Brian L. Kennedy Posted January 5, 2008 (edited) Edited January 24, 2008 by Brian L. Kennedy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onebir Posted January 5, 2008 A family just moved in next door here in Kunming & they did something very similar. For the whole day! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oolong Rabbit Posted January 5, 2008 Very cool Brian. Thanks for sharing. In the book I mentioned to Adam on Taoist Sorcery he advises using real money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian L. Kennedy Posted January 6, 2008 Hi Onebir and Oolong Rabbit, Glad you folks found the photos interesting and yeah, the Taiwanese folks can burn the hell money on and on and on and on...that is for sure. Oolong Rabbit, you mentioned using real money!! I would be interested in seeing that book you are talking about. I will p.m you. take care, Brian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trinity Posted April 27, 2009 Very cool Brian. Thanks for sharing. In the book I mentioned to Adam on Taoist Sorcery he advises using real money. hi, i'm interested to know the history of burning joss paper instead of real money in funeral traditions. Can you tell me which book are you talking about and other references on that matter. thanx to all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YMWong Posted April 27, 2009 (edited) hi, i'm interested to know the history of burning joss paper instead of real money in funeral traditions. Can you tell me which book are you talking about and other references on that matter. thanx to all There are various books on the subject, you may start with this: For Gods, Ghosts and Ancestors The Chinese Tradition of Paper Offerings Janet Lee Scott $30.00s paperback (9780295987187) hardcover not available Published: 2007 Subject Listing: Asian Studies, Anthropology, Religion Bibliographic information: 336 pp., 64 color illus., 6 x 9 in. Territorial rights: Western Hemisphere, UK, Europe Contents Offerings of various kinds - food, incense, paper money, and figures - have been central to Chinese culture for millennia, and as a public, visual display of spiritual belief, they are still evident today in China and in Chinatowns around the world. Using Hong Kong as a case study, Janet Scott looks at paper offerings from every conceivable angle - how they are made, sold, and used. Her comprehensive investigation touches on virtually every aspect of Chinese popular religion as it explores the many forms of these intricate objects, their manufacture, their significance, and their importance in rituals to honor gods, care for ancestors, and contend with ghosts. Throughout For Gods, Ghosts and Ancestors, paper offerings are presented as a vibrant and living tradition expressing worshippers' respect and gratitude for the gods, as well as love and concern for departed family members. Ranging from fake paper money to paper furniture, servant dolls, cigarettes, and toiletries - all multihued and artfully constructed - paper offerings are intended to provide for the needs of those in the spirit world. Readers are introduced to the variety of paper offerings and their uses in worship, in assisting worshippers with personal difficulties, and in rituals directed to gods, ghosts, and ancestors. We learn of the manufacture and sale of paper goods, life in paper shops, the training of those who make paper offerings, and the symbolic and artistic dimensions of the objects. Finally, the book considers the survival of this traditional craft, the importance of flexibility and innovation, and the role of compassion and filial piety in the use of paper offerings. Janet Lee Scott has taught anthropology and sociology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University. She is currently an associate in-research at the Fairbank Center for East Asian Research at Harvard University. "This is the book on practices of making, offering, and consuming ritual paper in the Chinese cultural tradition. . . . the book is a gold mine, providing a wealth of specific information. . . a treasure which will be profitably transformed into intellectual capital by generations of scholars to come." - Journal of Chinese Religions "This is a book that all specialists on Chinese religion, arts, and material culture need to read. For Gods, Ghosts and Ancestors is an excellent source for teaching, both undergraduate and graduate. Scott invested years of research into this project and is the world's leading expert on Chinese paper arts." - James L. Watson, Harvard University Edited April 27, 2009 by YMWong Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trinity Posted April 27, 2009 great thanx maybe you can help me on the particular point i'm looking for: nowadays, burning real money is seen as - to bring bad luck and/or - to be an insult for the defunct but in ancient time - was that tradition using real money? - why does it changed? - the actual bad reputation of using real money came from what? and so is there actually some taoist schools or other schools that argue that the use of real money is the true way or a better way? thanx to all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trinity Posted April 29, 2009 here is the link to read that book online http://books.google.fr/books?id=njiYv7GqZKoC& Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Birch Posted April 30, 2009 Great thread! Can anyone say more about the meaning of burning the money and why there might have been a shift from 'real money' to 'fake money'? I'm also really interested in why the shift from thinking ancestors were "pleased" to "not pleased" when the activity was the same. Also, what preceded the money (real or fake) as something to be burned and what were the reasons? Thanks! Kate Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
