Chapter 25 - Channeling By Planchette Writing

Divination using planchette writing is seen quite often in Taiwan. Many of the local temples, known as En Chu Temples, and the Holy Emperor Temples (which worship Kuan Fu Tsu, a deified historical hero) often offer demonstrations of planchette writing. The demonstrations are performed by mediums called chi shengs who either work alone or in pairs. A tray of white sand is placed in front of the chi sheng who holds in his hand a V-shaped writing tool made out of peachwood. A group of assistants known as the luan shengs then chant scriptures to invoke deities to descend to the peachwood implement. While being supported by the chi sheng, the peachwood writing tool will write on its own in the sand. The deity usually announces its identity first before inscribing what will turn out to be a poem or essay. It is a rather bizarre scene. Generally the chi shengs and luan shengs carry out their rituals with great care and are very respectful to the deities who descend to the planchette. I have read some of the poems obtained by planchette writing, and there are quite a few good ones. Some of them advocate good deeds, proper etiquette, and moral behavior. There was one particular one I remember that advised people to be punctual, especially when attending lectures on sutras. Although some of the planchette writing is quite good, it sometimes seems to have been written in a hurry. The strangest thing is that, even when the chi shengs themselves do not know any English, Japanese, or Hebrew, there have been occasions when the deity has announced himself in one of these languages. For example, deities have announced themselves to be Jesus Christ or a Japanese god. In the case of the Japanese god, the planchette produced a poem written in Japanese.

This points to some mystical connections, as the chi shengs are generally not very educated, and it is puzzling that they would suddenly be able to write poems, especially in foreign languages! More than ten years ago, I witnessed a demonstration of planchette writing in the Tsu Shih Temple in Kaohsiung.

The chi sheng's hands first started trembling and then, in a fast, almost choreographed fashion, he wrote an essay in the sand. The speed of the composition was amazing, and the writing of calligraphy on a tray of sand was no simple feat either!

At that time I did not believe in planchette writing, but I was intrigued by the apparent sincerity of the chi shengs.

Today, I have realized that planchette writing is also a kind of Spiritual Divination. Planchette writing is actually a tool that the invisible spirits use to give teachings. The peach branch replaced a pen, and writing is used instead of the speaking voice. The writings serve to bridge communication between men and spirits, and the content usually advocates goodness and discourages evil doings. In Taichung, I have seen planchette writings at the Sheng Hsian Temple, Sheng Ming Palace, and Sheng Hsiu Palace. In Ts'ao T'un, I have witnessed planchette writings at the Hui Te Temple. In those temples, the chi shengs and luan shengs all wear long robes. Two other temples which are famous for planchette writings are Yuan Lin's Ch'uan Hua Temple and Penghu's Hsin Shan Temple.

The divination art of planchette writing has a long history in mainland China, although its degree of accuracy has been disputed. Most chi shengs and luan shengs have lumped together teachings from Confucius, Lao Tzu, and the Buddha.

The luan shengs have to observe very strict rules and an infraction is sometimes punished by up to an hour of kneeling.

Many of the popular Taoist classics in these temples are not passed down from past Taoist masters, but are edited from the many scriptures obtained by planchette writing.

One might have reservations about planchette writing but the following incident, which happened to me personally, is more than a mere coincidence. One time I was in Taipei and was taking a walk in the Chingmei area. I came upon a temple with a horizontal board bearing the following inscription: Three Religions Headquarters. Rather aimlessly I walked inside. At that time I had the regular habit of going into just any temple and paying homage at the shrine. Inside this temple the luan shengs were very busy. Some were serving tea, some were chanting scriptures, and others were reading out the inscriptions while the chi sheng was doing the planchette writing.

Although there were many followers in the temple (probably to seek guidance), the whole bustling scene was very quiet.

At this moment the peach branch suddenly stopped in mid air, then brandished a couple of times. All of the luan shengs became alarmed, and several of them knelt down to ask for guidance. The peach branch then alighted on the sand tray, and after making a hop it touched down again to start writing.

"We have here among us a visitor from Taichung's Tz'u Hui Lei Tsang Temple, Lian Shen, who is a disciple of Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States. Lian Shen's crown chakra is already open. Since he is visiting us, he should be treated with good manners."

After reading the message, the luan shengs started asking who was this Lian Shen from the Taichung Tz'u Hui Lei Tsang Temple. Everyone looked at everyone else.

When I heard my name, I was quite taken aback. After letting the inquirer know that I was the person for whom they were looking, the abbot of the Three Religions Headquarters courteously invited me to sit down and offered me tea. There were many devotees present, and I felt very embarrassed to be singled out to receive this special treatment.

"Are you the Lian Shen from the Taichung Tz'u Hui Lei Tsang Temple who is a disciple of Mr. Three-Peaks-NineStates?" the abbot asked me.

"Yes," I replied.

"Then Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States is the principal god at the temple of which you are in charge?"

