How Gods are Enshrined

(1) Shaping of Gods

There are various types of gods, such as wood carvings, clay sculptures, ramie dekongs, and stone carvings. When sculpting an idol, it is necessary to perform the rituals of honoring the god. There are two main ceremonies: (1) choose an auspicious day and hour to hold a ceremony. First on the offerings, incense, chanting worship. If it is a wood carving, statue craftsmen to use the axe in the wood above the light cut three or seven, to show three please or said to give its three souls and seven souls. (2) in the statue of God sculpture (made) process towel, there must also be a "dirty" ceremony, the intention is to make the spirit of the gods can be injected into the statue, so that the statue of the gods really become dependent on the spirit of the sub-spirit body. In the case of a wooden statue, a point is opened behind the statue to reach the chest, and then an auspicious date is chosen for the "installation of dirt". The content of the "dirty" usually have: the classics, which represents the gods and wisdom; bronze mirror, a symbol of the gods can illuminate the good and evil in the world; calendar, the five grains, a symbol of the gods can bless the wind and rain, the five grains of abundance; incense, cinnabar, andrographis, said that you can avoid the evil spirits; red, yellow, green, white, black five-color line, in order to should be the full range of the five elements; silver and gold jewels, said that the gods can bless people with wealth and good fortune; spiritual talisman, incense ash, indicating divine power.

(2) statue of light

After the statue is molded, choose an auspicious day to hold a "light point of view" ceremony. Prepared beforehand, cinnabar, hyacinth, golden chicken (i.e., rooster), mirrors, face towels, new brushes and other things. At that time on the offerings, burning incense, chanting sutras, reciting incantations (read the "Golden Light Divine Mantra"), burning table, reciting the Letters Patent, by the high Gong will be on the statue of the red cloth removed, with a new scarf for the statue of wiping the face, and then with a new brush dipped in vermilion sand, water hyacinth and a mixture of golden cockerel's blood point statue of the eyes (but also by the way, pointing to the mouth, nose, ears, said to be enlightened), while at the same time, in the temple outside the temple from the Taoist priests with a mirror will be the sunlight reflection to the statue's eyes, in order to metaphorically by the sun's divine light so that the statue can see the light of God, and the sun will be able to see the light of God. At the same time, a Taoist priest outside the temple used a mirror to reflect sunlight into the eyes of the statue, in order to symbolize that the divine light of the sun enables the statue to see the earth. The purpose of the ceremony is to pray that the spirit of the god will come down to the earth and attach itself to the idol, so that it will become a spirit body with the ability to understand the god and enlighten the spirit, therefore, the ritual is very solemn. Taoism has a set of rituals for the opening of the light.

(C) temple decoration

The temple, also known as the shrine or hall. In order to increase the majesty of God and the solemnity of the atmosphere, people enter the temple by the feeling of hot and suddenly born of piety and worship, but also in the temple set up a variety of decorations. Mainly have the Huagai, mantle, streamers, blocks, chandeliers and so on. Huagai, originally used for the throne of the Son of Heaven to cover the top of the umbrella decoration, "Gujin Note": "Huagai Huangdi also made". Later generations of Taoism used, hanging on the head of the statue of God Rui, symbolizing the dignity and majesty of God. Mantle, hanging in front of the statue, embroidered with white clouds, cranes and other patterns. Streamers are hung on both sides of the mantle in front of the image. Taiching Jade Book, Volume 5: "The streamers used by Taoists to represent the image of heaven, earth and man". In front of the statue of God, but also hang, etc., to symbolize the divine light.

(4) Dedication of offerings

The enshrined statue of the deity is the deity's sub-spiritual body, which is then fed. The offerings are made to the deity, and the food and drink are offered to the deity. On weekdays, the offerings are incense, flowers, lamps, water and fruit, which are the permanent offerings. Dojo in the previous five offerings on the basis of additional tea, food, treasure, beads, clothing five offerings, together for ten offerings. There is a class offering, three class offerings, five class offerings, seven class offerings, nine class offerings and so on. Every five plates (or bowls, or plates) offerings for a hall. Nowadays, Taoist temple offerings generally have tea (tea or tea) fruit (fruit or dried fruit), rice (rice or rice products) pasta (steamed bread or noodle products), vegetables (greens or dried vegetables). The offerings for the gods should also be arranged according to the ritual. The order of arrangement is from the inside to the outside: one tea, two fruit, three rice, four vegetables, five steamed bread. Offerings, the first two hands raised offerings (and forehead flush), bowed to salute, and then lightly put on the table. When the offering is finished, there is also incense and bowing.

(5) Offering Incense

There is no more common and widespread way to honor the gods than by offering incense. It is also known as offering incense, or burning incense, as it is often called in the world. The purpose of incense is to "incense to reach the letter", that is, the sincerity of the person through the cigarette to reach the gods, the so-called "a column of real incense communication to go, on the holy high true descending from the blessing." There are two ways to honor incense: burning incense and flicking incense.

Burning incense is more common for weekday Taoist priests and believers with incense (or material incense or Tibetan) to honor God's ceremony. Specific practices: (1) choose three columns (branches) incense, do not break incense. (2) Light the incense (if the fire starts after lighting, it can be extinguished by swinging it around and not blowing it out with breath). (3) Face the statue of the deity, raise the incense with both hands (aligned with the forehead), and bow in salute. (4) with the left hand on the incense, three columns of incense should be inserted straight, inserted flat, the interval is not more than an inch wide (to indicate inch "heart). If you are a Taoist, you should also recite the "Mantra for the time of offering incense": "Always burn the incense of the heart to obtain great tranquility". (If there are more than one idol in a shrine, the first on the front, then on the front, then on the right, and then on each of the two on a pillar of incense, the same ceremony.) (5) After the incense is offered, the ritual of bowing is performed. The so-called burning incense to worship God also.

Flick incense is the most solemn, only in the gods at Christmas or for fasting and set up jiao-festival, there are presided over (abbot, supervisors) or high-powered party. There are five kinds of incense, namely sandalwood, incense, cloud incense, purple incense and eggplant incense, is the "precious five incense". The most commonly used is sandalwood, so the incense is also known as burning sandalwood. Burning sandalwood incense is more delicate. Fragrance to split into a thick and thin, an inch long and short; must have a special incense burner (called sandalwood incense burner), but also to prepare some incense surface (usually crushed into powder instead of line incense). Fick incense before, first with the incense dagger (small spoon and so on) in the middle of the sandalwood incense burner will be a small pit of incense ash, buried in the incense surface, with the incense dagger to touch the level of the surface of the incense slightly covered with a layer of incense ash. Next, light a few pre-folded into a one-inch-long thread incense, the burning end into the incense surface. Fick incense with the left hand, three incense were three times successively into the furnace, up and down the plant dedication (first center, second left, after the right) or east and west lying dedication can be. When the incense to recite

"Blessing incense mantra": "Road by the heart to learn, the heart fake (borrowed also) incense transmission. The incense burns in the jade furnace, and the heart is in front of the emperor. The true spirit is looking forward to it, and the immortal pennant is approaching. Your servant will tell you that the path leads to the nine heavens." After the incense, return to the kneeling mat, perform the three rites nine kowtow salute.