Grandma and Thai Wicha

My initial fascination with Thai Wicha starts almost the same time when I first started my cultivation journey more than 25years ago. My first amulet was given to me by my late dad, the one he requested from a travelling monk he met at airport where he used to work. 

After receiving the amulet, that evening itself, while drinking water I somehow carelessly bit into the glass. The shattered glass pieces in the mouth didn’t cause any injury. This is the first experience of Thai amulets when I was about 10 years old.

My fascination with Thai amulets and Wicha are the main reasons it has drawn me to know so many good and capable practitioners in the Thai Lineage. Due to language barrier, I did not pursue into Thai Wicha as oppose to Tao Fa. 

Nevertheless my interest in Thai Wicha didn’t stop, I pursued to interview and find out from many different Teachers and Masters on how their spells and rituals are done. Also at the same time finding out the difference between Thai Wicha and Tao Fa.

About 10 years ago, my dad one day told me that my late grandma actually have taught him a mantra@spell. The spell is related to weather control. He shared with me how my grandma would chant this spell if she saw impending big storm approaching their home in the paddy fields when he young , and how the storm would calm into normal rain. 

At that time, I didn’t know whether anyone in my grandma’s family was practicing Thai Wicha or not, I knew for a fact she was half Thai half Chinese. Looking back, when I started cultivating and doing rituals outdoors, clear skies are the norms for 90% of the case. I never thought much about it as our own lineage of Yang Fa 阳法 requires sunlight during most important rituals.

Of course throughout the years, I have also had an Indonesian Bomoh good friend that passed me his so called ‘weather altering’ tasbih@chant beads that he told me has khodam in it to help in this effect. Did I try it? Yes. Did it worked? You bet. But the chanting to upkeep the item was too much of a tedious for me. 

There are also other techniques of altering clouds and techniques with Tao Fa, however those method is overused will be harmful to the body. I once had a serious bout of pheumonia after  experimenting with it too many times. That is another blog write up.

One of the senior knowledgeable Master once told me,” if Heaven wanted to rain, let it rain la” Why do you need to disturb the cycle of the Tao? 

Back to Point of Origin

Had a looked at the last post, it was almost 6 months ago. I was actually using my Facebook page medium more since with Facebook Live, I get to update via video. If you have not LIKE my page on facebook, please do it now - most of my smaller updates will be there.

https://www.facebook.com/mastergkham/

I have contemplate of not writing more on blogs due to the fact that nowadays the crowd prefer videos or reading. Then again, I realized some of Kam Dong San Temple's patrons that eventually became disciples all got to know about us through this blog. So I will continue on and also post some LIVE video links here as well.

On 26 February 2017, I decided to visit Kam Dong San Ipoh. The Main - Main Altar of Kam Dong San. I have not been back to main altar for almost 12 years.

My master that initiated me into Kam Dong San, Master Thong and I both lost contact. He changed his mobile phone and so did I. His last instruction to me was meditate consistently and strong faith in the deities. "When the time is right more ways of the path will be shown to you."

Fate and new technology reunited us again through Facebook. So I decided to make a trip back to the Main Altar.

 

It was great that I am able to bring my wife and kids along to see Grandmaster and also the altar of the origin place. Being back at this patio altar, brought back so much memories of the early days when I would drive to Ipoh usually Friday evening, sit in front of altar meditate and followed by my master instructions on the various talisman.

At that time, my Chinese calligraphy is literally like 'shit'. Master would still encourage me to write more and learn more. 

Even after so many years, Master did spend time enlightening me with the Tao of learning Tao Fa, how to help those who are stubborn and selfish and most of all a lot of wisdom in cultivation shared by him.

He shared with me his joy and happiness, saying that now a lot of burden have been lifted off his shoulders as he saw how Kam Dong San Temple Penang is having so much activities and flourishing well.

When I was initiated, Master Thong told me the deities instructed if have affinity they would be happy if Penang have an altar. I just nodded. With that nod, I have kept on going until today with all deities blessing.

As I have mentioned in other blog post, in the spiritual world - the word of honour does carry a lot weight. Money don't mean anything, you cannot sweet talk your way to cultivation. Sincerity, perseverance and honoring one's promise to the deities. No matter which spiritual discipline you encounter, if they(spiritual beings) realize your trustworthiness. Then conflicts and hatred, harm and anger will be easily neutralized in any situation or obstacles that one encounter on the path of cultivation.

Feng Shui Setup or Spiritual Help which is the Priority?

Received a call from a long time client about 3 weeks ago. He told me that he is now experiencing hard times. He have just moved the 4th times to an office. His first and 2nd office was audited by me. Currently his business also cannot make enough to pay for his staff salary. He has no where to turn to except trying his luck to ask for my help.

When I audited his business office, he made decent profit and business was growing. That was the condition he was in when I last met him. He did not engage me on his 3rd time moving, and to me that was normal because maybe he finds that luck was on his side and my services was not needed anymore.

I have decided to helped him out due to his past standing as good client. He told me he cannot afford to pay my fees however he will be willing to pay me once he is stable again.
Cleared my appointment on the nearest availability and decided to audit his place as fast as possible.

