My true and personal Tua pek gong stories - continued

My true and personal Tua pek gong stories part 2 - In relation to Singapore's shipping history Singapore's shipping history predates to the fouding of the srivijaya empire and the subsequent opening of Malaaca for trading in the fourtheen century which the Asain-paciifc trade route was linked to the Middle east , Burma, Thailand, China, India, Cambodia of the Funan kingdom and Europe. Today, the Singaporean busy ports of Tuas, Jurong , Clifford pier and the boat quay areas of Singapore's early trade and migration history of the many migrats from Tamil india, Celyon, the Malabar eas coast , Fukien china , Malay, Indonesain Boyanese and Arab settlers still abound from the Kallng river basin all to way to the upper east coast of Cahngni, Luuo yang, Siglap , Ktong and Marine parade . It was in Jalan Kayu an the Merchant road , shoert street and the Coller quay and Clarke Quay areas to the south bride road to Tanjong pagar that early shipping activity and assocations at one time were prolific. These were the places of sailors, flag makers , Indainand Muslim rope and rattan flander makers . Jalan Kayu once had a local boat builders association which consist of the local Hokkien , Teochew, Hainamese and Hakkas boat builders . Besides constructing boats made out of wood and fiber glass, the Hokkien seafarers by local custom propritated several Chinese astral gods of the Helio-centric Kuiper belt which is the a perceived gigantic cosmic celestial abode and galaxtic house in connection to the sea and shipping for sea passage safety , journey mercies , good fortune and good business ventures and retrun of exports and imports. Tua Pek gong as a local business god and shipping and sea passage is venerated every 7th month and fervently prayed to in line with the legend described above . This custom later spreaded to other business Chinese professions of craftsmen, shirne -makers, furniture and artisians by Hakkas , Hokkiens and Teochew confectioners alike . other gods venerated are : 1.Shang di or the ursa major star-dipper of the sailors who is also the husband father-star of tou mu , the astral mother and the nine princes . The nine emperor princes festival is still celebrated amongst the Peranakn old Nonyas and teochews in hou gang from the time of the Simgaporean Teochew Gambier kings 2. Mah zu or tian hou or the Chinese river goddess . It is more popularly venerated by the Hainamese for sea safety with paper boats and fire crackers following a local story of how she saved the locals from a storm at sea in Meizhou 3. The Goddess of mercy of the southern seas and the monkey god . oth have the powers to quell the ocean Today, the Singaporean boat building community has been re-located to Jurong and Tuas . ============================================================================================ Felix Tsung-Hsien Lim23 September 2013 08:16 Part 3 - In relation to Food and wealth Being Chinese Singaporean by birth, I observed from my childhood that the local Hokkiens and teochew communities would raise a local shrine to venerate Tua pek gong whenever they opened a business shop to sell food and groceries. The Teochews confectioners are especially good at it and that was something I picked up whenever mother did her usual shopping in toing ahru market stalls where the hawkers made and sold her white gluey watering Song kuei filled with khoo chye or chives or shredded turnips. With my several recollections and encounters at the Singaporean local eateries , Consequently, Tua Poek Gong became very inspirational to my personal interest for Teochew food and money whenever I missed the local exotic snacks and treats from back home having been a sojourner in Australia for exceedingly 20 years. ========================================================================================================= Felix Tsung-Hsien Lim23 September 2013 08:32 Part 4 - Why my Parental Grandmother hates Christianity and despised my third Uncle Eng bitterly This is a true story that my parental grandmother or my father's mother told me . Third Unlce Eng is the husband of my third aunt Lina and sister of my father . Both of them are devoutly Christian and send us to Sunday school without fail every Sunfay morning . I was never going to know that a strange interlude would come about one day that I wuld tke a very strong interest in Chinese folk religions though I am not suppose to while growing up as a Christain. This is how it happened : My grandmother told me this true story one day that during the time when my uncle Eng went to New Zealand to study abroad, he brought with him a tablet to Tua Pek gong and fervently prayed to it daily I the hope that the would succeed in his exams but failed . Later, he was introduced by friends to a local church and was led by the pastor of the church to Christ and disposed of his Tua Pek gong tablet . Then he started to attend church but he still failed his exams . That was how she came to hate christainity and Christian missionaries since then and why she hated and depised my Uncle Eng bitterly. It was my grandmother's hatred of christain missionaries and my reading of the menace of christain missionaries that fulled ny hatred against any form of religious evangelism, faith conversions and the great commission that led me to the anti-evangelical doctrines of the extreme froms of Calvinism much later in Australia . ========================================================================================================= Felix Tsung-Hsien Lim23 September 2013 08:43 part 5 - the lost passport and the Tua Pek gong dream Being an Australian migrant, I still hold on to my Singaporean citizenship kept away in a cupboard . A week before the time I was to return home to Singapore , I discovered that my passpoert was misplaced and become very frantic , pacing up and down in anxiety and perplexity as to how and why it was not there and informed my mother . Then I went up to my bedroom to try to relax and calm myself down and sat in qigong meditation and praying to the lord Jesus above for any from of divine intervention . There and then , I saw I a vision of my passport at the foot of Tau Pek gong being a local household god and the lord Jesus spke to me that I would find the missing passport. I became very calm instantly and just as I finished my astral qigong dream experience, my mother announced she found it misplaced in another cupboard that she kept it way for safe keeping and forgot about it . Still this day, I am puzzled as to why it worked that my way but it worked any way and took a strong local interest in the Tau Pek gong dream phenomena ====================================================================== part 6 - From Rebecca Chung's Phoniex Part - From Rebecca Chung's Phoniex Phoniex and other stories is one of the local writing by Rebecca Chung . It was about a brothel girl Phoniex who was a Tue Pek gong devotee . She joined the many faithful who would make their prilgrimage to Kusu island where the local devotees would obtain an amulet from the temple to the diety with their supplications. The prayer amulets are then hung on a tree and when they get answered, the devotee returns with offerings and sacrificial food offerings of thanksgiving and takes back the amulet. All asaparing caberet girls do hope to meet with a regular patron who would redeem them from their abject doldrums and Phoniex was like-wise but to the shock and amazement of all, it was Ah send the Fried Kway tiow Hawker who supplied their regular daily lunch who made his move ! So Phoniex married Ah Seng and had a daughter by him .She moved on with her life renting out a flat in Lavender street frying Kuay Tiow and devoted all her energies to educate her daughter to give her a better life.

