Pictures of Departed Parents

[myfs_133994]

Dear Master Lee,
Kindly enlighten me and my wife as to where to position the pictures of our dead parents? Should they be facing the North, East, West or South? We would also like to light joss sticks for them. How many sticks per person should be lighted?

[Cecil Lee]

1. Given that a home layout is "fixed". More importantly; these are some of the conditions for placing dead parent's pictures:-

1.1 Avoid hanging the portaits sharing the same wall as a toilet, same wall as the stove.

1.2 Avoid placing the portaits facing a toilet.
1.3 If possible avoid placing the portaits facing the main entrance door or facing the toilet door or facing the walk-way entrance into bedrooms.
1.4 Usually the best place is the portait is hung on a "solid" wall" without any protuding or indented beam above the portait. Where best the wall where the portait are hung should be a total even surfacewall.
1.5 Ideally, the portait "sits" on a wall facing a window is the best choice.
1.6 Avoid placing the portaits looking into a bedroom or place it in a bedroom. The last resort is an open concept study where it may be placed "overlooking a window".
1.7 There are lots more don'ts... these are some of the major considerations.

2. If the portaits was not "blessed" or " any pen" used to "dot the portaits" eyes, there is really no need to offer prayers. But even if one wants to pray, then if possible, hang the portait from ground level to the bottom frame, recommended height is 145 or 146 cm. This is the same height as a standard altar table.

3, If need to pray, then best to purchase a standard altar table. As mentioned under Para 2, usually a standard altar table height range between 145 to 148 cm.

4. If one has other "Gods" or deities, the portait should sit on the altar as mentioned under Para 3 (and Para 2). While the gods are elevated higher.

5. If you were to offer prayers, then often best to have two lighted "candle (electric) lights" on each side of the portaits. And If you buy an urn to place the joss-sticks make sure that you add a few coins wrapped in red paper in the base of the urn. One urn should be enough. Common to offer 2 joss sticks (each deceased person). Some people may offer 3 joss sticks x 2 persons. Also ok.

6. If personal auspicious dates are not looked at, then ideally the altar should be set up on either the 1st lunar and/or the 15 lunar month. (other than on the 7th lunar month).

7. Traditionally, it is good for the Chinese to have tombs facing South. But in a home, as mentioned, especially for a smaill home, there is really not much "real-estate" wall to place a portait.

Anonymous wrote:
Dear Master Lee, Kindly enlighten me and my wife as to where to position the pictures of our dead parents? Should they be facing the North, East, West or South? We would also like to light joss sticks for them. How many sticks per person should be lighted?

[Cecil Lee]

1. In the link below, you can see a person kneeling down. The person is usually the eldest son. On the back of the eldest son's back is his deceased father's portait.

You can clearly see a "learned" person using a Chinese brush coated in black ink. This person is placing "eyes" onto the deceased person's portait. Literally, this is placing an eye on a deceased person's portait.

It is symbolic of opening the eyes (not on a physical body) but transferred onto the portait.

It is common also for some to purchase Chinease deity figurines and have temples annoint the eyes in a similiar manner.

Please see picture below:-

http://cgi.geomancy.net/mypictures/cgi-bin/mypictures.cgi?action=view&link=Celebrations_And_Festivals/Funeral_in_the_1960s&image=painteyes1.jpg&img=&tt=

P.S. For info, the portait is my grand-father's portait. And the actual person kneeling down with the portait on his back is my father. Who is the eldest son in the family i.e. early 1960's....

[Cecil Lee]

 

[Cecil Lee]

 

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