Why do people burn offerings in Singapore? | Experts Explain
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ย. 2020
- "Essentially, burning paper money is more a Chinese kind of culture. So it's not inherently Buddhist, neither is it inherently Taoist."
Why do people burn offerings? And why do some people throw the hell notes up in the air instead of burning them straight away?
We asked a monk some burning questions we had about the burning practice. #punintended
#Singapore #Buddhism #Taoism
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Abbott has a better sense of humour than I do, this is truly one of the best thing in the 21st century
Inflation is very high down there
i see you in like every video i watch
Same
Like the Germans
Any GST down there?
Open burning in residential area is an extremely selfish act. You burn and pray for your Own family's good health at the expense of your neighbours families health. Babies and children are living in their small pigeon apartment hole smelling your smoke. This smoke is toxic, fyi. It burnt for hours(sometimes start as early as 4am and end 2am) and days. I beg and implore you, please think of everyone, especially your neighbours.
Such a wise, pleasant and humble Abbott. Now I feel more enlightened about the incense burning culture. Thks
Love this video! I was brought up in a Buddhist family (I'm a free thinker) and was taught the way that Venerable You Wei mentioned in the video. It was difficult for me to explain to my partner's family for years as they assumed all Buddhist family would participate in all 'burning activities'. I shall keep this video and share with them in due time. Thank you!
You can see ppl practice Buddhism are always humble in speech and down to earth in life.
Anyway, I am a free thinker😊
“Sincerity is more important than whatever we burn.” 🙌🏼
If that's the case they should start burning air freshener gels instead because the smell of burning paper is vile 😤
yess... i was looking for this comment :-)
We always been told to be sensitive towards our neighbours; but do these people (who burnt tons of offering papers) really sensitive to their neighbours?
Make more of these please for the different religions and cultures
As a Chinese I don't believe in burning thing as offering. Treat people well while they are still alive.
Agree and that will be the best "offering"
Agreed absolutely. Indeed, treasure the living. Offering to the dead seems to me a kind of self-praised, false filial piety, or even trying to cover guilt.
this is the best comment bro
I agree 100%..
Morhership needs to be monitored. Who sponsoring it? We already have our suspicions. Haha. But its ok , we go for the ride. If its up to no good, MS should not be allowed to do these information dissemination. We can only wonder given sg is a Religiously sensitive place, what or who gives MS the Audacity to do such an episode?
Thank You Mothership for making this clip and Thank you Venerable You Wei for taking precious time to explain!
Would be good for the Singapore Buddhist Association to advise those still practicing too much burning to lessen, like a PSA. Hope to see less in the years to come.
@@deschan2246 Actually the Taoist federation has advised the same if you paid attention to the flyers posted at hdb notice boards
@@deschan2246 ask your mother go pray more to make you less stupid
Only the older generation doing such things nowadays. The practice's gonna die off by the next gen.
stop disrespecting other people's religion
@@yuki_sama i hope not and i will continue to practice it
Very much Thanks to Abbot for a comprehensive, short, crisp, clear and succinct explanations
Such a modern and humour Buddhism practitioner....like it..
I really appreciated your good activities. we have various Buddhist traditions such as Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajra Yana So, we should keep and teach others as much as we can. I am Tibetan Buddhist and I attend to all of buddhist traditions. Thank you. Tashi Delek!
An informative and educational video. Praying for more buddhism contents in the future.
The chemical that is used to paint the paper seems getting more toxic. The smell produce is rather acrid nowadays.
It's worst than cigs.
No disease no business
Ask those who burn the offerings on the reason, purpose and origin of it. One of the most interesting answer is, "my parents did it, so I did. Reason? No idea"
@@deschan2246 Wow. Please do not procreate.
Exactly. That’s why I became a Christian. Too many rituals.
@Harshdeep Singh I did not see Buddha but I saw Jesus.
@Harshdeep Singh It's not an imagination. I really saw Him. I have been to Heaven and hell. God took me there. So, I know who is telling the truth. I was born in a Taoist cum Buddhist family. When my father suddenly passed away with no medical history, my family burnt a lot of incense papers and that kept me thinking. I saw a ghost physically at 5 and encountered God The Father at 10. Buddha never appeared to me.
@@maureenkam9212 what are u smoking?
An expert is a person who knows everything that needs to know in a limited field.
His hand signs and the editing combined is awesome
I always enjoy learning from you and thank you very much.
Big fan of buddhist video by their own monk. Let's do this again. Filming in a temple he stay. That'd be beautiful. Can't wait to see the new ep. of this.
