Please enlighten me

sherling22 SG

hi everyone,

i have a question to ask here.

in fact, i came from a christian family but i m not very religious and my hubby and his family are taoist/buddhist and i am staying in their house. sometimes, they will ask me to do some praying and i will do it becos i know they meant well for me. but i think they are a bit too far on this thingy.

my mother-in-law likes to take my shirts without my permission to chop and i am very stressed because they can't be washed away. she even take my working clothes to chop and there are times i am embarrassed wearing them to work without knowing they have been chop. i do not mind if she ask my permission and she do it once in a bluemoon but she always do that once in a few months.

she also kept asking me go for "bridge crossing" ceremony. when i ask her what ceremony it is, she said hard to describe and then she would say the best way is for me to go myself.

i respect their religion and i think i want to reach an agreement with her through logical discussion, but i need to know their religion well first. so my questions are:
1) is it very common for taoist/buddhist to have their clothes chop? what is the reason or purpose to chop their clothes? does anyone here chop before?
2) what is "bridge crossing" ceremony? what do they do there, like what kind of ritual or events they do? does anyone here take part before?

Thank YOU very much

AhNiu SG

Seal stamping on yr clothes is to bless and enhance your luck and cross of bridge is known as "change of luck" to better...for example at our career will sometimes :meet some conflicts or bad people so taoist believe with the blessings of god, cross the bridge will help to clear away those bad things for that year Laughing

But if u are a christian and feel uncomfortable, just go down place yr plams together as a respect to the gods will do...does not need to do all these ritual.

I also dun like to stamp my working clothes but i will use t-shirt to stamp and wear at home . After that , can wash off very easily.. i also dun understand y temple their seal stamping mark so diff to wash off...

sherling22 SG

Oh i c i c.....now i understand why sometimes she brought my working clothes to stamp the seal, so that i will not meet with conflicts at work. I am really touched at her sincere concern for me. I really want to thank you for telling me all these or else i will misunderstand her kind intentions. Smile

sherling22 SG

I think if i promise to go with her for bridge crossing ceremony and when i am there, i don't want to do the rituals, i think she will be disappointed. Knowing now that she really cares a lot about me, i really can't bear to give her false hopes. Hmm....i have an idea! If i can know in advance all the rituals i have to do, then i will be able to judge if i am comfortable in doing them or not. if not, then i will not agree to go with her. but if i think i can do them, then i will promise to go with her.

Can you please list down all the rituals for the bridge crossing ceremony, if it is not too much of a trouble? Gam sia gam sia Smile

zaxis SG

cross those bridge like crossing overhead bridge @ town or roads, do not think too much,
just remember that not only one people prepare those prep. many devotes did them.
as for chopping may be can remind her to chop on your sleeping clothing, by telling her that you need more blessing for good night sleep for longer journey fresher look to better work

sherling22 SG

Haha.....so you also don't like to chop on your working clothes too! i think you must be be a lucky and blessed person because you wear them regularly.

Oh, your stamping marks can be washed easily? i don't know why mine can never wash off completely even after washing many times, and it leave a stain on my clothes, quite peh chek sometimes. maybe i should ask my mother-in-law to go to those places that you go to stamp your shirts, so that it is a win-win scenario for both her and me. can i know the places you bring your shirts to stamp?

Million thanks again Smile

sherling22 SG

so it is as simple as crossing an overhead bridge? guess, it should be ok for me.

thanks for your great idea! but it is a pity i don't have sleeping clothings, i sleep in casual clothings which i will wear it when i am outside too. in fact, now i think i can tahan the embarrassment from wearing those shirts to work as long as i remind myself that she meant well for me. i think the bigger issue is that the chops can't be washed off completely after that, and i don't want to end up my wardrobe is full of such clothes! so i am hoping that kind AhNiu can tell me those places whose chops can be washed off and i will try to persuade my mother-in-law to go there instead.

wisely_xu SG

i have replied using a new thread on this issue and also in another forum grp.

This two rites are done out of goodwill. In fact, all taoist rites are done out of goodwill and sincerity. For only 1 main purpose, which is blessings from heaven.

AhNiu SG

No lah cannot lah..if yr mother in law go to certain temple, cannot anyhow change....just giv her one t shirt to stamp and then wear it at home..does not need office clothes one at all...ink cannot wash off is due to mixture of the ink..the temple ppl duno how to mix well...
i know that bugis guanyin temple ink stamp can wash off easily...
Shirt can re stamp every year..just dun bring black grey and dark blue shirts...try to bring bright ones...

Kinryu69 SG

I used to cross the bridge when i was young. Back then i was too young to know the religious purpose but nevertheless it was pretty fun for the kids i remember. I also remember my t-shirts all got the red stamps on the back. Oh ya, the priest always chopp at my back very hard with the stamp, very painful….......ouch.