Whether it is an offering to a god, a Buddha at home, or an offering to a church, the issue of offerings will always be involved.
First, let’s talk about the taboos of fruits, because there are many fruits that cannot be used as offerings.
Fruits that can be used as offerings are generally beautiful in shape, have a refreshing fragrance, and have beautiful meanings.
For example, apples, oranges, oranges, bananas, peaches, grapes, honeydew melons, mangoes, longans, pineapples, and watermelons can all be used.
However, there are also some fruits that cannot be used, such as pears and figs. These have not very good meanings, and plums cannot be offered because they are homophonic with Taishang Laojun's surname.
In addition, there are some smells that are not very good, such as avocado and durian.
There are also some issues that are controversial. Customs vary in different places. Some say they can be offered, while others say they cannot.
For example, pomegranates, cherries, kiwis, strawberries, and lychees are considered unsightly, especially pomegranates and cherries. Some people say that the seeds of these fruits are not clean, so they cannot be used for offerings.
But these are not absolute. Some places actually offer these fruits, and the same kind of fruit has different opinions among the people.
Take pears for example. Everyone says that pears represent separation and have a bad connotation, so they cannot be offered.
But now some people say that pears also represent freedom from suffering and happiness, escape from the sea of suffering...
So this thing cannot be unified at all, because there are always people who are inconsistent with the public.
Therefore, I think that on this issue, except for those fruits that are generally considered unavailable, as well as those that smell bad and are dirty, you can do whatever you want with other types of fruits without getting too entangled.
After all, the most important thing is to offer fruits to gods and respect immortals with sincerity. If you think the fruit is not good, then don’t give it to gods and Buddhas. If you think it’s nothing, then you can offer it. What matters is one’s intention.
After talking about fruits, let’s talk about meat.
As we all know, Buddhism and Taoism both offer vegetarian food. Flowers and fruits are sufficient, but meat and meat are not offered.
However, in some folk temples, ancient sacrificial customs are still retained. Some folk teachings may offer meat as offerings to gods, because there have been three animal sacrifices for gods since ancient times. However, with the development of the times, many rules have also slowed down. changes slowly.
But in Taoism, there are four major meats that cannot be eaten, namely: beef, mullet, swan goose, and dog meat.
However, this rule is limited to Taoist priests who are monks and live in temples. As for those who practice at home, the requirements are not so strict and they can make their own vows.
Therefore, Chuma Xiantang generally follows this kind of rules and etiquette, which is also a respect for Taoist gods. Therefore, these four types of meat must not be offered as offerings.
According to the worship rules of Xiantang, in addition to the above four types, there are also some things that cannot be offered, such as soft-shell turtles, eels, and snakes. These are spiritual objects, so they are not allowed.
Other pigs, fish, and chickens can be offered as offerings, but mutton is not used much. Some people think that mutton cannot be offered because it has a foul smell, so generally pigs, fish, and chickens are the most common.
Regarding poultry, generally there are more chickens, but there are also ducks and geese, but less. In some places, ducks and geese are not allowed according to local customs.
Also, hygrozoic and metamorphic species are not offered as offerings, because they are low-level organisms, such as various seafood and insects.
To sum up, it is normal for me to eat mutton skewers for Xianjia, right?
At this moment, I am holding mutton skewers in one hand and beer in the other, eating and drinking.
In a short time, everything was ready. The boss wiped his hands and sat not far away. He took out his mobile phone and fiddled with it, and glanced at me from time to time.
After about ten minutes, I was basically full, but there were still a lot of things on the table that were untouched.
At this time, all the customers in the store left one after another, leaving only my table.
I simply stretched out my hand to greet the boss and asked him to come over and have a drink with me. I would also clean up these skewers, otherwise it would be a shame.
The boss was still puzzled and said that you don’t want to pack anymore. What will your family eat?
I said don't worry about it, they should all be asleep at this time, and no one will eat it when we take it back, so let's wrap it up!
Restaurant owners in the Northeast are generally quite generous, and it is not uncommon for customers to treat the boss to dinner. Anyway, there is no one at this time. After he gave in, he ran to get two plates of side dishes and two bottles of beer, and then Then he sat down, poured a glass of wine, and started drinking with me.
The boss was quite particular. I drank some wine and chatted with him casually.
But before he had even said five words, the boss toasted me with a glass of wine, and then suddenly asked me with a smile.
"Brother, is Taoist Ma not at home?"
I was stunned as soon as I heard this, wondering why he suddenly asked about Taoist Ma, and I didn’t know him either?
But I didn't answer directly. Instead, I asked, "Do you know Mr. Ma?"
He nodded: "Yeah, not only do I know Taoist Ma, but I also know you. Last spring, I took my sister to visit your house. Have you forgotten?"
I looked at him carefully and felt that he looked familiar, but I didn't think of him for a while.
I said a little embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, then I may remember your sister, but I don't remember you..."
To be honest, I would easily get beaten up in the Northeast for being so nagging, but the boss didn’t care and said with a smile: “It’s okay, it’s okay. Let me remind you. Last year, Taoist Master Ma said that there was a big python on my sister’s body, saying that she was too evil. Zhong, she was haunted by five ghosts, but you were the one who solved it for her later, do you remember?"
I tried hard to think about it for a long time, but still shook my head: "I'm sorry, I still didn't remember it, because there are too many people who are looking for me with snakes and five ghosts on their bodies..."
Seeing how forgetful I was, my boss simply took out his phone, pulled out a photo, and thrust it right under my nose.
"Look, this is my sister, do you remember?"
I was forced to take a look at my phone, and then I saw in the photo, a woman with a strange look staring straight at me...
Needless to say, I remembered it as soon as I saw this photo. I had indeed seen such a destined person, but it was mainly Uncle Ma who showed it to her at the time, so I was not very impressed.
At this time, the boss said again: "Since the treatment last year, my sister has been getting better for a while, but recently she is not doing well anymore, and she still feels a little serious. I would like to ask you to help me take a look again. What is going on? "
I never expected that more than a year has passed since the incident, and I just went downstairs to pick up a bunch of skewers, and I would encounter after-sales service.
I had no choice but to ask: "What's going on with your sister now? Can you just tell me a little bit?"
The boss sighed, looked at the door again, then lowered his voice and said to me mysteriously: "The situation seems to be a bit bad this time. Someone told my sister that she was haunted by a group of white-bone spirits and wanted to take advantage of her. Her life..."