I like the way the monk goes about describing the practices, and did not say a straight yes or no, but subtly supplying his knowledge to inform folks. Not assertive, but allowing viewers to form their own opinions with the information. Humble and approachable kind of person.
Should ask him, if we burn iPhones iPads and consumer electronics to our ancestors, will they receive them and know how to use them? And should we add in instructions manual for them as well. Kthxbye
must burn satellite also, if not, no wifi no point
He already told you burning is from your culture, not Buddhism.
Next they will send you Wa or Sms from there!
@@vindesky8091 i do agree thank you XD
so long they burn it in a place that doesn't affect anybody; i don't really care even if they burn a 'Liberty status' size statue.
V, thank you for sharing, not a Buddhist myself but It was super refreshing to hear the diff culture , misconceptions , history and cool facts. Loved this!
Thank you I needed to know this as it was never taught in school haha
This is really good content! Keep it up!
This is awesome content
Well said, we should encourage less burning, use our heart to show our love.
Thumbs up for this video - hope those who want to understand Chinese culture are enlightened. There is no right or wrong in one's belief as long as it is not imposed on others. Good work those behind this media.
@@deschan2246- Criticizing is different from talking.
I learnt something new from this! And omg this abbott speaks so well!!
actually in densely populated singapore, offerings should be shifted to temples, cos fire risk and smoke inhalation.
No, their ancestors are in china, they should move there and burn there. There's plenty of space in china too.
xithee ami nah the CCP will suppress them and destroy their statues like they're doing right now in southern china
@@pranav4450 oh poor thing. Then why do these people adopt CCP method here and suppress other faiths/cultures tradition by banning the Azans (Call-to-Prayers) and Thaipusam etc but only allow theirs? Same method might as well head back to China
i try not to provoke anybody's religion but i do find these burning really selfish. they burnt these paper to pray for their Own family health; ignoring the health of their neighbours. even now, during covid lockdown, they continue to burn despite their neighbours children and babies were locked-down in their small pigeon hole. these burning last for hourss and even days.
@@mono9196get your facts right. CCP does not even advocate any form of religion, not even the existence of temples during the cultural revolution. Places of worships of every religion are desecrated, and worshippers punished.
The Straits Chinese and those in Thailand Laos and Cambodia kept the tradition alive.
It has nothing to do with other cultures and religions in Singapore. CCP does not run Singapore. So you can jolly well go back to your own country and don’t have to comment Singapore stuffs :)
Singpsre is a wonderful place where people respect each other.
However, burning receptacles should be limited to one per block and not one per unit stack. This is to limit the amount of harmful smoke as Singapore has many close proximity buildings and ventilated/wind tunnel effects change 3-4 times a year especially during the north-east, south-west and inter-monsoon periods.
Stay safe everyone!
U can return home
In future, everything will go Digital... 😽
People are burning iPhones and iPads. Wonder if there's a Apple store down there
@@mistaj9557 U are so smart to think of that,I praised your wisdom.Dont follow blindly,think before we do.
Abbott contradicted himself by saying burning paper is not a buddhist thing n yet goes on to say if burn one, chanting mantras can multiply the one into tens.
Indeed.
All offering of burn paper or joss stick is from taoism. Buddhism don't burn paper or joss stick for prayers.
I got fumed 3 times a day, 3 joss x 2 cup (or whatever you call it) from 1 neighbor. Later I comment, I become insensitive. I don't comment my house got smell burning everyday. Awesome situation.
yall cook curry we got say anyth meh
@@sksklin4202 Bold of you to assume the person's racial identity, and to enforce a stereotype based on it. Besides even if a person were to cook curry, regardless of race, language or religion, any possible detriments based on smell would be far less severe as compared to the burning of joss paper, which is harmful to the environment.(Greenhouse gases+ particles trapped in lungs)
@@hahaha00000 pls do not let me catch u driving, participating in camp fires and cooking ok sweetie 🥰🥰
Saw many Birds especially Mayna and Crowes feasting on the offering food..
later the crowes have ghost stands
Is belive those who ve the 3rd eye can see them fighting over the food
Including ants eat offerings foods left behind....
love the way he speaks - very humble and polite -
so just curious to know in that case won't bullring more money will be equal to printing more money which will devalue the currency - as the economists say
Venerable You Wei probably spoke more in this 6 min vid than the 2 episodes of TDK, combined.
