Aunt Agga Issue #128

CAN I PUT MY GRANDMOTHER’S ASHES IN HOLY PLACES?

Q My grandmother passed away recently. We cremated her body and now we need some advice on what to do with her ashes. Can I place ashes of my grandmother on sacred places and temple grounds? I heard that this is a good practice.

AActually the best thing is to place your grandmother’s ashes in serene places like mountains, jungles and oceans. But before you do this, you must make strong prayers over the ashes and also ask for permission from the spirit landlords of these places before you place them there. So first, chant the mantra of Vajrasattva (OM VAJRASATTVA HUM) and Chenrezig (OM MANI PADME HUM) as many times as you can (preferably everyday for the first 49 days following her death) and blow over the ashes. But, for sacred mountains, temples and holy places, you MUST NOT place the ashes in these locations unless the ashes have been made into tsa tsa stupas and suitably consecrated by a qualified Buddhist priest.

This is vital because ashes of ordinary beings are not pure, and when they are placed in holy places, the spirit protectors of sacred grounds can get very upset about it and cause many obstacles for you and the future rebirth of your grandmother. Temple grounds and shrines are NOT suitable places for ashes of the deceased. It is safer for you and for your grandmother’s future incarnation to offer the ashes into the sea or in lovely natural environments that are not deemed as sacred lands. You can also place them in towns or lands that are near sacred places, but not within the confines of sacred temples. Most importantly, you must say prayers over the ashes before doing this.

RITUALS FOR STARTING RENOVATION WORK

Q I’m building a small house. How do I go about selecting a good date to start construction? Any other rituals I have to observe?

AYes you should definitely pick an auspicious day and auspicious hour to start renovation work. You can find good days to start renovation in Lillian Too’s Feng Shui Calendar. Once you have found a good day, check that it does not conflict with your animal sign. Before you begin digging into the ground, you MUST offer incense to the local deities of your land and ask for their permission and cooperation to ensure that your renovation goes smoothly. It is also a good idea to place some food on a corner of your land and offer it to all the spirit beings, insects and animals that live on the land that you are about to dig and clear away. Remember that the land is the home of many beings and when you dig up the land, you are destroying their homes so observing the ritual of offering “compensation” is important. Lastly, if you are cutting down trees, please offer incense to the spirits of the trees and give them some “notice” and apologise, and let them know when you will be starting work. Good luck!

DO I NEED TO FILL THE HEART SUTRA PILLAR WITH EARTH?

QI bought the Heart Sutra Pillar to be placed in the West of my house to suppress the Five Yellow. Do I need to fill this pillar with Earth?

AMy dear, there is no need to do this. The Heart Sutra Pillar comes already filled with mantras for you – so there is no need to fill it with anything else. Just to clarify, its useful to know that the Heart Sutra Pillar is not the same cure as the Five Element Pagoda cure. Although both cures are designed to suppress the Five Yellow, they have different mantras and inscriptions on them and are shaped differently. If you are still using the Five Element Pagoda cure, then yes – do fill it with earth at the bottom portion and unscrew the top cap and fill with crystals. But the Heart Sutra Pillar contains mantras and does not require this. When both the cures have incurred lots of scratches and looks rusty, etc. then it is time to retire them. You can place them into the sea/river or bury them in the garden in a location where you are not likely to step over them.

MY TWO SONS ARE DESPERATELY JOBLESS

QI have two sons and both are unemployed. They have been trying to get a job and have put in many applications. But till today they still cannot secure a job. I’m getting very worried about them and starting to feel depressed.

Advertisements

AMy dear, don’t get depressed… you are their mother so you should be strong for them. I suggest that you check the Northeast as this is the location that governs the luck of sons in general. If you have a toilet there or if that location is missing, or you have a store room there, then both your sons’ luck is afflicted. If this is the case, please place lots of crystals in the NE corner of their bedroom as well as the living room to make up for the missing luck. You can also activate the luck of careers by placing a water feature in the North corner of the living room. Lastly, I suggest chanting the mantra of the Goddess TARA and request for her help. Her mantra is OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA and it is best to chant her mantra 108 times twice a day – morning and evening – and dedicate this towards them finding a job.

DO I LIGHT THE CANDLE ON THE FIVE ELEMENT THREE CELESTIAL GUARDIANS CURE?

QI have a set of the Five Element Three Celestial Guardians to deal with the Three Killings affliction. My question, is that do I have to light up the candle every day?

AThe candle represents the fire element which is essential for activating the cure and also ensuring that the Three Killings does not cause reputation problems for you. It also acts as a small offering to the three guardians. Hence, it is really best if you can light a candle everyday. However, if for some reason you cannot do this, if you’re too busy or if you are worried about it being a fire hazard for children, then you should place a very tiny torchlight or lamp next to the cure and turn it on. Do not place a huge lamp as this is too much. Even if you place a battery-powered torch light, do try to light the candle at least once a week. Candle light is a more potent feng shui energizer then light generated from batteries for this cure.

HUSBAND’S KUA NUMBER and MY KUA NUMBER CLASH

QMy husband’s Kua number and mine completely clash. How do we decide what direction of house to buy?

AYou can look for a house which faces East/ West, or Northwest/Southeast. These two types of houses are good for families where the couple are from different groups. It is also a good idea to check if the house has two entrances that are facing two different directions from East and West Group. If this is the case, one of you can use one door to enter the house, and the other person can use the other door. This issue is very common and Lillian Too has recorded a new series of e-courses for house buyers which will explain in great detail. Please sign up for her Mandala eZine and we will send out details on when this course will be available.