Wednesday 4 May 2011

Incense for Perhapsists


This is a temple in Hong Kong, to Tin Hua, who is (I think, my Cantonese being a wee bit shaky) a god of seafaring and fishing. They don't want people taking photos inside the temples - fair enough - but I hope this shot from the doorway gives you some idea of the joss-smoked, wonderfully gaudy interior. At a different temple to the same god (photo didn't come out) by the sea on Lamma Island I did as requested by a couple of my regular visitors (OK, by my regular visitors...) and lit a joss stick on behalf of all Perhapsists. It seemed the decent thing to do. No doubt the humanist police will soon hunt me down. I also visited a Buddhist nunnery, the huge prayer-hall of which was a much more tranquil place, with a beautiful courtyard. All redolent of rather more useful insights, truths and practices than yer average knock-about temple (three guys were eating their lunch in one corner of this place above) I popped a couple of bob in the can to help keep the Buddha gilded etc - but slightly missed the rackety mixed-up Buddhist/Taoist/Confucian mix of temples like this one to Tin Hua.
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3 comments:

  1. I can smell the joss sticks from here! Wonderful... Thanks for sharing your travels with us GM.

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  2. You're very welcome CB, but I'd probably better not follow up with the entire album, my broadband would go down...

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  3. Places which inspire wonder are... wonderful. Thank you for the joss stick. I am an avid candle lighter in cathedrals. All very mind-opening, GM, but I fear you may be in for a period of rigorous re-education, possibly on a potato farm in Lincolnshire. What price serenity in the BHA gulag?!

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