Jason Chan

灶神, the Kitchen God, is one of the most widely revered deities in Chinese folk beliefs. In ancient times, every household, from emperors to commoners, worshipped him. The worship of the Kitchen God originated from early humans’ 火崇拜 (fire worship) and 太阳崇拜 (sun worship). As ancient texts say, “炎帝作火，死而为灶” — “Emperor Yan created fire and became the Kitchen God after his death.” Other early Kitchen Gods included 黄帝 (the Yellow Emperor) and 祝融. Over time, the Kitchen God evolved into a 小神 (minor...

Buddhist prayer beads can carry meaning beyond the time spent reciting. Worn or carried through the day, they can remind a person to act with compassion and respect living beings. A Chinese wordplay expresses this connection. 佛珠 (fózhū), meaning “Buddhist beads,” sounds somewhat like 弗诛 (fú zhū), meaning “do not kill.” This is a moral association, rather than the historical origin of the word. Its message is accessible: just as we value our own lives, other living beings value theirs. A...

A familiar Buddhist mala contains 108 counting buddhist prayer beads. One traditional explanation connects this number with 108 mental afflictions: patterns such as craving, resentment, and confusion that contribute to suffering. These experiences are familiar across beliefs. We may replay an insult, cling to something we cannot keep, or want more even when we already have enough. A Christian might loosely relate this to examining desires and temptations, although Buddhist afflictions are not...