"That is not so. The chief deities at my shrine are the Golden Mother of the Primordial Pond, Buddha Shakyamuni, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva the Nether World Guardian."

"Oh! Then what kind of deity is Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States? How come I have never heard of his name in all these years of worshipping?" the abbot asked again.

"I myself don't know much about this," I told him honestly. "All I know is that he is a holy being from the Formless Realm." Then I continued, "Since the deity who has just now descended to the planchette knows about my teacher, he must know about his background. Why don't we ask him?"

The deity who had descended to the planchette was Hsu Chen Chun, a deity in Lu Shan Taoist Temple. He was rumored to be the teacher of Chen Ching Ku, a female Taoist adept.

After I finished praying with an incense stick in my hand, Hsu Chen Chun wrote the following words on the sand,

"Having arrived a long time ago in the land of the Golden Lotus, a ninth level in the Buddhaic plane, Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States' spirit traverses from Heaven to Earth and throughout the Land. He is a free high spirit who has transcended birth and death. Although he has never been deified by the Jade Emperor, his virtues match Heaven and Earth. Being formless and shadowless, he hides himself in the dust specks of the Universe and penetrates through mountains and lakes. His magic power is limitless, and I, Hsu Chen Chun, do not know of his true background. Even the Five Revered Elders of Taoism, the Tung Hua Emperor, Golden Mother of the Jade Pond, Huang Lao, Shui Ching Tzu, and Huo Ching Tzu give some precedence to him out of courtesy. The goal of cultivation is to attain the true Tao. Yet the path and result of spiritual cultivation rest completely in the heart. It is from the mud that the lotus grows and blooms; therefore, only by persisting on the path can man realize his fullest potential."

The abbot of the Three Religions Headquarters Temple exclaimed, "Wow! Your teacher is such a high being! You must also be quite extraordinary, as you are his student."

"Oh no, I indeed know nothing. I only know how to practice devotion and do sitting meditation."

I stayed a little while at the temple to watch the chi sheng writing with the planchette. The luan shengs were looking at me with curious eyes. Normally no one other than the staff was allowed to stand next to the planchette while work was going on, but Hsu Chen Chun of Lu Shan asked me to go up to the planchette and gave me the following guidance,

"Before the yin vapor is eradicated, there will still be many obstacles. As you practice and make daily progress, merits will accumulate. Universal salvation to the three realms is on Heaven's scheme of things. Do not slow down in your path to seek understanding and realization." He also wrote, "Guard against demons when your merits and power increase. The spiritual light manifests itself when the heart is strong and immovable. The heart has always been the test that differentiates good from evil-born from the lotus, and to be born as the lotus, life after life."

When I left the Three Religions Headquarters, one of the luan shengs ran out after me.

"Please wait for me, Mister". He was gasping for breath.

"Sometime ago I was ordered to take a retreat for forty nine days. According to our spiritual master, after the retreat I was to begin training as a chi sheng. I read scriptures during the day and meditated in the evening. Nothing happened to me during the first six days. Then, on the seventh day, as soon as I sat down to meditate, my eyes became tightly shut, and in a trance I saw a golden armored god standing in the doorway. I looked around and discovered that to my front, back, left, and right, there was another me standing in each of all those positions. I was in the middle and being surrounded by four of myself. A voice in the air asked me which one was me. I replied that I did not know. The next day our spiritual master gave instructions that I was not qualified to become a chi sheng. I was let out of the retreat. Now I can only work as a luan sheng. Can you tell me what was my mistake?"

I quoted a passage from the classic Record of the Heart Lamp to him, " 'The initial key is to have consciousness of yourself when you leave yourself. The next is to know that your body is being used as a channel. The third key is, while under, one is guarding oneself and still has the faculty of thought and vision, and when one desires to exit from the channeling, one can do so without losing any of the memory.' Do you understand what I am talking about?"

He nodded, "So that's how it is!"

As far as I know, any person who has a yearning for spiritual cultivation can join the group of luan shengs. From the luan shengs the chi shengs are then selected to undergo special training. There is usually some good karmic connections from a chi sheng's previous incarnations which result in his being of higher intelligence and having a strong determination to seek the Tao. The most important key is, however, that the soul of the chi sheng must be radiant and vivacious. Souls in the spiritual realm need to borrow physical bodies in the world of forms to manifest themselves. This is the principle behind channeling. That is why I consider channelling a kind of Spiritual Divination and why I believe that it does exist. Whether the messages being channelled are always authentic is another matter. However, some definitely are authentic. There is, indeed, a true phenomenon of spirits attaching themselves to peach branches for the purpose of transmitting messages. Buddhism does not advocate belief in chi tongs, hexagram divinations, or planchette writings, but neither does it openly oppose such practices. Actually both Buddhism and Taoism propose that one should let nature take its own course.

However, if the teachings are too deadly dull, without any demonstrations from the psychic realm, how can sentient beings be attracted to turn to Buddhism and Taoism?

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