Tibetan Low Doors & Ro-Langs

In the past, door of houses in Lhasa, Xigaze, Nyingchi area are very low. Except for small kids, an adult must bow down before one can enter the house. This type of old low doors is quite rare in our modern time; though you can probably find them in Barkhor Street in Lhasa.

  

The origin of low door

 

The low door was not a design fault; it has the purpose of preventing a walking dead or Ro-Lang from entering. A Ro-Lang is a corpse of evil doer or a person died from cold and hunger; and it has unfinished business to attend to. The precondition is that the body must be in good condition. In fact, the Tibetan burial custom provided a very ideal condition for the making of a walking dead.

 

In Tibet, when a person dies, the body is not sent to sky burial site immediately. Instead, it will be kept in the house for 3~7 days for monks to perform deliverance ceremony. It is within this period that a corpse may walk by itself.

 

Signs of walking dead

 

According to many elders and sky burial masters, they have seen many walking deads in their life time. The making of a walking dead is not abrupt: the face of a corpse will expand, the skin turns into dark blue, hairs stand upright, body blisters and only after that, the corpse will slowly opens its eyes and sit up. After that it will raise its hands and walk straight to its target.

 

The characteristics of a walking dead: it doesn’t talk, cannot bend its body, will not turn; not even its eyes. It can only stare straight and walk straight. When this walking dead has caught hold of a living person, it will rub this person’s head and this person will die immediately and also become a walking dead also. However, this type of action has no effect on to an animal.

 

Types of walking dead

 

There are five types of walking dead:

 

·         The skin arising

·         The flesh arising

·         The blood arising

o   The first 3 types can be overcome by poking or puncturing their skin and flesh to release the blood and the corpse will collapse instantly.

·         The bone arising

o   The only way to bring down this type of walking dead is to fracture its bone.

·         The mole arising

o   This type of walking dead is caused by a mole on the body of a corpse. By only destroying its mole that the walking dead can be destroyed.

 

Regardless if the walking dead is a fact or a fiction, this has inadvertently become a psychological pressure to the Tibetans. We know this as a matter of fact from the design of a low door to block the entrance of the walking dead.

 

Of course, in ancient days, this type of walking dead prevention method can only apply in the Southern and Eastern Tibet; the vast majority of Northern Tibet, especially the shepherds living in the Hoh Xil frontier, will not be able to utilise such a method for preventing the walking dead. Their antidote to walking dead is the corpse that shows the symptoms of a walking dead, the corpse is tied onto a pole or a big rock.　　

 

Walking Corpse Of Tana Toraja

 

A corpse is "called up" by a shaman before walikng to burial site

 

 

 

This is a story told by a native Toraja friend:

 

“As native to Toraja, I am always asked by my friends about the uniqueness of the culture of Tana Toraja; especially regarding the phenomena of “walking corpse”. I was born and raised in Tana Toraja until I am exposed to the customs and culture in Tana Toraja although I dare not say that I have mastered all of the knowledge of the origin and natty gritty bits of Toraja customs.

 

The story about walking corpse existed since old times. Perhaps hundreds of years ago there was a civil war between the West Toraja and the East Toraja. In the war; the people from West Toraja was defeated. Legend has it that while the casualties of East Toraja were few, they carried their dead; but all of the West Toraja casualties walked back to their village.  Because of this incident, the war was regarded as a draw. Hence the offspring of Tana Toraja always bury the dead by making the corpse walk by itself into the burial pit.

 

I have witnessed the “walking corpse” myself around 1992 while I was still in standard three. At that time, the mother of Pongbarrak died. As with custom of Toraja, the corpse would not be buried immediately but must follow a set of burial customs (rambu solo’). At that time, the body of the deceased was bathed and it was put in to a special bedroom before the corpse can be put into a coffin.

 

It was on the third night that the entire family assembled to discuss about the details of the burial process to be carried out. I was sitting at the centre of the house then. It was around 10 o’clock at night, all of a sudden I heard a commotion in the house where a few women ranted hysterically. Due to curiosity, I turned my head to the direction of the commotion and only to find that the corpse was walking out of the room! My friend and I shouted hysterically in fear and without having a second thought, we rushed out of the house back to our fathers. It was later that I have learnt that it was Pongbarrak who has tested a spell that caused his late mother to walk.

