#WW: Gratitude or annoyance?What’s the deal with joss paper this month?

2 mins read
Published on Aug 17, 2022

Wholesome Wednesdays (WW): Bringing you curated positive content on Wednesdays to uplift your hump day.

Joss paper smell? Check. Welcome to Ghost month. Check out two stories for this month of remembrance, gratitude, and compassion!

1. Don’t be afraid of ghosts, they are really nice. A monk shares his ghosts stories

2. If burning joss paper is not inherently a ‘Buddhist’ practice, what do Buddhist ‘burn’?

Don’t be afraid of ghosts, they are really nice. A monk shares his ghosts stories

What’s going on here & why we like it

Ajahn Brahm, a famous Buddhist monk, shares ghost stories that are humane and interesting. We always crack up at his stories that come with a twist!

Last night, I woke up and saw her ghost. ‘George get the will!’

Wise Steps

Often we tend to fear the uncertain and unknown. These ghost stories help breed familiarity with the supernatural and understanding that there is nothing to fear!

Watch the video below!

If burning joss paper is not inherently a ‘Buddhist’ practice, what do Buddhist ‘burn’?

What’s going on here & why we like it

Venerable You Wei, Abbot of Di Zang Lin, shares with Mothership on burning joss paper during Ghost month. We like it because it brings out the essence of offerings and also answers the age-old worry of stepping accidentally on offerings during ghost month.

“People like to think that when they offer more things, they get more merits or they get more returns. But now we know, the more we burn, the more bad things we get. We get fumes and destroy more parts of the earth”

Wise Steps

Take a chance this month to seek the essence of ghost month by offering more time to those in need and understanding the differences between Chinese cultural practices and Buddhist practices. Finding virtues in these practices as we grow! Want more resources on understanding joss burning? Check out this link!

Enjoy the video below!


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