Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Ching Meng (清明) : A Journey Of Love
The Chinese have lots of excuses to hold sumptous feasts, be it for religious oriented occasions or cultural celebrations. One of the festivals culminating in feast is the Qing Ming, a festival associated with visits to ancestral tombs. We'll talk about the food part later. Let's get to the crux of the festival first.
Each Ching Ming,I'll try my very best to go back to Penang to join my family members to offer prayers to our ancestors. It is a journey of love whereby every living descendents go to the ancestral graves to spruce it up, offer the deceased their favourite food and send the deceased their daily needs via burning paper paraphenalia.
The journey to the ancestral graves is an act of filial piety itself as according to Confucian values, filial piety does not stop at caring for the living. Confucian teachings say we must have gratitude to our long line of ancestors too. For if it weren't for them, would we have today to call our own? For this reason, the Chinese shower their love upon the dead like they would to the living. Repairing broken tombs, cleaning the tombs as would their own homes, cooking the deceased's their favourite food and offering the deceased their daily needs in the form of paper offerings are among some of the ways the Chinese express their love to their ancestors.
However, quite a number of Chinese have started to abandon this cherished festival. They say : "The tomb is too far. " " It is too difficult to go to the tomb." No tomb is too far, no tomb is too difficult to access. If one really makes an effort to go, nothing is difficult. The Malaysia Boleh feats prove my point! But if these statements come from the lips of the elderly, it is understandable. The elderly will definately have some prayers in memory of the departed at home or at the temple to make up for the missed visits. If these statements come from able bodied youngsters, it is just lame excuse!
"I no longer practice the old ways. " Most converts to other religions will say that. Excuse me, but isn't filial piety a universally accepted value? Just because the convert's new religion label us 'unbelievers' that doesn't mean their ancestors should be wiped off their geneology! The fact is they are FATED to be born into this culture and this is the way our culture define filial piety! This excuse is the worst form of excuse of not to join their family to Ching Ming. It is the worst form of disrespect one can show to one's ancestors. It shows the converts to other religion do not value the sacrifices of their ancestors. They don't have to burn joss sticks, burn joss paper or offer food if they are not allowed to. But there are alternatives. The least they can do is to help clean the graves and offer respect to the virtues of their ancestors. They can ask their 'new god' to bless the ancestors.
The Chinese Theravada Buddhists are the best example of coming up with alternatives. The Buddha clearly said in Tirokudda Sutta merits are the best offerings one can give to help aleviate the spiritual level of one's ancestors. Food can also be offered, but it can only benefit the hungry ghosts. The Sigalovada Sutta also mentioned one should give alms in memory of the dead. Thus, most Theravadins will do away with paper offerings but will continue offering food. They will hold Ching Ming dana in memory of their ancestors and transfer merits to them.
The newage Roman Catholics follow suit. They are now allowed to offer joss sticks (This form of Christianity is dynamic!They keep changing their points of view according to the fancy of the Pontiffs so much so that they need to be updated of the current form of 'beliefs'!) and flowers to the deceased. Thank you for the allowence ya!
This practice has much merit to it.
Each Ching Ming,I'll try my very best to go back to Penang to join my family members to offer prayers to our ancestors. It is a journey of love whereby every living descendents go to the ancestral graves to spruce it up, offer the deceased their favourite food and send the deceased their daily needs via burning paper paraphenalia.
The journey to the ancestral graves is an act of filial piety itself as according to Confucian values, filial piety does not stop at caring for the living. Confucian teachings say we must have gratitude to our long line of ancestors too. For if it weren't for them, would we have today to call our own? For this reason, the Chinese shower their love upon the dead like they would to the living. Repairing broken tombs, cleaning the tombs as would their own homes, cooking the deceased's their favourite food and offering the deceased their daily needs in the form of paper offerings are among some of the ways the Chinese express their love to their ancestors.
However, quite a number of Chinese have started to abandon this cherished festival. They say : "The tomb is too far. " " It is too difficult to go to the tomb." No tomb is too far, no tomb is too difficult to access. If one really makes an effort to go, nothing is difficult. The Malaysia Boleh feats prove my point! But if these statements come from the lips of the elderly, it is understandable. The elderly will definately have some prayers in memory of the departed at home or at the temple to make up for the missed visits. If these statements come from able bodied youngsters, it is just lame excuse!
"I no longer practice the old ways. " Most converts to other religions will say that. Excuse me, but isn't filial piety a universally accepted value? Just because the convert's new religion label us 'unbelievers' that doesn't mean their ancestors should be wiped off their geneology! The fact is they are FATED to be born into this culture and this is the way our culture define filial piety! This excuse is the worst form of excuse of not to join their family to Ching Ming. It is the worst form of disrespect one can show to one's ancestors. It shows the converts to other religion do not value the sacrifices of their ancestors. They don't have to burn joss sticks, burn joss paper or offer food if they are not allowed to. But there are alternatives. The least they can do is to help clean the graves and offer respect to the virtues of their ancestors. They can ask their 'new god' to bless the ancestors.
The Chinese Theravada Buddhists are the best example of coming up with alternatives. The Buddha clearly said in Tirokudda Sutta merits are the best offerings one can give to help aleviate the spiritual level of one's ancestors. Food can also be offered, but it can only benefit the hungry ghosts. The Sigalovada Sutta also mentioned one should give alms in memory of the dead. Thus, most Theravadins will do away with paper offerings but will continue offering food. They will hold Ching Ming dana in memory of their ancestors and transfer merits to them.
The newage Roman Catholics follow suit. They are now allowed to offer joss sticks (This form of Christianity is dynamic!They keep changing their points of view according to the fancy of the Pontiffs so much so that they need to be updated of the current form of 'beliefs'!) and flowers to the deceased. Thank you for the allowence ya!
This practice has much merit to it.