 

We seldom heard of Toraja people practise this type of ritual now a day although there are some people who have mastered the walking corpse knowledge. But they still practise the magic on slaughtered animals such as chicken or buffalo. It was said that even with a broken neck; the animal can still stand and run rampantly!”

 

Well, you don’t have to believe in what I have told you just now. Visit Tana Toraja in Sulawesi and find out yourself! Get the first hand account from the natives yourself!

 

Aji Dewa Manik

If Aji Dewa Manik is recited during a gathering, you will be liked by the people. And if it is recited on to a single target, then you will be loved by that person.

 

To use this ilmu, do the following:

 

a. Fasting mutih for 7 days and nights starts from Monday.

b. Fasting sunnah Monday and Thursday for 7 days each.

c. Pati geni for 3 nights and follow with ngebleng 2 days and nights.

 

During ngebleng chant the below mantra in your heart:

 

“Salallohu ‘alaihi wassalam,

Sesakat putih dewa manik,

Sabdo Alloh jatiku,

Rasululloh sun aku awake Gusti ali,

Ajiku si dewa manik,

Sukma waktra dhadhaku tengen,

Sira welas asih,

Sira ndeleng sira kedhep,

Sira ndulu badan saliraku,

Osikipun panembahan Kyai Gertabahu,

Sing sinten pratapan guwa Deresan,

Anngenipun maringi nuju dinten jum;ah,

Tumuju marang si ……….. (targets name)

Welas asih marang awakku.”

 

When in a gathering replace “si……..” with Subhana kabeh.

 

Pulunggana-Pulungsari Love Spell

Competition in the romance is really tough now a day, this is especially true for those who lacks in material (not so rich) and physically (not so beautiful/handsome).

While we cannot help with what is given to us in material and physical, magic can help in its own way. Below is a simple spell that would make you to be fascinated by people who sees you.

1. You must have good intention. Then fast on Tuesday kliwon, Wednesday legi and Thursday pahing.

2. During midnight of fasting period, burn benzoin or incense while chanting the mantra below for 99x.

“Bismillahirohmanirohim

Niat ingsung matek ajiku pulunggana-pulungsari

Sun lebokaken pethiku wesi, gumebyar-gebyar marang dhadaku

Wong sabuwana teko welas teko asih marang badanku

asih welas, welas asih, kersane Alloh

laa illaaha illaloh Muhamad Rosululloh”

If you have done it correctly, it is enough just to chant it once and automatically the spell will work by itself.

 

Temples Of Dog (十八王公廟)

 

 

Taiwanese “temple of dog” also called “18 Wang Kung Temple”. There are three similar eighteen Wang Kung Temple in Taiwan.

 

·         The 18 Wang Kung Temple in Kaohsiung

·         The Chiayi loyalty 19 Kung Temple

·         The famous 18 Wang Kung Temple of Taipei Shimen province

 

In Kaohsiung "Eighteen Wang Kung Temple" has a long history; it is built since the period of Qing Emperor Kangxi, about three hundred years ago. Story has it that during the year of Qing emperor Kangxi 23 years (1684), a strong typhoon caused a shipwreck, the crews were all drowned. This unfortunate incident was later discovered by other fishermen, and 18 bodies were subsequently found on the coast. The bodies were buried, and a small ancestral hall was built to worship the deceased.

 

The "loyalty nineteen Kung Temple” of Chiayi City, also known as" Loyal Dog Temple” is one of the few Taiwanese temples where a dog is worshipped.

 

 

The story has it that during the Qianlong year, notorious bandit Lin Shuang-wen attacked a military camp Tsai Lin Zhuang, outside Chiayi. There were only 18 guarding soldiers so they were no match for Lin Shuang-wen’s army. Consequently all the soldiers were killed in the battle. A dog kept by one of the soldier ran to Chiayi and barking fiercely. The soldiers guarding Chiayi city recognized it was the dog of Tsai Lin soldiers. Reinforcement soldiers were immediately dispatched to the rescue. But it was too late; all of the 18 soldiers were all killed. At the same time, the dog also died of exhaustion. It was after the Qing court has managed to put things back to order that the eighteen martyred soldiers and the dog were buried in a mass grave; they are all honorably called the "nineteen generals", a temple was hence built to worship them. They are collectively referred to as the "Temple of the 19 loyal generals".

