of gods & fires

mum has this habit of wanting to go to temples whenever she feels unwell inside. it calms her down. and she would often raise such requests to bring her to the temple last minute. that was what happened yesterday.

we were having breakfast, and all of a sudden, she said she wanted to go to the temple. i feel the need to do it, she said. i asked if we could go later in the afternoon cos i felt it was not respectful to go to the temple in sleeveless t-shirt and shorts. but she insisted on going right away. and i relented. if i could calm her down, every else is secondary. we went ahead to purchase the joss papers at the hawker center and quickly made our way to the temple.

the whole routine of going to the taoist temple to pay respect to the taoist gods, one after another, had become rather mechanical over time. there is a specific hierarchy to paying respects to the taoist gods, first it was the celestial god, followed by the resident god, then the gods guarding hell, the gods that guards the door/ journey, etc... and as usual, we would place the offerings of joss papers (celestial monies), candles, fruits, candies, etc on the altar before the prayers. and when all was done, we would dutifully ask for permission to burn the joss paper before we make a small donation to the temple.

such practices has a calming effect on mum, and i am sure, many other believers. it may not necessary sound logical scientifically but what matters most is the psychological effect it has on devotees. some things are not to be questioned from an angle of logic. why would gods need monies given by man? why do we need to offer food? a modern scientific person may ask. and i am sure there are logical answers to such practices other than it is something passed down generations after generations. of cos, i do suspect that some of these practices could have evolved over time such that what we see today may not necessarily be what the original practices was conducted years ago. also, i am certain the origins of such practices could possibly be founded by superstitious believes. then again, current day logic is only a representation of what we have learned thus far in our short history, who knows, there might just be some logical explanations to religion that we have yet to discover.

whatever it is, what is important is not what we do or practice regardless of religion/ faiths, rather, it is how it influence us and our energies in living and respecting life, and according respect and compassion to the sentient beings around us.

:-)

ps: but i must admit, seeing the joss papers burning away has some kind of cathartic effect on me, apart from the little pleasures of seeing things burn (that fulfills the secret arsonist desires in me?) haha!