There are two questions I would like to ask the practitioner at Lotus on Water.
He said that supplicants who seek blessings ought to do so before images that have strong "energy fields",in order that the prayers stand better chances of being "transmitted to the the deities"concerned.He said that images made of ceramics,plastics,and a type of wood that has been gilded and painted over with oil-based colours,destroy the "energies".So,it must mean that almost all the images at Buddhist and Taoist temples in Singapore lack spiritual power.
He then said images made of "natural crystals"(sounds suspicious to me)are the best as they have absorbed "all the energies of Heaven and Earth".The images that he sells at his "fengshui shops"are of such kinds,he said.They have "energies".
What I would like to ask him is that must we always pray before images?Can we not pray without them?
What he is telling us is that the images he sells "contain" the most,or the best energies,and by praying to them,our prayers get answered more quickly.Now,I know why your prayers rarely get answered if you visit Buddhist or Taoist temples!
My second question:what if a person is too poor to afford his products?His/Her prayer/prayers will never be answered?Will this mean the rich(those who can afford his expensive products)get richer and the poor,poorer?Don't the deities need to help the poor more than the wealthy?
What about Muslims?They have no images in their places of worship.
Wisdom is very important.......