Entree Kibbles: Tian Pao Kong Chinese Temple - Honoring Ji Gong (Also Known As The Crazy Monk) @ Yong Peng in Johore [Malaysia]

The entrance matters and this entry arch for Tian Pao Kong Chinese Temple didn't disappoint with its colorful grandeur. However, there's something much more impressive.

A statue of Ji Gong that stood at 68 feet tall would capture your attention even before our coach (on a day tour to Batu Pahat and Muar) even maneuvered into the temple!

First thing to do after alighting from the coach; a group photo to capture the memory! Such things are quite common in tour packages although I realized it's more for the Asians.

Smaller statues of Ji Gong, although their eyes were all covered with a red cloth. I am guessing that they had yet to be blessed, otherwise known as "open the light" in Mandarin.

Walking along the bridge that cut across a pond. A bit redundant but it's all about aesthetics. Furthermore, the bridge had a great sounding name; 聚宝桥, the treasure bridge.

It was still the year of the tiger back when I visited in October 2022.

Larger than life statues on the side; comprising of deities like God of Fortune (Fu De) the God of War (Guan Yu) and God of Culture and Literature (Wen Chang).

Each would have their own set of 'admirers' and you can look at the ribbons on the wishes devotees hoped to be fulfilled. The ribbons can be purchased from the main temple.

Wishing Tree for the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Just look out for the panel with the zodiac animal you are under and make your prayers there. I may not be superstitious but "what if" is always a strong motivational factor when I don't have to pay a single cent.

Statue from the wishing tree.

I just noticed a lightning rod!

The other side; a pathway leading to the Daoji Pavilion. Dao Ji is actually the monastic name of Ji Gong, whose original name was Li Xiuyuan and was an actual person who lived in the Southern Song dynasty in the twelfth century.

Pavilion against the towering statue! And the long line of red Chinese lanterns adorning the plain concrete wall. The wall was useless in my opinion as it didn't run the entire perimeter.

Center pathway with a gourd bottle acting as a water fountain. There were a few key features for Ji Gong; tattered monk's robes, a broken fan and a gourd bottle holding wine! Yes, he is a monk, but he is an outlier. Aside from being able to drink, he also eats meat!

For the wheelchair users!

My visit was on a great day; blue skies with clouds and the whole area had a light breeze that cooled down the body amidst the hot weather. As I walked towards the imposing statue, flanked by nine arhats on each side, it felt so strangely peaceful.

The Eighteen Arhats have been often featured in novels, dramas and films that many Chinese were aware of them. While I can't name all of them, I am aware that Ji Gong was said to be the reincarnation of one of the arhats called Dragon Subduing Arhat.

Face to face with the 68-feet statue. On all the sides! The prayer beads appeared to be a separated part of the statue. One strange feature was the hand holding on to the alms bowl; the fingers were exceptionally long!

Four words on the base of the state would befuddle some of you. I recognized two of them and guessed the other two, which I assumed to be Ji Gong Living Buddha (济公活佛); to be read from right to left!

Sign teaching sincere devotees to walk clockwise around the 68-feet statue either 3, 6 or 9 times, to have their wishes come true. Well, I am honestly not that sold with such advice as true Buddhism is really more merit making and cause and effect (karma).

A rainbow swing!

Compound of this temple was huge! Till now, we had yet to step into the official temple building as the area so far was more the "garden", where people would go for photo-taking.

Let's proceed to the main temple now.

Sheer amount of Chinese lanterns was captivating! I think nowadays many Chinese temples have improved on aesthetics that would help attract people like me who are less religious yet love to take photographs.

Primary altar to honor Ji Gong; the weird thing about Ji Gong is that he is a monk and rightfully should under the Buddhist realm. However, Tian Pao Kong Chinese Temple is under Taoism. It's something I was confused when I was young until I got to know of this term known as syncretic religion.

Syncretic religion is define as "the blending of religious belief systems into a new system, or the incorporation of other beliefs into a religious tradition". Precisely the reason why the altar at parent's place, honored both religious figures from Taoism and Buddhism.

What's another strange thing? The cupboards full of bottles of liquor! Ji Gong is known to enjoy his liquor and what's the best way to make an impression? Buy him liquor so that he can bless you! I personally think those from the heavenly realm is smarter than that but well, who knows.

Gosh, there's even a Monkey Shoulder.

Maybe Ji Gong prefers Chinese liquor?

Ring the bell for good luck! There's even a notice educating you on what to say in your heart before you ring it! To let the god know who you are, please note to mention your name, your zodiac, where you live, what you do, what you wish for, and the lunar year, month, date and time you were born. For goodness sake, I don't memorize my lunar birthday!

This was impressive; a representation of Ji Gong subduing a dragon and a play of the rumor that he was the reincarnation of the Dragon Subduing Arhat.

Section of the subsidiary altars.

I recognized most of them although I am unsure on what exactly their powers were. In usual Chinese temple setting, you would still pray and stick the lighted joss sticks into their respective holder.

A shuttered section, for unknown reason.

Not abandoned though, as there was a joss stick. The words mentioned 五军营, which would translate to a five-army barrack, drawing questions marks for me.

Tiger god, with a bundle of RM 1 notes. I know in some temples, devotees might also bring along raw meat (usually pork) to honor the tiger gods. Another thing that tiger gods are famous for - the villain hitting ritual, also known as da xiao ren (打小人)!

Guess what I found at the back of the temple!?

Two snakes! Thank god my phobia for them had reduced drastically over the years. I noted one of them had just shed its old skin! Do you know that there is a famous snake temple in Penang? I would love to pay it a visit someday.

Joss paper burner; same design as Ji Gong's gourd bottle.

The first thing that actually greeted me when I stepped into the main temple building was the banner asking for sponsorships to build up the outdoor area. Apparently, there were plans to have more statues of Ji Gong and other religious figures.

To make it exclusive, there were limited slots across three categories; most expensive cost RM 16,899 (about S$3,000) and there were just 99 slots. Sponsorships, like donations, were voluntary but with any religious organizations, there were incentives to do so, especially with the two words "what if". What if I recover from cancer? What if I get to win the top prize for the next toto?

Want to sponsor roof riles instead? Nothing beats having a physical blessing for yourself or your family in / on a religious abode. And prices were significantly cheaper at just RM 38 / RM 98.

Joss sticks and joss papers were traditionally the financial drivers for any Chinese temples given its frequency, follows by candles and then moving to religious trinkets and souvenirs.

Other types of money transactions come in the form of purchases, like the Japanese style ema, which is essentially wooden plaque where you pen your wishes and hang it up. This cost RM 6.

Remember the ribbons? Just RM 1 apiece! That explained why there were so many of them. Even I was tempted to get one from each color just to ensure all applicable wishes are covered, including a happy marriage and good grades for examinations!

Not everything involved money okay?

Like the temple's facebook page and you get the fan free!

Among all the income collection methods, the one that attracted the most devotees involved technology. There was even a queue, involving both young and old.

In theory, this was a donation box commonly found in any religious abode and even non-profit organizations. However, this was a enhanced version with the ability to give you four numbers for lottery.

Whether it works or not isn't important.

It gives hope to those who trust in it.

Video showing you how it works!

Saying good bye to Tian Pao Kong Chinese Temple (Ji Gong Temple). I bet the next time I visit the temple, it would have more addition of statues and the landscape could be even nicer than what I encountered in October 2022.

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