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My True Tua Pek gong Stories - part 1 the original legend

Being Singaporean Chinese by birth, I observed from my early childhood that the local Hokkeins, Hakkas aised to him .This is the legend on how the first Tua Pek Kong in Malaysia came about: In 1745, Zhang Li, Khoo Yeow (From Ta Pu) and Ma Hock Choon (Hokkien Yong Tian) came from Chao Zhou across the ocean, supposedly to Batavia . (Present day Jakarta) However there was suddenly a big storm, and the boat was diverted to a Penang cape . At that time the cape looked like a pearl, so they called it the Hai Zhu (sea pearl) islet. As the boat was damaged beyond repair, they cannot go to Batavia any more, so the boat occupants (about 50) decided to stay in Penang. At that time only Zhang Li has some learning, he taught the Chinese how to cut the log and build houses, how to farm te land. He also used some of the goods from the boat to barter with the natvies some fruits and seeds. Khoo was that time an iron smith, Ma knows how to burn coal, so they cut trees and burn coal, and turn the waste iron from the boat into utensils. The 3 brothers worked hard, and the followers respected their dedication and called Zhang Tua Pek Gong, Khoo Second Pek Gong, and Ma Third Pek Gong. Times flies, these group of 50 soon intermarry with the natives, and some migrated to other parts, leaving behind Zhang Li and a few Chinese. Zhang Li also have some knowledge of medicine, and he often collect herbs and treat people. It was soon 50 years after he came to Penang. Khoo and Ma came back to visit Zhang then, but they could not found him. They heard from the neighbours he has gone to collect some herbs, so they set off to find him. They managed to locate him mediating at a cave. At first they did not disturb him, but as day turn into night, they soon discoverd Zhang was dead. Later on, the two brothers also died and all three were buried along side each other To remember these island pioneers, people began to build this Tua Pek Gong temple at the Hai Zhu Cape, hoping that Tua Pek Gong can continue to help and protect the people. In 1786, Captain Francis Light accidently discovered that there were some fisherman living in the island, and a few Chinese including Zhang Li. He have predated Captain Francis Light by 41 years to discover Penang. -------------------------------------- When Tua Pek Gong died, one day a man in Malacca named Chan had a dream. In the dream, Tua Pek Gong told him if he is to be rich, he must donate a piece of land in Malacca to build a Tua Pek Gong temple. He said he was attached to a piece of wood. Later someone build a Tua Pek Gong temple at Malacca Cape, which is now located at the Tua Pek Gong Street in Malacca. This Tua Pek Gong Temple (now known as Sam Duo Temple) was built in 1795 (known as Cheng Long Hui first and renamed in 1857 as Sam Duo)

The problem of the Bible and organised spirituality My problem with Christianity and the bible is not one of faith versus logic and reality or relgilion verus true history and science because all religious text including the bible with its long standing retrospetive history is bound to be controversial as to it is to be applied and it varies according to the individual belief system as to what they are comfortable with. This is why the psudeos scientific world views and controversies of Dr fitzof Capara and of Prof Paul Davies comes in to the picture where he posulates that while science can give evidences of a bigger or greater power or order that exist outside mysteriously of the universe, religious doctrines and beliefs in god are entirely based on personal convictions and not on facts which are not necessarily valid nor be substantiated . I personally find the problem to be very problematic in that it accounts for a very idiosyncratic historical world view of a Christ geo-centric cosmology as the creator of the cosmos and the true source of life . This dismisses automatically any validity in pre-historical evolution mysteries in relation to panlathological analysis and the study of the planets and it only gives very vague references to the solar system and all that the mysterious wonders of our galaxatic forces can offer and our dainosours reptile counter parts can shed some light on our origins especially given that the fabulous Chinese dragon and momuentous nagas or huge lizards of the Greek -idian nindo Aryan and austrenesian migration. Consequently, most correctly acclaimed biblically true centred believers especially those of the creation science legalist bible answers forum would dismiss any validity on Ufos and scientific mysteries of any sort and are the criticisms of Steph Hawkins , Richard Dawkins and the rationalist like. Putting that all that aside, christainity nonetheless like any monothiesitic creation based creeds of Judaism, Islam, Zoarastrainism and even the non-theistic philosophies of the oriental spiritualty such as Jainism, Therevadha Buddhsim , Confucionism, Taoism , Theosophy , Reiki and spiritual movements and their numerous creeds are by nature highly evangelical and apostolic - meaning that they are based on a system of commitment to discipleship and faithful moral dutiful calling to some superior guru or master to transmit some wisdom to obtain salvation and come pausible resolution to the mystery of the universe and answers to the meaning of life . All that is just a whole lot of bull for I am totally opposed to any commitments and responsibilities to follow any spiritual pathways of true discipleship . △ ▽ • ✏Edit •