There is an ancient moss-covered Buddhist temple, set deep on the ridge of a densely forested mountainside in Bắc Ninh, a city in the northern section of Vietnam. It is called Hàm Long Temple (寺含龍) due to the fact that it is located inside the mouth of Núi Thần Long (Dragon God Mountain). Hàm means jaw. … Continue reading Hungry Ghosts 4: Temple for Spirit Imprisonment
Ahhhhhh. The wondrous scent of roasted Allium sativum, aka garlic, on an open flame, seared until blackened and then crushed and added to a succulent steak makes my mouth water. I love cooking with garlic in all its forms: fresh, dehydrated, powdered, liquid---I have them all. I also love adding them to recipes that are … Continue reading Of Gods and Garlic
Here we are, looking at The Yaochi Palace Temple, located on Qingliang Mountain in Huyi district of the northwestern province of Shaanxi. It is a one-thousand-years old Taoist temple, previously protected as a historical site, but has suddenly been deemed illegally built and without proper documents and permits. Parts of it have already been demolished, … Continue reading Autoimmune Disease of the Spiritual Kind
(Continued from Enigma of Lao Tzu 4: The Temple of an Immortal) Eight years after local authorities attended the ceremonial unveiling, the same authorities now say the statue of the Taoist holy man is unapproved and must go, screams a headline from Bitterwind.org. In the article, dated 01/30/2019, it states that: The Chinese Communist Party … Continue reading Enigma of Lao Tzu 5: My Poor Beloved Old Dude
The word that describes someone who can see and communicate with spirits is called Mediumship. A Medium is able to see or sense or hear or smell a spirit being just as clearly as you or I could see and hear each other if we were in the same room together. If we were to … Continue reading Hungry Ghosts 3: Sermons for the Dead
Let me tell you guys about a little rock that's kinda boring looking. Actually, calling them rocks is a bit on the generous side. They are more like pebbles that are mostly black, with little pits and layers on it. If you placed one next to the landscape rocks outside in my garden, I would … Continue reading Ghost Repellent Rock
(Continued from Hungry Ghosts 1: Vu Lan Season) It is common knowledge that dogs, cats, and especially little children, are not allowed to be present at a Cầu Hồn (evocation or conjuration ritual), a Triệu Hồn (summoning ritual), or a Cầu Siêu (there is no equivalent English word) . I know because the first time I … Continue reading Hungry Ghosts and the Cầu Siêu Ritual
I was at the herbal shop the other day and guess what! There was a sale on la hán quả, 6 for $4, so I bought me 6. Normally, I get them 4 for $4, so this was a fairly good sale. Now, for westerners, when I say la hán quả, nobody knows what I'm … Continue reading Drinks of the gods: La Hán Quả ~ Monk Fruit
Magic spells are power words. We modern people are not the only ones who know that the written word is extremely powerful. People in ancient days also understood this very well. For a not-so-ancient Taobabe, whether words are written in my native language Vietnamese, or in my third language, English, doesn't really matter. They are … Continue reading Magic Spells, Deconstructed
I was chugging on a drink this afternoon, one of many that I normally imbibe on throughout my day, and I figured I might as well share it with you guys since it's something I've known about all my life but never bothered to say much about because you know, if it's common knowledge, who … Continue reading Drinks of the gods: Bitter Melon