Burning is to send the essence of the prayers to the spiritual world. How did the chinese adopt this? Resource limitations. The ancient chinese prior to the chin dynasty realised that “real” sacrifice ie human sacrifice was not practical. Hence the beginning of terra-cotta offerings - think qin shih huang di and his terra-cotta troops- to burning where by the smoke represent the essence being received in the spiritual world
why do people place flowers at a place where a person has passed on. Do the deceased can really smell the flowers?
I don't
The purpose of flower offering in Buddhism is to remind ourselves the meaning of “impermanence”.
“Impermanence is a simple yet deep teaching of Buddhism.
The part that i dont understand till now is…why burned ‘hell’ money??
Of course indirectly we all know there’s no point to burn ‘heaven’s’ money bcoz they can get anything they want frm ‘heaven’..which..it does make sense in a way right so why the need to burn ‘hell’ money??
Does it mean all those ppl that died goes to hell and by burning ‘hell’ money or paper ‘cars’, ‘houses’ etc will ease their pain in a way??
It doesn’t make any sense.
No offence to this religion but was just curious if anyone has the answer to this?
Thanks.. :)
Glad he point out that burning stuff actually create more fume/carbon monoxide. Not trying to disrespect Chinese culture, but this is an absurd action that people do without questioning themself.
After burnt, use the ashes as fertiliser, esp on fruit trees. The trees will non stop bearing fruits after eating ashes, dun nid other fertiliser. Pls try, trust me.
This is from a Buddhist's perspective. Can MothershipSG do a video from the Taoist's perspective too? I'm mystified as to why the Taoists feel they need to burn whole cages of paper money.
Those ppl's career is to chant stuff and get ang pow. They will not agree to spoil their business
@@noproblematallmate Oh. I see. Business. Thanks for enlightening me.
@@noproblematallmate buddhist or taoist?
Agree.
Mothership should interview taoist federation instead,
Buddhism originated from India
Taoism from China
Obviously burning of offerings should ask the EXPERTS from the taoist association instead
i try not to provoke anybody's religion but i do find these burning really selfish. they burnt these paper to pray for their Own family health; ignoring the health of their neighbours. even now, during covid lockdown, they continue to burn despite their neighbours children and babies were locked-down in their small pigeon hole. these burning last for hourss and even days.
Chinese original religion in those Zhuo (周）( Confucius times ) or Shang ( 商）dynasties , in fact is the Chinese shamanism/ “Wuism" (巫教 wū jiào) .
What happen when Buddhist or Toaist believers die?
You know they burn iPhones and iPads too? Is SingTel managing operations down there?
Enlighten
Nosy
So from this , you should know not to burn paper..
Burn your underwear instead..
wow, the scholar who sold paper in this way is super smart hahah.. yes, doing good deeds is definitely better than burning more things..
theres an auntie who collect house agent leaflet in the letterbox and burn them as an offering. She said the dead requires representative when getting a house in the other life.
But the house agent on the leaflet not dead yet leh. They come back up to find the agent?
@@sohya_bean no idea. Maybe she chope the agent first so her dead can get to them once they died
阿弥陀佛
I think he looks really cute! ☺️
Being practical and sincerity in religion is more important...
even monks all around the world used latest iphones, android phones and ipads
I know Abbott jokes about paper money but sometimes it is hard to believe or not to believe, unless you have crossed over to the other side. As for me I cultivate precepts, vegetarian diets and meditation to earn merits to share with all beings, seen or unseen. But I never want to comment on others beliefs and end up arguing.
I know someone who burns a lot of papers but starve their helper..do u think ur god will accept ur offering if u are starving ur helpers
More importantly will God accept that they waste His trees and burn them just to suffocate the living (in the neighbourhood) for their dead ones
Open burning in residential area is an extremely selfish act. You burn and pray for your Own family's good health at the expense of your neighbours families health. Babies and children are living in their small pigeon apartment hole smelling your smoke. This smoke is toxic, fyi. It burnt for hours(sometimes start as early as 4am and end 2am) and days. I beg and implore you, please think of everyone, especially your neighbours.
U can return home.
curios====can burn supermodels the deceased like or not.
The burning of papers and offering excessive burning stuffs
Essentially that is see as part of provisional Buddhism ( 权教/ 权宜教法 ）in the past as the people are mostly illiterate farmers and their knowledge of Buddhism are very little, they are more attached to their own ethnic’s cultural practices and folks beliefs.
Buddhism at those days used such provisional teaching to attach these new faiths into the religion, but since it is only a provisional means in the olden days , it is time to slowly reveal the truth and educate the Buddhists to discards the provisional practices.
