So, the talk yesterday was aimed at people who don’t know either Chinese Philosophy, or business, or maybe both, so it’s not so surprising that I didn’t hear too much that gripped me; one of my fellow students who was present found it very interesting. It’s a pity the Dean didn’t stay to answer questions afterwards. I’m sure he put a lot of work into preparing it, and people would have had many questions. The recruitment talk afterwards was pretty comprehensive, and covered a lot of ground.
Just before New Year, TOMA and I went to the Kuan Yin temple and asked questions with the fortune sticks. Events in the weeks since haqve put me in mind of the answer I got then, and we both went today to the Monkey God, Qitian Dasheng (齊天大聖), who speaks through a spirit medium. I’ve been there once before to observe, but didn’t asked a question; it was TOMA’s first visit. The devotees were very welcoming and helpful. My question got a brief but reassuring reply. TOMA was speaking with the medium for a long time – but I’m not asking what about! Why the Monkey God? Well, the year of the Monkey, now about to end, has been a very good one for me. Plus, in many little ways, I keep seeing him cropping up in my life, so I figured it would be worth trying.
[...] The gods themselves are outlined in some detail; RiT:TiR introduces us to their back-stories, their appearance, their natures, and the reasons why worshippers follow them. Covering deities such as Justice Bao; the Baby God; Fazhugong; Guan Gong; Jigong the mad monk; Elder and Second Grandas; and others, this was a fascinating trove of information for me: I’ve seen statues and pictures of these gods in temples and shrines many times, and I’ve even been to ask questions of a medium possessed by the Monkey God, Qi Tian Da Sheng; this short introduction helps me to better understand what I see around me every day. [...]