and the roads leaving to the cemetery will also be jam pack especially in Penang. However, for the christians, they also have their all souls' day and they only offer simple prayers and flowers.
The "cheng ming" is a cultural event and the offering of food is because in ancient China, the ancestal graves are located very far away from home. They have to travel on foot. So, the offering of edible food is for them to eat after the prayer session as lunch before they come back to their home. But, this practice has never changed since the invention of motor cars when the travelling is only within minutes and hour.
Unless we have a clear guidance from GOD or our creator, we can only guess what is right or wrong and follow the right path. In the meantime, we will continue to the things we think is right and let it to hope to carry the message to our beloved and deceased family members or friends.
Lets it be whatever is the outcome.
Namaste.
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