Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Seventh Month
Being born Chinese, your life will be coloured with lots of festivals and out-of-this-world beliefs about birth, death and the supernatural. Among them is the beliefs and rituals pertaining the 'Chit Guek' , which in Hockien means The Seventh Month. To a Chinese, the Seventh Month has a lot to do with bestowing happiness upon the dead. The dead are categorized into two groups :
1. The 'Chor Sien' (divine ancestors) our departed relatives, which are looked upon as having the ability to give blessings and protection to the living generation.
2. the wandering spirits,which according to Chinese beliefs have fallen into this state because they have nobody to give offerings to them upon their death. They are the "Ho Hia Ti" , literally translated as the 'good brethrens'.
On the 1st, 15th and the last day of the seventh month, food, drinks and paper paraphernalia are offered to the ancestors as an act of filial piety. To the Chinese, these offering means a lot because it is the way they care for the welfare of their departed relatives. Caring for the members of the clan, be they dead or alive is to the Chinese filial piety.
The same offerings are also offered to the wandering spirits, but in a grander manner. Roadside altars (laden with food, drinks, paper paraphernalia, giant joss sticks and candles) and theaters are set up to entertain them. The Chinese give offerings to them because they sympathize with the wandering spirits' poor condition.
The wandering spirits are very unlike the ancestors, the latter being very well taken care of. The wandering spirits are emotional beings : they can be sad, angry or even jealous. Thus, the Chinese give those offerings to them to keep them happy. Taoist priests conduct prayers for the deliverence of these spirits. Deliverence, in the Taoist sense means facilitating these spirits to take rebirth.
However, in the Buddhist point of view helping the spirit to take a new rebirth is impossible since all beings are owners of their very own kamma. They can only be helped by imploring these wandering spirits to rejoice in the good kamma of the community. Rejoicing in others merits is a good kamma itself, thus this rejoicing will help them to gain better rebirth. With this aim in mind Mahayana Buddhists conduct the Ullambana offering to the Buddha and the Sangha, after which merits are dedicated to present parents, departed relatives and all beings.
1. The 'Chor Sien' (divine ancestors) our departed relatives, which are looked upon as having the ability to give blessings and protection to the living generation.
2. the wandering spirits,which according to Chinese beliefs have fallen into this state because they have nobody to give offerings to them upon their death. They are the "Ho Hia Ti" , literally translated as the 'good brethrens'.
On the 1st, 15th and the last day of the seventh month, food, drinks and paper paraphernalia are offered to the ancestors as an act of filial piety. To the Chinese, these offering means a lot because it is the way they care for the welfare of their departed relatives. Caring for the members of the clan, be they dead or alive is to the Chinese filial piety.
The same offerings are also offered to the wandering spirits, but in a grander manner. Roadside altars (laden with food, drinks, paper paraphernalia, giant joss sticks and candles) and theaters are set up to entertain them. The Chinese give offerings to them because they sympathize with the wandering spirits' poor condition.
The wandering spirits are very unlike the ancestors, the latter being very well taken care of. The wandering spirits are emotional beings : they can be sad, angry or even jealous. Thus, the Chinese give those offerings to them to keep them happy. Taoist priests conduct prayers for the deliverence of these spirits. Deliverence, in the Taoist sense means facilitating these spirits to take rebirth.
However, in the Buddhist point of view helping the spirit to take a new rebirth is impossible since all beings are owners of their very own kamma. They can only be helped by imploring these wandering spirits to rejoice in the good kamma of the community. Rejoicing in others merits is a good kamma itself, thus this rejoicing will help them to gain better rebirth. With this aim in mind Mahayana Buddhists conduct the Ullambana offering to the Buddha and the Sangha, after which merits are dedicated to present parents, departed relatives and all beings.
