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To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: "kitmengleong" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 07:52:14 -0000
Subject: [DragonSeedLegacy] Are Chinese deities = god/s?
Are Chinese deities = god/s?
We all in a way eventually become "deities" though only within our own
families. Old photographs of grandfathers, grandmothers,
greatgrandfathers, greatgreatgranduncles etc. still adorn many of the
older homes. We still pray and burn joss sticks to our ancestors, we
ask for their blessings during CNY, we seek their protection and
guidance when we need comfort. We clear their graves during Qing Ming
Jie" 清明节", and tell stories of those who did great deeds. And what
of those who did really great deeds? Well, they get respected by even
more people. Yue Fei, Guan yu etc. These people went beyond the family
reverence to be loved and honoured by their communities, and societies
and now thousands of years later, their people.
Ok, not quite the god-like deity of the west, but reverence and
respect share a very fine line with worship. We respect our elders and
rever our ancestors. We see things as a continuation of our family and
line of elders. Is this worship? Maybe. Maybe not. In the western
sense where things tend to be seen in absolutes of black or whites,
yes I suppose this is worship. To me, this is respect and honouring
those who came before you and those who made you what you are. We are
all products of a long process, starting from the very first ancestor.
So similarly, when I'm dead and buried, so too will my children and
their children's children, and my childrens' children's children
remember me and honour what I did for them during my short singular
slice of their history.
But then again, this practice is slowly being eroded and swept away by
newer generations. We're all starting to live as individuals, alone
and unbeholden to anyone. Who cares right? They're just old guys who
are now gone, feeding worms in the ground. Right?
Right?
Jieming
DragonSeedLegacy
ChineseCultureOnline
From: "kitmengleong" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 07:52:14 -0000
Subject: [DragonSeedLegacy] Are Chinese deities = god/s?
Are Chinese deities = god/s?
We all in a way eventually become "deities" though only within our own
families. Old photographs of grandfathers, grandmothers,
greatgrandfathers, greatgreatgranduncles etc. still adorn many of the
older homes. We still pray and burn joss sticks to our ancestors, we
ask for their blessings during CNY, we seek their protection and
guidance when we need comfort. We clear their graves during Qing Ming
Jie" 清明节", and tell stories of those who did great deeds. And what
of those who did really great deeds? Well, they get respected by even
more people. Yue Fei, Guan yu etc. These people went beyond the family
reverence to be loved and honoured by their communities, and societies
and now thousands of years later, their people.
Ok, not quite the god-like deity of the west, but reverence and
respect share a very fine line with worship. We respect our elders and
rever our ancestors. We see things as a continuation of our family and
line of elders. Is this worship? Maybe. Maybe not. In the western
sense where things tend to be seen in absolutes of black or whites,
yes I suppose this is worship. To me, this is respect and honouring
those who came before you and those who made you what you are. We are
all products of a long process, starting from the very first ancestor.
So similarly, when I'm dead and buried, so too will my children and
their children's children, and my childrens' children's children
remember me and honour what I did for them during my short singular
slice of their history.
But then again, this practice is slowly being eroded and swept away by
newer generations. We're all starting to live as individuals, alone
and unbeholden to anyone. Who cares right? They're just old guys who
are now gone, feeding worms in the ground. Right?
Right?
Jieming
DragonSeedLegacy
ChineseCultureOnline
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