Spirit tablet
Encyclopedia
A spirit tablet or ancestral tablet is a placard used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor as well as to enclose it. With origins in traditional Chinese culture, the spirit tablet is a common sight in many East Asian countries where any form of ancestor veneration is practiced. Spirit tablets are traditional ritual objects commonly seen in temples, shrines, and household altars throughout China.
In Japanese Buddhism, tablets are used in funeral rites and stored in the home altar to Buddha.
When used, incense sticks
are usually burned before the tablet. Sometimes fruits, tea and pastries are placed near the tablet to offer food to the spirit.
In Chinese folk religion
for example, a household will have one or more tablets for specific deities:
Spirit tablets are found not just amongst the Chinese but in other East Asian cultures, such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
General usage
A spirit tablet is often used for deities and ancestors, with shrines found in households or in temples, where there are specific rooms for individual spirit tablets for ancestors. A spirit tablet acts as an effigy of a specific deity or ancestor. In Taoism, spirit tablets are often used for the spirits ancestors and sometimes such tablets are found under deities, which represent the enclosed spirit of the deity. This practice influenced the Buddhist faith, where tablets are found in many temples; however tablet usage is not limited to ancestors, but to wandering spirits, demons and preta as well.In Japanese Buddhism, tablets are used in funeral rites and stored in the home altar to Buddha.
When used, incense sticks
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
are usually burned before the tablet. Sometimes fruits, tea and pastries are placed near the tablet to offer food to the spirit.
In Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion or Shenism , which is a term of considerable debate, are labels used to describe the collection of ethnic religious traditions which have been a main belief system in China and among Han Chinese ethnic groups for most of the civilization's history until today...
for example, a household will have one or more tablets for specific deities:
- One outside the house at the front door. (A shrine either to the Jade EmperorJade EmperorThe Jade Emperor in Chinese folk culture, is the ruler of Heaven and all realms of existence below including that of Man and Hell, according to a version of Taoist mythology. He is one of the most important gods of the Chinese traditional religion pantheon...
at eye level the door or the earth deityTu Di GongTu Di Gong , also known as Tu Di , Tu Gong , and Dabo Gong , is a Chinese earth god worshipped by Chinese folk religion worshippers and Taoists. A formal name for Tu Di Gong is , meaning the earth god of wealth and merit....
, below the door.) - One in the kitchen. (A shrine to Zao JunZao JunIn Chinese folk religion and Chinese mythology, the Kitchen God, named Zao Jun or Zao Shen , is the most important of a plethora of Chinese domestic gods that protect the hearth and family with the addition of being celebrated...
, the kitchen god.) - Two in the house, usually at least one in the living room. (A shrine to any other deity or family ancestors.)
Spirit tablets are found not just amongst the Chinese but in other East Asian cultures, such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
See also
- Gods material shopGods Material ShopA prayer material shop is a shop specializing in supplying materials used in the practice of Shenism, Taoism and Chinese Buddhism.These shops are abundant in Chinese areas, from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, to Malaysia , and several Chinatowns.-Items for...
- Chinese folk religionChinese folk religionChinese folk religion or Shenism , which is a term of considerable debate, are labels used to describe the collection of ethnic religious traditions which have been a main belief system in China and among Han Chinese ethnic groups for most of the civilization's history until today...
- ShangdiShangdiShangdi , also known as Di in Oracle Bone Inscription and Thirteen Classics, refers to the supreme god or a divine power regarded as the spiritual ultimate by the Chinese people from the Shang Dynasty. He controlled victory in battle, harvest, the fate of the kingdom, and the weather...
- Japanese Buddhism
- ShintoShintoor Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...