Hi forumers. Been following many threads here for quite some time and finally decided to create an account just to seek some of your advice or opinions.
Just shifted house few months back and set up an altar for Kwan Gong. Bought a beautiful statue opposite Guan Yin temple and went to Bukit Merah Tiong Ghee (Kwan Kong Temple) to Gai Guang by the priest. Everything is soon soon so far
Lately I have been extremely OCD about the Incense Urn and what do people usually put inside.
I got a normal size joss urn, later on I invited a Taoist priest to come to my house to do a proper prayer on Guan Gong Birthday. The priest made for me the urn and added the 8 Treasure (Ba Bao) , some black colour sand with a rock and some gold inside. Been praying so far everything was smooth
Then later on I heard from some Taoist friends that even the urn has to be “gai guang”. Example burn the talisman Around it to cleanse and bless all the item etc. i became OCD and started looking around.
Then by fate I came across a joss item shop somewhere and there’s a uncle there who happens to be a “Tangki”. I ask him about the urn blessing he said he can also do it. He didn’t charge any money and reject my Ang bao. In the end only bought him coffee.
He did some rituals onto my new urn that I purchased (like inscribing the FU using the joss stick) burn talisman paper etc and he added quite a number of things inside such as the 8 treasure, crystals, 8 coins which he individually “dotted” and bless along with some other stuff. All this cost me less then $20.
Afterwards I bought back the urn. I notice things abit not so smooth. Perhaps it’s just part and parcel of life or maybe I’m thinking Too much. In the end I removed the new urn and used back the old urn.
I hope to get some advice from any knowledgeable bros here to wake up my idea. Here are some questions I am really wondering
1. Does it really matter what you put in the urn or are those stuff added inside are just commercial and does not pose any religious value? some say what you put in the urn is important because it so called “enhance” the power of the urn and altar. One priest told me it doesn’t matter as it’s just for symbolic purpose and most people only add the Pa Bao or the 5 grains. He told me that “u are praying to the god not the urn”
another friend told me that most importantly pray sincerely. The deity never ask for anything special. No need so complicated.
2. Is there such thing that it is very pantang to move the urn? How about when cleaning the altar if it accidentally move abit or you somehow have to move it to clean, would that be an issue?
3. Because I keep swap the urn due to my OCD and naiveness, I feel it’s not the right thing to do and I have apologised to my deity and just pray sincerely. Will this be ok?
hope someone can advice me
