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Michael, a Taoist medium’s promise to Ganesha | Where Race Meets Religion
AsiaOne
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10 months ago
A chance invitation from a friend during a health scare provided Michael an entry into Hinduism, and a new lease of life. Since then he straddles both faiths devotedly.
Watch more: https://www.asiaone.com/video
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📚
Learning
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00:00
The doctor told me, your liver has a white dot.
00:05
I was stunned, actually.
00:06
So someone from our temple
00:09
they introduced me to their temple.
00:16
Everything started for a reason, I think.
00:20
My dad had to have this incident.
00:22
We weren't even tapped into this Hindu culture.
00:30
I'm a Taoist.
00:38
So we also help out for Hindu temples, for road marshals.
00:42
And we also participate in our Tai Poo Sam.
00:46
This is actually due to my medical.
00:49
I went to hospital for check-up.
00:51
Because most of the time, I fainted.
00:53
So the doctor told me, your liver has a white dot.
00:57
So someone from our temple
00:59
he's a Hindu god devotee.
01:02
They introduced me to their temple.
01:05
To go in there and pay a visit.
01:07
But I did not say anything about my sickness.
01:09
I go there, I was standing outside.
01:11
One of the gods, he actually trans-Ganesha.
01:16
So this god actually told their devotee
01:19
that there's someone outside wearing a red shirt.
01:21
So I went in, this god told me, you got problem.
01:25
So I was also a very tiki person, you know.
01:27
I said, what problem I have, you tell me.
01:29
So he told me, I'm sick.
01:31
So I said, you can help me?
01:33
So he said, can, I can help you.
01:35
But you must bring me, you must promise me.
01:37
Bring me, go around, go walk, walk.
01:39
I thought just carry the statue only.
01:42
But end up, he said, no, it's actually a kawari.
01:46
So from there, I take part, participate in 2006.
01:58
You got scars from the...
02:00
Yes.
02:01
My hand, all is spikes.
02:04
Kawari, they have three types of piercing.
02:07
One is spike, one is ring, and one is hook.
02:13
Shit ah, behind ah.
02:17
Yosai, face is about 72 pieces.
02:21
Front, left, right, back, left, right.
02:25
Front, left, right, back.
02:28
I have a spike.
02:30
This four pieces, over here.
02:44
Face about...
02:48
Four.
02:51
For Hindu people, their piercing is for you to see.
02:55
For you to listen.
02:57
They have to suit their mouth.
02:59
Tongue and left to right.
03:03
It's also teaching us to clear our mind.
03:06
To make sure, what are you going to do to clear our obstacle.
03:12
And now you will see the kawari.
03:15
And this is the first set of kawari that I bought.
03:19
And we have a small token for whole family.
03:23
We will paste their name.
03:25
And every year, when kawari, we will bring out.
03:28
When they've done everything on my body, on the spike.
03:31
Then we will fix the garnish on top.
03:34
Then the last one, we will paste mouth and the tongue.
03:38
Then we will go about five, five click?
03:40
5.2 click.
03:42
After kawari, a week later.
03:46
I bring them go dinner.
03:48
Then we passing through one of the primary school.
03:51
I fainted again.
03:54
It's a miracle thing also.
03:56
Ambulance come out when I fainted less than three seconds.
04:01
So from there, I went to hospital again.
04:04
Then the doctor declared my sickness.
04:07
He said, Mr Lim, your liver, the white dot, gone.
04:12
From there, we really fully participate in this event.
04:18
It's a promise.
04:21
That period of time, we were not sure that our dad having this health issue also.
04:26
When he come back that time, he saw his body like what?
04:30
A lot of blood, those spikes.
04:32
Piercing scar out there.
04:34
Then we start to know more and more.
04:36
He's going this tapu zom and everything.
04:38
Joining Hindu religions.
04:40
Slowly, slowly, there's just found a link that Hindu and Taoism, Buddhism.
04:45
Actually, there's a link.
04:51
For us Chinese, when children are reaching 16,
04:55
we need to do something for them, for small players.
04:58
But to me, I call them to go for firework.
05:01
It's just that you grow up, be a man.
05:04
Do more responsibility.
05:06
Previously, just mainly to support.
05:09
Support my dad.
05:10
Then my dad was like, hey, why not just join like Carry Me Pork with piercing.
05:14
Then for the first year, it's no shame.
05:17
I pierced already.
05:18
I was like half fainted.
05:20
Then following year, my brother is with me.
05:23
So we do do the same thing also, piercing.
05:26
So we both like support each other and my dad.
05:28
To walk through this whole journey again.
05:30
It's like a team.
05:32
Everyone is supporting each other.
05:37
Yes.
05:44
Today is the eve of the Hummingbird Festival.
05:47
So now we are preparing everything.
05:55
And then we'll invite the hell god of pepper to open hell gate.
06:37
To us trans, we also don't know what we do.
06:40
But most of the time, I see from outside, devotee, devotee will tell me.
06:44
Or your god telling me this, this, this.
06:47
This is good.
07:06
Wow.
07:12
We will always advise where I will sit.
07:14
If people's parents are sick, we will definitely teach you.
07:18
We will go and see doctor and get more advice from there.
07:37
It's teaching people to clear some people's mindset.
07:43
This is mostly what the god teach.
07:45
But god will not teach you in a bad way.
07:48
You know.
08:06
Oh.
08:13
Yeah.
08:14
Yeah.
08:15
Yeah.
08:16
Yeah.
08:17
Yeah.
08:22
Yeah.
08:23
Yeah.
08:24
Yeah.
08:31
Everything start from a reason I think.
08:33
I don't have this incident, people don't even know them or step into this new culture.
08:41
If let's say gain anything, it's definitely we gain this experience, we learn more knowledge
08:49
through this process, we gain something.
09:02
To me, all races are the same.
09:05
I also went to mosque and I also went to church.
09:10
My temple all type of races people also have.
09:27
For Ganesha is 2006.
09:30
I also have Dato' Kong.
09:31
We went to cemetery, all of a sudden we saw a Dato' down there, you know.
09:37
Temple of the main deity said, I'm going to go there and ask the Dato' to come back.
09:42
Then he come back.
09:43
He come back, he let people have what they want.
09:46
And then this Dato' only when Hari Raya time, we will invite the God to come.
09:54
When I was young, I don't believe God.
09:58
So sometimes I will tell people, you believe, keep your mind clear.
10:07
Don't believe, just see.
10:20
To me, I always say, G-O-D, all done by humans.
10:27
Your mindset.
10:38
How you trust these races, but to me, one united, all the same.
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