Chinese spiritual world concepts

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Chinese spiritual world concepts are cultural practices or methods found in

. Some fit in the realms of a particular religion, others do not. In general these concepts were uniquely evolved from the Chinese values of filial piety, tacit acknowledgment of the co-existence of the living and the deceased, and the belief in causality and reincarnation, with or without religious overtones.

Practices and beliefs

• joss sticks
  and tea. The ancestors, including parents and grandparents, are worshipped or venerated as if they are still living.
• Three
  souls, hell for the criminous deceased. Three wun seven pak (三魂七魄) explains a person's existence. The three realms is where a person exists, and the seven states are what makes a person exist. The Pumi people, for example, are a supporter of this concept.^[1]
• Jian (間) – The living world where people exist in reality is referred to as Yang Jian (陽間). The underworld where spirits exist after death is regarded as Yin Jian (陰間), though this is not necessarily a negative place such as hell.
• 2008 in China was one of the most turbulent year with Tibetan unrest, Sichuan earthquake and many more events.^[2] Another example is Henry Tang suffering from Fan Tai shui in 2012 where he experienced the illegal basement controversy as well as many other events during the 2012 election.^[4]
  Tang would end up losing the election.
• Zung saang gei (種生基) – is when a piece of hair is placed in a particular
  fung shui location in an attempt to extend a person's life. A publicised example is Hong Kong actress Tina Leung who performed this practice in 1998 at a place near the Xingdao Lake (星島湖) in Beihai, Guangxi, China. The maximum that she could extend was 12 years. She died exactly 12 years later in 2010.^[5][6]

Modes of communication

• Taoist
  temples in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.
• Mun mai (
  seance or necromancy
  .
• Yum si lou (陰司路) – is the idea of flooding the spiritual road with
  spiritual money to ensure the person who died will reach their destination safely. In Chinese culture, the road to heaven, diyu or reincarnation
  may not be clear. By overloading the path with spiritual money, hopefully all troubled souls on the way will be too occupied with the money and leave the traveling-soul alone. This is an assurance for the living.
• sorcery popular in the Guangdong area of China and Hong Kong used for exorcising.^[7]
• Tong ling (通靈) – is to tunnel and channel through to communicate with spirits or
  Tangki
  in Minnan region will the best example.

Figures

• Gui ren (貴人) – Someone who can help you, or is destined to help you.
• Xiao ren (小人) ("Siu yen" in Cantonese) – Someone who can hurt you, or is destined to hurt you. Simple methods such as
  kau cim
  can usually inform you whether a guiren or xiaoren is visible in your near future.

Objects

• Peach wood sword (桃木劍) – the definitive weapon used for demon exorcism during
  Jiangxi province are particularly valued as the premium quality peach wood swords.^[8]
• natural disasters.^[8]
• Tai mountain stone tablets (泰山石敢當) – the most powerful of the stone tablets are made from stones coming from
  Chi You and the Yellow Emperor.^[8][9] Supposedly goddess Nüwa dropped the tablet with the inscription on Chi You and scared him off. Yellow Emperor have since put the same inscription everywhere to scare off Chi You.^[8]
• Spirit tablet – a spiritual home in your house for ancestor spirits.

Finance

• "Zhèng cái" ("Jing coi" in Cantonese) (正財) – This is basic money earned from working or jobs.
• "Hèng cái" ("Waang coi" in Cantonese) (橫財) – Is a type of destiny money that is earned usually in large sums. An old Chinese quote goes: "If it is yours, it is yours. If it is not yours, it is never going to be yours."^[10]
• "Pò cái dǎng zāi" ("Po coi dong zoi" in Cantonese) (破財擋災) – Is the process of losing a lot of money to avoid a disaster. Some people are advised to prepare to lose money in certain astrological years.^[11]

See also

• Ghosts in Chinese culture
• Chinese ancestral worship
• Chinese folk religion
• Chinese ritual mastery traditions
• Chinese spirit possession
• Fengshen Yanyi
• Feng shui
• Fulu
• Chinese fortune telling
• Taoism
• Traditional Chinese star names

Notes

1. ^ China.com.cn. "China.com.cn." 三魂七魄 普米族喊魂的习俗. Retrieved on 2010-07-24.
2. ^ ^{a b} HKstandard. "HKstandard Archived 2009-06-11 at the Wayback Machine." Rats to lucky number eight. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
3. ^ IHT. "International Herald Tribune." Feng Shui master explains bad to start to 2008 Olympic year. Retrieved on 2008-05-19.
4. ^ 唐宮曝光 英名掃地 年犯太歲 議員：退選吧﹗ – 東方日報 (in Chinese). Orientaldaily.on.cc. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
5. ^ Eastweek. 2010 April 11 volume 326. pg 54.
6. ^ Sina.com. "Sina.com." 狄娜愛兒否認請人種生基. Retrieved on 2010-07-24.
7. ^ "Demon-exorcising Service at 'Goose-neck Bridge' " Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. My Heart, My Home – 18 Districts Reach Out Together for Lovable Sights in Hong Kong. Retrieved 11 June 2006.
8. ^
   ISBN 962-432-503-0
   .
9. ^ 石敢當. "石敢當 Archived 2011-05-29 at archive.today." Tai-san stone. Retrieved on 2008-01-06.
10. ^ Fengshui magazine. "Fengshui magazine." Article no. 125. Retrieved on 2009-05-27.
11. ^ Fengshui association. "Fengshui window Archived 2009-06-11 at the Wayback Machine." 2005 sample. Retrieved on 2009-05-27.