When I arrived on to audit his current office, the first thing I noticed was there was quite a number of Taoist spiritual implements inside his office. I checked the site with my Loupan and discovered that the front door location and direction is actually not bad for his type of business.

However once inside, all the Feng Shui setup was wrong. From his sitting location, his staff sitting location, enhancing the qi for the type of business plus even the water exits within is all not conducive for his business.

No wonder he is in such a mess.  His personal space within the office has a lot of Taoist spiritual implements from sword to flags to even ancient chinese coins below the desk and a whole lot more.

I advised him to relocate those spiritual items, consolidate some of it while others that cannot be use to be place in storage. He looked at me with a puzzling look. I am not surprised, because in all those years of him knowing me and conducted 2 audits for his office, never once did I mentioned to him about using spiritual implements nor about my Taoist background.

Seeing his puzzling look, I knew if I did not elaborate on my Taoist background he was not going to remove those items. I continue to explained to him that one of the talisman which he painstakingly went to a South Thailand Taoist Temple to obtain is actually one of my Taoist lineage. I further briefly informed him on 2 more Taoist lineage that I am holding, and the reason spiritually why he should relocate those items and consolidate them.

I always believe, if a Feng Shui Master is good at what he is doing, he does not need to use other fields of knowledge to solve the Feng Shui problem. Example, adding spiritual context into solving a Feng Shui problem. On the other hand, if a Taoist Master is good at what he is doing, he does not need to add Feng Shui into solving spiritual matters. Using spiritual method alone will be able to solve the spiritual problems.

Furthermore, I do not like to confuse my client on who are they actually hiring, The Feng Shui Master or the Taoist Master? If in doubt, usually I assure them that you are hiring a practical logical Feng Shui Master who have strong Taoist religious belief. This rarely happen because 90% of my client knows me as a Feng Shui master or practitioner only.

After advicing on the recommendations, finally I gave him some talisman to solve his existing pressing business problem. Because to wait for the Feng Shui setup to run its course requires at least 10 days in which the time he does not have at the moment. Told him the spiritual help is pro-bono but make sure he pays my Feng Shui due fees when he is ok again.

Moral of the story -
1. Remember your Feng Shui Master when you are having a good run.
2. Spiritual methods will work once your environment setup is done correctly. Or else the spiritual help will be like trying to push a heavy cart uphill, you cannot continuously use spiritual method to solve a basic Feng Shui environmental mistake.
3. Remember your Feng Shui Master when you are having a good run. (its not a typo repeat)

Another torn shirt....

Every once in a while there will be some friends or acquaintances approach me and ask “Do you want to teach students on how to draw talisman?” or “Do you want to take in protégé in Dao Fa 道法?

It looks attractive and interesting, being able to draw talisman and request for spiritual assistance for specific purposes through the Taoist Deities. Some even look at it as something to elevate their status among peers or friends, essentially being different from others.

If one follow the path of Dao Fa, establishing higher spiritual goals and also being in the lineage of evoking spiritual assistance there are basically 1 out of 3 options that the person will need to choose or being forced upon them. These 3 options in particular will serve as an exchange or as the path of entering the person’s spiritual goal(s) in Dao Fa.

What are these 3 options?
1. To live a life of poverty 2. To live a life of solidarity 3. To always wear torn clothes

All these 3 options are to reflect the imperfection of the person. By gaining the ability to request for spiritual assistance when and where it is needed, the person life shall not be perfect.

Living a life of poverty means that person will not be able to be rich from utilizing any of spiritual responsibility entrusted upon them. That is why, most that uses Dao Fa, as a career will not be wealthy.

To live a life of solidarity means that the person will not have children. There will not be future generations and in most cases the person will not be able to get married.

To always wear torn clothes is due to in the olden days if one were to wear torn clothes it means that they are someone who is not in high or medium status position in society. It is the least heavy options out of the 3.

When I was initiated into Dao Fa, my Taoist master told me that what you learn in Dao Fa could never directly be used to earn money from others. I think that is one way of our lineage by passing option 1. Nevertheless, I was not told of the remaining 2 options.

In some lineage, they will place these 3 options beneath a bowl and when the disciple is initiated, they will choose 1 out of 3 and the chosen option will be set for life. There are some that their option will be chosen by their Master who initiate them into Dao Fa.

For my case, I started to slowly find out on my own. Not long after I was initiated, I noticed that my pants or shirt would on many occasion get torn. Even newly bought shirts or jeans will also have this effect. I also stop buying slightly more expensive khakis pants as most will last a month or so. Jeans that wore for 3-4 times will out of nowhere get torn.
Partial torn pants collection from Mar - June 2010

Later I understand that option 3 was already being enforced on me. Considering the other 2 options available, I was glad that I got number 3. I have met some other Dao Fa practitioner that teach me how to work within the option, new shirts that I bought must purposely be punctured in some hidden area to materialize this imperfection.

Which is why, when some friends or people I know asked whether can they be initiated into learning Dao Fa, usually I just smile and say “ It is not as simple as what you see, there are a lot of ‘terms and conditions’ involved.