 

The origin of “18 Wang Kung Temple” in Shihmen Township, Taipei also related to a shipwreck where crews of 17 were drowned, only a dog survived. After the villagers buried all of the 17 bodies, this dog refused to eat or drink all day for several days seemingly mourned for the dead, finally the dog also succumbed on the grave. Consequently the villagers decided to bury the dog and 17 corpses together. A temple called "Eighteen Wang Kung Temple" was also built to commemorate the loyalty of the dog.

 

A very unique aspect of "Eighteen Wang Kung Temples” is that the activities in the temples become livelier later into the night. I bet that you will not find a dog being worshipped as the main deity of a temple anywhere in this world!

十八王公廟

 

臺灣有三間類似的“十八王公廟”。其一是高雄的“十八王公廟”， 其二是嘉義的“忠義十九公廟”， 以及聞名全省的臺北石門“十八王公廟”。

 

位于高雄的“十八王公廟“歷史悠久，建于清康熙年間， 約有三百年的歷史。話說清康二十三年（1684年）， 有一艘漁船被臺風吹翻后沉船，船員悉數罹難。這件不幸的海難被其他的漁民發現，并在海岸上尋獲十八具尸體。漁民后來把他們合葬，并蓋了一間小祠堂加以祭祀。

 

嘉義市的“忠義十九公廟“，又稱”義狗公廟“，是臺灣少數以狗為主神廟宇之一。

 

乾隆五十一年，流匪林爽文攻打嘉義外的軍事要地拔仔林莊。拔仔林僅有十八命守軍，當然不是林爽文大軍的敵手，結果全部戰死沙場。軍中有一只狗急奔至嘉義狂吠。城內守軍認出那是拔仔林守軍所養的狗，馬上派遣兵士前往救援。但為時已晚，十八名守軍以全部戰死。而那狗也應而累死了。后來清廷平定了林爽文之亂，特別將十八名殉國的兵士和那只狗合葬在一起，封為“十九將軍“，另建廟祭祀，合稱”忠義十九公廟“。

 

臺北石門鄉“十八王公廟”的由來也是因為船難淹死了十七名船員，只有一只狗幸免于難。當鄉民把十七具尸體埋葬后，這狗竟終日不食不飲數日，最后餓死在墳前。結果鄉民將這狗和十七人的尸體葬在一起，并建了一座廟；而這廟就叫做“十八王公廟”。

 

“十八王公廟”的特點是越晚越熱鬧，而狗大于人！

Some Javanese Supernatural Believes

I was visiting my Javanese friend in Jogjakarta and she has many gadgets in her house. So I decided to scribble down some of her advices while she was lecturing out directly from her memory:

 

·         When your dog is howling in the middle of the night, there is a spirit in the vicinity.

·         When your dog is whining with its head bowed and its furs stood up right at night means there is a ghost; possibly previous owner of the house in the house.

·         When there is a butterfly or moth flying into your house at night, means the deceased are visiting.  

·         When you approach a road junction at midnight, you ought to produce a sound of clearing your throat “Ehem!” three times. This is to give notice to the spirits in the vicinity so as not to bump into them.

·         You must have a house warming party or a thanks giving party before moving to a new house to thank the spirits or watcher of the house.

·         Avoid building your garage too far away from your main house as that only invites wandering spirits.

·         You should put a broom and a pair of scissors under the pregnant woman and toddler’s bed to ward off bad spirits such as a Kuntianak.

·         A pregnant lady should carry along a small folded knife so that the mother and the baby will not be disturbed by spirits.

·         Avoid keeping any form of cemetery soil in your house because this only invites the dweller of the cemetery to stay with you.

·         Keep red onion, red chilli and turmeric on your main door to protect you and your family from spirits and black magic.