Or else people will mistaken the building scaffolding as part of the building and forgotten the actual building itself they originally planned to build.
How damaging to the body are the smoke from incense
cute n humorous buddhist master
Nosy
Just find it strange. Why ask questions of Taoist Rituals from a Buddhist Abbott?!?
In indonesia there is a religion called tridharma it is basically 3 religions buddhist konfucianisme and taoist. Many people say that why you have 3 religion you will go to hell or something. It is because those are not religions but rather teachings about how to become a better person. Tao and buddhist is a chinese religion. There are many dynasties in china. Diffrent dynasty can change between bhudhisme taoist or confucianisme. Now in ancient chinese culture we combine those teaching together. In indonesia peranakan culture we have a temple or bio. There is where tridharma's or chinese worship place. There is many gods statues in there. People ask why do we pray to many gods. Gods here is not a being that creates you. In these teaching we don't talk about who create you. These gods are people in real life that is wise good or they teach these holy lessons to be a good being. So we pray to them to thank them for teaching us. Not bcause they create us.
Kevin Jati tridharma ? Who do they pray to ?
@@kevinjati7953 For your info, Buddhism is not a chinese religion only. Buddhism originated from India which the teachings later spread to many other countries like China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, etc.
Monk should not talk about Taorist practise!!!!
Gratitude's Stone.
I see some people burning paper cars during the hungry ghost month. But cars need petrol to run right? Why never burn petrol also?
Cos ontop got petrol... so no need to burn petrol... if no petrol how to burn hell....
You burn super computers and cooling system nowadays. They can mine on their own.
May I ask,since joss stick is not “food” then what is the point of offering fruits/rice/tea bag?
Ghosts from hell would be like taking the food for himself or herself to eat but its just there you dont see it floating
@@smolfryO_O 😂😂😂😂
they do not physically eat the food but suck out the flavor from the food
Seems like some info was passed creatively and wide spread 🤣 like the video mentioned, the initial intention of putting fake money is due to the tomb raider.
animesong10hourschallenge by angela I was told they eat the spirit of the food
Master
I would like to know if at home we are praying to Goddess of Mercy, how many joss sticks we need to pray.
Thank you.
May Buddha be with you.
One per day is enough. Buddhism only offer one.
You do not need to offer joss sticks.
The real purpose of burning incense is to serve as a reminder for us to remember Buddha’s teaching when we smell the incense. So the smell of incense is to bring us back to present moment & to remember what Buddhism is all about.
One or o Nd
One is enough taoist people think that 3 are for deities
I don't really agree what this Master say I been a Buddhist for more than 50 yrs but I agree burning cos lots of smoke not good for environment I have seen with my own eyes is not superstitious just tell one part of my story experience n is true my cousin use to be a devout Buddhist but after get as 2nd spouse convert to a Christian n not long died cos of illness at 40++ n my auntie his mother was a Buddhist too convert to Christianity ...so when my cousin died at one time Klang was flooded for a few days n my cousin cemetery his tomb was at the lower ground n was flooded n during flood my auntie every night sleeping feeling cold n shivers never experience this kind of situation b4 n having bad dreams of his deceased son n morning wake up the blanket will always be pull to the ground so my auntie call her best friend n tell her this situation n her friend introduce her to a medium though u r a Christian now some we need to be superstitious n seek medium help so my auntie went to visit this medium n the medium say your son died n bury according to the Christian rites so Christian they only offer flowers n candles now his tomb is flooded n u never offer or burn any clothes or any offering to him he is feeling very cold he wants u to burn some clothes n shoes n thick socks for him cos when he died he only has one shirt n trouser not wearing any sock or shoe .. after all the ritual of burning offering done my auntie had a very good sleep now..I apologize if I say anything wrong cos different religions has different beliefs this e is just my experience...I seen with my own eyes...so paper offering does happen..
Mixing of Taoism and Buddhism.
i reàd offerings as OFFSPRINGS but okay
Everyone down there is richer than Zimbabwe people
True Buddhism has no such practices.
Exactly Buddha said that rituals are useless
this practice is so old that to do it nowadays is stupid
The essential workers are appointed officer So they have the authority to Carry out the task . The underground people know it well and exempted for punishment:-)
You wonder why people don't clear their own shit but wait for cleaners to do it. Thats littering and is illegal no matter how you see it. If you protest what I say, tell me your address... i go make offerings in front of your house
Human made religion
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🤝🤝🤝🤝
0:03 please listen to this monk, burn a few is more than enough.
