DISPLAY divinity, i guess?

OH, when i reply that, i forgot about the imbued power of the blood into talisman/charm (符箓)

BTW, personally, I am not a religious person and I am not even close to believe in such deities. But again, I am Chinese Malaysian, I grew up around this stuff even though my parents is strictly agnostics and do not pray in any form. Thus come the curiosity to study, especially sintua is very popular among some sub-group of our community. (sorry to say so and i apologize if I hurt or insult your feelings)

However, I find it very difficult to learn about this, as I always being chased away from the sintua, due to my "not believing" state.

ONE temple around my work place offer lotto numbers with extreme graffiti writing, every other weekends, by Second Elder Brother.

After the channelling and scribbling, then the protege (young kids, age 12++) will then stapler it on a bulletin.

Folks gather around and guess what it is.

If anyone tio any prize from the number, they will come back with offerings, from fruits, beer, joss paper, to equipment.

Once a guy tio second price, come back with a marble incense burner, so heavy need 4 guy to pick it up.

This temple, have both shady and true medium I guess.

There is one guy that trance into Ji Gong, which being caught by me playing tricks to show "divination".

There is also other disciple that trance into other Gods being able to help rebuild torn families, calm retaliating children or so on.

But since I am not a believer, when ever I am around during the trance, which I accompany friends/colleagues to go for a purpose, I was teased, even challenged once by Guan Gong

The temple had two sides, one for the Hell deities, one for the Heaven deities.
Both side have a few disciple which able to trance, which give me the first question: Is it normal that a medium can trance both side?

The Ji Gong story is quite funny actually. This temple had a weird "tradition", whenever the medium "wanted "trance for Ji Gong, it will make something like an announcement to notify the neighbourhood. Then they will bring their children to the temple for blessings, to cure sickness, to calm shocked emotion etc.

Sometime, the Ji Gong will drink with the neighbourhood, all sort of liquor, which he can drink really a lot, according to the folk, this is because of his divination. (五加皮，青竹酒，Blue Label and sort). One time, because that I'm standing close, he order me to fetch his drink, and serve him and his buddies. When he chanted YUM (drink in Cantonese), other than really drinking it, he using his fan and long sleeved robe, seemingly pouring the liquor into his sleeve.

I some how stunned, and stared for more than 5 sec and I think he noticed. Ever since, come the weird hostility.

Then one day, a new disciple wanted to try to trance, and temple's men in charge (庙祝) ask by stander to help, I being curious then go help too. Inside, a Second Elder Brother and the former mentioned Ji Gong is there helping the new disciple. Whipping long whip, chanting something I don't understand, using joss stick to air-writing charm and so-on. However nothing much happens. The new disciple only breath harder and harder, shivers and rocking his chair.

Then the Ji Gong Kneel down and pray out loud, asking help from God-Who-Know-which-God he is praying too. Then he throws a poe (掷筊), then he looks at me at saw your aura (气场) is not compatible with the disciple, saying that I doubted and do not believe in God and until the point I think the humiliation is enough, I left.


The Guan Gong one is an even scarier drama.

The medium for Guan Gong is some how related to the medium of Ji Gong (Brother-in-laws IINM).

One day, he trance into Guan Gong, and start wielding his Guan Dao, and then in a very movie-ish motion he pointed his Guan Dao at me and yelled "How dare you face me and not kneel" (何方竖子面圣而不跪？)。 He then walk towards me in a very stompy fashion. I was genuinely scared and stunned, mind goes blank directly.

I knew the Guan Dao was not knife sharp, but it has been sanded down at the edge, and it weight ~10kg.

After three steps, the Guan Gong stops, stomp his Guan Dao and laughed "Brave kid, I let you go this time." (小子大胆，今放尔一马)

And yes, the Guan Gong speaks in Classical Chinese.

Most people speak Hokkien around here.

Heck, even the 大士爷 speak a weird Hokkien too. LOL

While Ji Gong 济公，the one that dress poorly, waving a fan constantly and drink a lot.
Due to the fact he is technically a monk, some would say it is a Buddhist God, but as you know, there is no strict line between Buddhist, Taoist and Chinese folklore here in Malaysia.

Maybe the guy just don't like me.

This Ji Gong also once caught playing modern magic tricks with kids in front of the crowd.
He holds some candy in his hand, some how make them vanish (actually transfer hand in a concealed way)
Then he ask the kids around him to called him as God GrandFather (Kai Ye) then he chanted and make the candy come back.
Kids, of course love to see this.

According to Chinese Folklore, there is 10 Hell Temple (10殿阎王), each Temple will have their own Yan Wang 阎王 and Black/White Wu Chang黑白无常
(Although thru out the years, I learn that is 10 figure is largely vague, same say 4, some say 18)

Maybe this is the Second Elder Brother from 4th Temple?

What I learned is slightly different from yours.

I was educated that, The Underworld (地府) is headed by East Mountain Emperor 东岳泰山天齐仁圣大帝
Then the capital of Underworld is Feng Du 北阴酆都, govern by Emperor of Feng Du 北阴酆都大, which is aided by Five Ghostly Emperor 五方鬼帝

Then there is the Hell (地狱) where the sinner will be punished accordingly.
There is ten temple 十殿, which headed by a 阎王, with his own army of Gods 牛头马面 黑白无常 判官 etc
This place resemble the traditional Chinese bureaucrat office (衙门), where the good are distinguished from the bad, the good are rewarded and sin were punished 辨是非 奖善惩恶

The legendary Bao Cheng 包拯 is once the head of 1st Temple, also known as The Emperor of Yan Wang 阎罗天子, yet due to his often released of wrongfully sentenced soul 冤魂, his rank was diminished to the 5th Temple.

