Every family has a god who lives, but I don't know where the gods live.
The god of the house door and the god of Vesta, all rely on the three statues to protect the family.
Speaking of Taoist gods, it can be said that the Void Law Realm is everywhere. And the gods related to human life are also very numerous. The most common, the three gods who "do not know what the people use every day", live in every household from the moment we build houses and houses, to protect the cleanliness of the population, the brightness of the houses, and the well-being of the family. The three gods are "house gods, door gods, and vesta gods." So what we are talking about today is the god of vesta of this "head of the family", the King of the Stove of the Eastern Chef. The third day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar is the Christmas period of the King of the Stove.
there is an old saying in Chinese that the people take food as heaven. This sentence is from the "Book of Han and the Biography of Li Shiqi". It says, "The king regards the people as heaven, and the people regard food as heaven." The meaning of this sentence is that the monarch regards the people as the most important thing. For the people, eating is the most important thing. Indeed, in the society of ancient agricultural civilization, eating a full meal, eating a good meal, and being able to eat a full meal and eat a good meal is indeed a very important thing. So "eating" became a very important "basic and necessary task" in ancient society. From the very beginning of "open-air eating" and "raw eating", to gradually "building a house to eat" and "cooked to eat", so that later "filling the stomach to eat", "curing the disease and eating health", "monastic food and eating", etc., "eating" with its unique attraction and considerable importance has run through all the history of China from ancient times to the present.
But no matter how you eat, you must pay attention to three problems: first, you have to eat; second, don't worry about eating; third, you can stay healthy after eating, which has become an important topic of common concern. The earth is concerned about this matter, and the heavens are also concerned about this matter. There is a "heavenly kitchen" and "cloud kitchen" in the sky, that is, the kitchen of the heavenly court. The heavenly kitchen is in the hands of the gods, and in order to solve the three problems, the human kitchen also needs a god to be in charge of this matter. As a result, "Vesta descended", and the ancients also "unconsciously" knew Vesta. Later, we saw such a passage in the Ritual Instrument Chapter kong Yingda Shuo in the Book of Rites: "There is a son of the Zhao Clan, Li, who is blessed with blessings and worships as the god of Vesta." So vesta officially manifested itself in the human world at this stage.
In addition, there are also records of "the Yellow Emperor made a stove and died as a stove god". In short, the stove prince came to the human world in this way, living in every household, dealing with various problems such as "some eat, no worries about eating, not getting sick and healthy after eating".
When it comes to the Stove King, many people know that the twenty-third day of the WaxInge Moon is the ascension day of the Stove King. Folk say that the twenty-third day of the waxing moon is a small year, and the king of the stove will report the good and evil of the family to the Jade Emperor in the heavenly court on the small year, in order to reward and punish the merits. Therefore, the folk put "chicken, duck, fish, meat and shrimp, egg and fruit sugar wine tea" in front of the statues of the stove king in each household to worship the stove king. And smeared "sugar, honey, melon" and so on on the mouth of the stove king, hoping that the stove king could "say good things to the heavens and ensure peace in the netherworld." Monks play good fruits and return to the palace to descend auspiciously. With this expectation, the people prayed for the protection of the king of Vesta, the blessing of the gods, and the blessing of a family of good fortune and happiness. After the offerings were made and the sugar was smeared, the people invited the portrait of the King of the Stove down and burned it and sent it to heaven. Then, when Chinese New Year's Eve, a new statue of the king of the stove is pasted to indicate that the king of the stove will be invited home again and bless the well-being of the family for the new year.
There are basically three types of statues of the Stove King: one is the "Year Portrait" of the Stove King sitting in the courtyard with the children enjoying themselves; the second is the "gentle image" of the Stove King sitting there alone, holding a magic instrument, and showing a kind and sweet smile; the third is the "husband and wife portrait" of the Stove King sitting together with the Stove King's grandmother, each holding a Magic Instrument. So is the "Stove King" a man or a woman? We can find the true face of the King of the Stove in the Daozang.
In the Orthodox Daozang Dong Zhenbu Andhan Class, there is a sutra called "Taishang Dong Zhen'an Zao Jing", which records the deeds of the Zao Wangye. This sutra is not long, and it tells that the Yuan Shi Tianzun was on the gold and silver altar of Kunlun Mountain, and the people really came to worship, and there was a cooking mother goddess mother who said Dan Majesty. Note that the image of vesta in this is the mother of vesta, which is the goddess statue. Three points can be seen from this passage: first, vesta is a goddess figure; second, vesta loves cleanliness. The third house is the body, and the love of the body is the way of love. The body and the house and the Tao are all things to be paid attention to.
Let's look at the next classic. In the "Orthodox Daozang Dongxuanbu , This Article Class" there is a "Taishang Lingbao Supplement xie stove king sutra", in this sutra we can find that the god of vesta is also a goddess, as an "old mother". However, there are many vesta gods in its subordinate departments, and the stove mother and the stove are among them. Most of the vesta statues we worship now are male gods, probably because the vesta god is the "head of the family", and the head of the family appearing in the image of an old grandfather will be more in line with the "people's feelings". Therefore, the image of the grandfather appears the most.
"Society is developing, human beings are progressing". Under the rapid development of material society and high technology, people's pursuit of "high-quality" life is getting higher and higher. However, "high" is also limited to material pleasures and money. There is no shortage of "no fire in the home" in the city, and there is no cooking smoke in the city. Not cooking at home, going to a restaurant to eat, that is, saving time and effort, delicious and beautiful. People seem to have forgotten the beauty of their own kitchen and the aroma of cooking, and forgotten the special importance of kitchen stoves for people at home. In ancient times, cooking rice on the stove was an allusion to the prosperity and happiness of the family. Only when the population is large and very happy will it be cooking smoke, and the family will be happy. The kitchen has forgotten, not to mention the stove.
Every family has the god of Vesta, offering and not offering, all there, blessing the well-being of the family and blessing the happiness of the family. You can live without Taoist beliefs, but don't forget that there is a home behind you.
Recite the "Stove King's Curse" and keep the family safe.
Zhixin Conversion Ceremony: Destiny to inherit the Big Dipper, the east kitchen of the town. For the five gods, get the way of the nine spirits. Be the eyes and ears of heaven, and the calamities of the upper and lower levels. Record merits and weigh good and evil. Because of the water and fire, all the people depend on Tao Zhen. Misfortune always comes down to good and evil, and the six wastes are converted to thanksgiving. At four o'clock Diji, the eight festivals are auspicious. If you knock on it, you should understand it, and if you feel it, you will understand it. Great Compassion and Great Wish, Great Sage Great Mercy, Ben Jia Si Ming, Tai Yi Song Shan, King Of the Stove King, Emperor Yuan Dingguo Protector Tianzun.
And again:
The Ceremony of Conversion of the Heart: The Head of the Family, the Dignity of the Five Gods. The mouthpiece of the Division is in the Big Dipper, and the good and evil are in the East Kitchen. Bless and forgive sins, and transfer evil to ji. Anzhen yin and yang, bless the family. No calamity will be extinguished, and no blessing will be increased. Whatever you want, you don't feel it. Great compassion and great wishes, great holy and great mercy. The Nine Heavenly Eastern Chefs ordered the King of the Zhao Dynasty, and the Yuan Emperor Dingguo Protector Tianzun.
May this be a blessing to the good. Love the family and love the stove, and enjoy the blessings forever. Aspirations: Dingguo Protector House Heavenly Dignity, incredible merit.