I guess u r confused or ignorant
This burning practice is only once a year and for a month. Those who cry abt bad for health amd such , start closing all those factories which pollute the air daily and those vehicles which black exhaust smoke daily.
Though i' d rather we start closing factories and not ride on motorized vehicles and just leave a simple life, i still find your point senseless. Factories and vehicles at least help the living in some ways, but burning papers for a mere believe that the dead will prosper do what to us?
@@mono9196 how does it help if it kills the air we breathe? Im comparing a once a year act to a daily act. Even if they burn 12 times in a year it still wont match the level of toxic the factories are pumping out daily
exactly 💯 💯
There's a reason why factories are not in housing areas, Mo 🤦♀️
Who says people who clears it will get bad karma? 1st time i heard about this. lol
i have concluded that inflation is real in hell
Since Mothership made this episode....why dont you explain all Religions' practices?
Buddhism did not mention anywhere in their sutra that you need to burn paper for your ancestors and pollute the air and other peoples home. Gautama Buddha did not teach that. Don’t disgrace his teaching with your own Chinese rites that is not what Gautama Buddha taught. Every single mantra and word for prayer that you repeat is Sanskrit and the mantra is from the Hindus. Also if this people have respect for their ancestors/parents you won’t give offerings by the roadside. They were your parents once not rodents for you to leave food /offerings on the floor by the road or longkang or grass patch.
Normally 3. The buddha, The Dharma & The Sangha
Where u hear from?
How many times he said essentially?
His shiny head
Why u like to offened ppl?
Burning paper has no authentic sources. So, don't waste money to burn money 😬
Be it each religion all have one common
Smoke offering
Respect each religion is like you take bus, he take train, she take ship and I walk. All have it same destination - be kind and gracious.
Some challenge like offering food they eat? How about offering flower they smell? Respect.
I doubt all religions have smoke offering. I think Abrahamic religions hardly have such. As much as i would like to respect the quirks of the tradition/practice of burning, as how our religions may have our quirks too, i can not respect nor tollerate inequality observed in this country. I mean why must muslims compromise the Azans and Hindus compromise their Thaipusam to 'respect' the community but Taois/Buddhist can not compromise their burning to respect the rest of us? Besides burning suffocate us and it's also environmental, health and safety concerns too.
Hinduism and Islam were here first before Buddhist and Taoist were, why cant people respect the original tradition/religion of this place yet asked us to compromise for them?
Unhealthy and antisocial practice that has absolutely nothing to do with Buddhism.
Typical non believers comment
Hell Notes not needed. Smoke Puja really needed by spirits (food-smell or fragrance)
Buddha said pujas or rituals are useless
@@hymnsofthetriplegem You have no idea on your reply. U have no understanding what Pujas are and what Rituals Buddhist do (Prayers or Casting Positive Wishes). Its all on another level of works of Spiritual works on the Spiritual Realm. Not all earthings interested.
通貨膨脹
Why 'hell ? ' ?.not ridiculous ?. The natural always type the spiritual !. Can The True Deity GOD contradict Himself ?. Can The Deity GOD be myth, fable , superstitious, idol , pagan or unlife ( dead ) ?. What is the definition of deity to a Buddhist who are followers of Buddha ?. Is Buddha GOD or was he just a mere human being , like the many so called other mere men claiming to be somebody great when they also parish away like other human beings ?.
What a joke to ask a buddhist monk to comment about Taoist culture. And those who keep discouraging people who burn offerings should just mind their bloody own business. Singapore is multi race,language religion, ethnicity. All the different cultures have different practices, one should just tolerate instead of tell people not to do it.
Still need to burn in moderation, wat. It's ok to discuss these things, no need to get so triggered.
Well, others tolerates even further when their religion specifically tell them to announce the praying time loudly, but they choose not to do so. Just to ensure no one is disturbed.
Now, did we (Taoist) have done enough for them too? Like the monk said, burn in moderation. 1 currency even is enough & do something more to the others is more meaningful than burning.
*stonks*
Secular Buddhism rite ere
Why did you get a buddhist to explain about burning of offering when they themselves do not follow the practice of burning offerings. It's the taoists that burn offerings.
I love the Fragrance of Joss papers burning
I think burning platinum credit card is the safest bet if that’s true. 😂
I feel not forgetting our loved ones and spending time with them on All Souls Day is important culturally. Offering them their favourite food shows our love too. Burnings... it's a belief and a practice handed down. Honesty unless someone can convince me the departed really received them, I feel I am just polluting the air. Like the monk said, in moderation lah!
Just pour me jagermeister
And redbull....
Im set already...