Folklore religion is born way before recorded history, it is even older than Islam, Christianity and Buddhism (and Taoism if you insist) combined. Folklore religion started as a form of body worship, revolve into totem worship, then into ancestry worship, eventually into today's folklore religion we knew. Thru out the history of Chinese Empire, these practices never really been cut off by any form of "Official Religion", and there is always been some level of worshipping occurred both in the royal family and the among the ordinaries.

As Folklore religion is a common sets of belief by the mass, it was easily influenced by what most people think it is true, and adapt itself into a new form. Thus, we can see there is lots of shadows and bits of other religion, such as Buddhism, Taosim and even Confucianism.

Example, if we list all known Gods of Folklore religion, we will find Gods we "borrowed" from Taoism and Buddhism, using a Emperor and bureaucrat system of Confucianism.

As an example, we worship Guan Yin, Ru Lai and Lohan 观音如来罗汉；Yet also believed in Yuan Shi Tian Jun and Emperor of Zhen Wu 元始天君真武大帝
The heaven and underworld of Folklore religion is a assemble of traditional Chinese Empire, where there is a Emperor 玉帝, there is General, there is Civil service, there is consultants, heck, there is even soldier and other being that lived in the heaven yet do not have a proper job.

You may say that Folklore religion doesn't not consolidated well through out time, but you can't say that it is just some wack job create some nuts story and everyone believes in it.

Not that Mr Bao wrongfully sentence anyone, is the human Judge that wrongfully judge someone (often involving killing them), thus making soul bearing the sin he did not commit. Mr Bao will release them, to allow them to take revenge.



Yes, this is street side classroom teachings

中外 Inside China and outside china
五方 Five direction
唐蕃 China and places out of china
前后 Front and back

by all means is a chinese poetic way to state "all land"

That piece of rock should have wording on it, which read: 石敢当/泰山石敢当
This piece of rock is placed in strategic position to exorcise evil spirits or counter "fierce energy"凶气

That toad is a wealth symbolic creature where it is believe that they will bring wealth to the owner.
The turning is some sort of timed mechanic kot

I will say that he will then raise this sort of question:

SINTUA religion is from the grass roots community, thus what the grass roots feels and thinks will then being incorporated into this religion they single handed created.
Confucianism is one of the three dominant philosophy set/theory (the two other being Buddhism and Taoism) of Chinese, where play a much more important role the Buddhism and Taoism due to the fact it is always being set up as a educational tool to establish a proper functioning society by the Royals.

Like I mentioned before, SINTUA combines gods/deities from both Buddhism and Taoism culture, organised them in a very Confucianism way (the emperor and bureaucrats system settings, rules and regulation, position and job scope)

Other words:

Of all proper religion in the world, doesn't each and every one of them preach us to be good and kind toward humanity?

So does Sintua.

IS there any relevance where SINTUA get it's philosophy, moral guidelines or even core teachings?

IF SINTUA do posses similarity with Confucianism, DOES it make SINTUA any less religion?

Again, I quote

Killing one is guilty, and it is the same of saving 5 lives. Also, saving 1 lives is sacred, yet killing 5 would be the same.
You should bear the consequence of your behavioural. Nothing more, nothing less.

BTW, And I do feel very amazed that in today's world, one would be so sceptical toward something they don't know. OR maybe you just act you don't know. IF that is true then, the malicious intention you posses do disgust me.

Put it this way:

Sun Wu Kong originates from "Journey to the West", while "Journey to the West" originates from a real event: 玄奘 Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India (or modern day Adinapur, Afghanistan to be exact).

From Tang China 唐朝 capital Chang An 长安 till Adinapur is more than 3500 kilometre, straight line distance on map. There is no proper walking distance documented, but some said it was around 20k km, spanning over 140 countries.

It is near impossible for anyone that travel alone over that distance alone. And there is always more than enough side story regarding the companionship Xuanzang had during his pilgrimage.

Thus comes the characters we don;t know, that travel together with Xuanzang.


Another fact: Xuanzang was born in 600 AD, travel to India by 629 AD.

Journey to the West is written around 1500++ AD, and Journey to the West is meant to be a fictional novel at that time.

Nobody will take the monkey as real, neither that time or currently.

Yet he will remain being the figure he always be. Bless Sun Wu Kong

MAYBE Xuanzang bring a pet.

LOL

the Jade Emperor is the Great Emperor of Jade 玉皇上帝 or aka Heavenly Grandfather 天公

However, the Ninth Emperor 九皇大帝/九皇爷/九王爷 is a totally different person.

Jade Emperor is the supreme leader of Heaven.

Ninth Emperor is the Emperor of the ninth star at northern sky (7s of Northern Big Dipper + 2 other star)
贪狼巨门禄存文曲廉贞武曲破军 + 左辅右弼

OR, should I put it as technically the supreme leader.....?

IF altar is not an option, tablets or some even poster is good enough as long as you have the proper heart and intention to worship them.