·         Put some red onion, red chilli and green peas under your safe or drawer where you keep your money to prevent a Toyol from stealing from you.

·         Put a pair of grandfather’s pants under toddler’s pillow to prevent the toddler from disturbed by bad spirits.

·         Use black dog’s blood to cure spirit possessions.

·         It is forbidden to pull eyebrows on a Friday Kliwon because this will attract spirits.

 

 

I might have missed out a pointer or two, but no worries; once you are in Java, the kind hearted folks will remind you about all of the above again. You know you have broken some type of taboo when people around you stare at you J.

 

1001 Uses Of A Woodpecker

 

 

Not many people realise the benefits of a woodpecker except for a handful bird lovers and some old folks. The Malay calls a woodpecker by many names: “Burung Pelatuk Bawang”, “jelatuk” and “belatuk”. Accordingly there are many species of woodpecker in SEA reagion, only this “Pelatuk Bawang” is of the interest of an occultist.

 

According to Sahibul Hikayat, woodpecker is one of God’s blessed animals. It always sharpens its beaks with “yellow iron” or “besi kuning”. “Besi kuning” is a type of rare metal only found in old bee hive on a mountain top.

 

The Javanese community believe that a woodpecker has a strong standpoint, diligent but quite impatient. Once upon a time, many Malays keep woodpeckers in their home due to this belief.

 

According to some old Malays, the upper beak of a woodpecker when pulverized can be used to sharpen weapons. It is believed by doing so the weapons will become very potent against the strongest enemy; it is said that by a single cut in the hand alone suffice to kill a person.

 

The tongue of a woodpecker when consume together with “pisang emas” (banana), will make a person good in articulation and on top of that, this person will become more diligent and better.

 

A woodpecker’s eyes can be made into talismans. The method is that the eyes are wrapped with a piece of white cloth and put on the main door. In this way, intruders are afraid to enter this house as they will feel frightened immediately. If there are brave ones enter this house forcefully, then he will feel confused and will be easily catch by the house tenants.

 

The head feathers of a woodpecker are commonly used as talismans to ward off sickness. These feathers are wrapped with white cloth and inserted in the waist level. The wearer of this talisman is believed to be free from all types of illness even at the time of death.

 

A woodpecker’s brain when dried can be made into eye medications. The method is to soak the dehydrated brain into water together with Jasmine flower. After that the water is used to wipe onto the affected eyes.

 

If the heart of a woodpecker is eaten, then a sick person can be cured and all his wishes can be fulfilled. It is also believed that one can open the door to the spiritual realm if he consumes the heart of a woodpecker.

 

A woodpecker’s chest meat when consumed will cure any disease and this person will always be rational throughout his life.

 

If a man consumes the testicles of a woodpecker, then he will be loved by women and the teachers; he will become very cleaver. This man will also become so brave as to defeat all his opponents.

 

 It the tail of a woodpecker is eaten by a woman, then she will be loved by her husband and she also has the power to defeat any evil forces. All her wishes will be granted, praised and loved spiritually and physically.

 

The neck and tail feathers of a woodpecker when burnt and consume together with food can be made into sex drugs.

 

The furs of a woodpecker can be knitted into bracelet or waist belt. Whoever wears them will have a good memory, sharp mind and good conduct.

 

The viscera of the woodpecker if dried can be made into talismans for war against enemies. The enemies will become timid and disperse.

 

The right wing feathers of a woodpecker can be used as a ‘neutralizer’ for a haunted place. One has only to bury one of the feathers in north-eastern corner of the haunted area and it is believed that all of the ghosts and goblins will vanish by themselves.

 

It is believed that the blood of a woodpecker can be made into medications for eyes and ears. The blood needs to be mixed with fennel (a type of herbs) and palm wine (a type of liquor), then these mixtures are then soak in water. After that the water is wiped or drops on the eyes or ears. The woodpecker’s blood can also be made into offering dish to ward off bad lucks or black magic.

 

Before anyone can make use of a woodpecker, the Malay believes that one must first fast for three days and perform prayers to God. As to how effective are the above tips, I only record down this knowledge as the treasure heritage of our forefathers. Follow if you believe them, otherwise; just treat them as your bed time story.