Singapore is a thriving cosmopolitan city-state, which boasts of having the third highest per-capita GDP in the world. Yet beneath the sleek buildings, entrepreneurial ecosystem and efficient economy lies a seemingly superstitious and spiritual society where Singaporeans pay homage to traditions and cultural practices to improve various aspects of their lives; from relationships to careers. In the 21st century, is modernity transforming the attitudes of the Singaporeans? Is the younger generation reducing the reliance on amulets and trinkets? Join Li Kim as she explores the unseen side of Singapore.
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TVTranscript
00:00 It is commonly said that a black cat that crosses your path brings bad luck.
00:06 Maybe instead of bringing bad luck, it is just going from one place to another.
00:10 This is superstition.
00:12 Today, it is difficult to draw the line between superstition and spirituality,
00:19 especially in the modern context of science and technology.
00:24 Singapore is one of my more favourite cities in the world.
00:29 But what is the paranormal zone doing here in Singapore?
00:32 There are respect and faith in various positive spiritual practices from a multicultural background.
00:40 Stay with me and find out more.
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01:24 Singapore is a modern city that is still rich in its culture and traditions,
01:30 and a peaceful home to many different spiritual beliefs.
01:34 In this episode, we will learn more about the influence of Chinese culture and beliefs,
01:41 New Age, and Thai practices in Singapore.
01:46 Singapore
01:48 I have spoken to Master Javed Wu,
02:00 who is a young Taoist priest and practitioner that started his spiritual journey when he was only five,
02:06 having also grown up in a family of devotees and practitioners.
02:10 What are his views about the spiritual status of Singaporeans in general?
02:15 Master Javed Wu
02:17 A lot of youngsters actually approach quite a lot of priests and masters to learn
02:22 so-called some of the Taoist skills in order to understand why and so certain things happen.
02:29 Now they actually don't just follow, they want to find an answer from something.
02:41 For the so-called elders or the older generation,
02:44 actually they are more open to share with the youngsters as compared to the past.
02:49 Another common belief in the Chinese culture is that of spirit mediumship or trance taking,
03:00 used commonly to give the community healing, blessings, protection and consultation.
03:07 It is commonly known as "Tang Ki" in Hokkien.
03:10 What is behind these practices?
03:12 And why is it until today, in our modern times, it is still so popular?
03:17 To understand trance or Tang Ki more, I met Suen Jiang Dian to speak to Master Tan,
03:26 the oracle who takes trance of Zai Zai,
03:28 a childlike deity who apparently learned from 53 enlightened Sanskrit masters based on the Buddhist scriptures.
03:35 But is the ritualistic trance itself a type of superstition?
03:40 When did you develop this connection between you and this deity, Zai Zai?
03:54 It started from 1989.
03:57 My father was a medium himself.
04:01 I used to be his helper when he was having his sessions.
04:05 And then one day, I suddenly fainted.
04:08 When I regained consciousness, I was already in a trance at the temple.
04:13 When you look outside, Singapore is also one of the most developed ASEAN countries and so modern.
04:26 Yet this Taoist practice continues through time.
04:29 Can you explain to me, is there a strong element of superstition involved?
04:35 Because if you are talking about superstition, many people still do not know what praying or worshipping of gods is.
04:44 Of course, they come here to solve their personal problems.
04:48 So, this is an opportunity to also impart knowledge and teachings of Buddhism and Taoism to them,
04:55 so that they can be better people.
04:57 I understand that you, as Master Tan, do not remember what took place during the period of the trance.
05:04 Am I correct?
05:05 I want to be impartial so that I can give the right advice.
05:09 I do not know what happened during each trance.
05:12 Would you be able to tell me, what are the normal things that devotees will ask Zai Zai when they come to see him?
05:20 You have to ask the devotees themselves.
05:24 (Chanting)
05:33 Back in 10 years before, to believe in a god is actually the connectivity of the feelings.
05:50 How you are able to relate how he helps you.
05:54 Because he has been helping me a lot, and I take it as a repaying back by assisting him.
06:01 I have faith and I am devoted.
06:06 I am not superstitious.
06:10 The procedures of trance-taking are filled with beliefs and rituals.
06:18 They are not deemed to be a superstition, but rather a colourful display of ancient Chinese culture and belief.
06:25 You must have got to go through some rituals to keep yourself intact.
06:32 It is a very spiritual ritual that I have to go through.
06:36 First of all, I have to cleanse myself.
06:38 And because a medium is a vehicle of celestial energies, my body has to be ready for it.
06:45 I am always curious about the blood rituals and body piercing acts performed during trances.
06:51 Many may not understand the purposes behind these practices and why is it still relevant today.
06:59 What is the truth behind these rites?
07:11 A lot of people think of superstition as buying a hope.
07:16 People when they practice a particular religion, they seldom really understand the purpose behind it.
07:39 During many religious festivities that are celebrated worldwide in this modern era,
07:44 acts of penance like body piercing are observed as a cultural ceremony that does not undermine the growth of civilisation.
07:52 But what is the rationale of this rite from a Chinese cultural perspective?
07:57 Far before that, we only used spiritual objects like wine sticks or siddhan chairs.
08:06 But only after around 200 years ago, we started to use our bodies to become a medium.
08:13 Before we engage in a ritualistic practice, knowledge and research are important
08:28 because we do not want to become over-reliant or superstitious.
08:32 In a modern country like Singapore, it is important to remain open-minded
08:36 and not just follow blindly as explained by Mr Victor Yeh.
08:40 Victor, can you tell me a little bit more what you find intriguing
08:54 about the Chinese superstitious practices here in Singapore?
08:58 Many people will kind of take everything as superstition.
09:02 But to me, what you do not know, you do not know.
09:05 And you don't say it's superstition.
09:07 So based on that kind of understanding, if anybody says it's superstition,
09:11 then I will try to find out.
09:13 Anywhere I go, I go with an open mind.
09:24 As I explore deeper into the influence of spiritual beliefs in modern Singapore,
09:29 I met with two spiritual practitioners
09:31 who gave me rather profound explanations of their understanding.
09:35 How did this Thai influence become so strong here in Singapore?
09:47 Maybe they would pray for business, they would pray for work.
09:50 Because their life is so stressful, it can help you in relaxation.
09:53 Your mind, when you pray, can calm down.
09:55 Why do people depend on a pendant?
09:59 Isn't that superstitious to actually depend on a pendant or an object
10:03 and say that you put it on, then you have a good life?
10:07 We must not be superstitious.
10:09 But a lot of people, they will think of the superstitious way of buying a hope.
10:14 There's one customer, she told me, she said,
10:20 "I came in, I know I'm very down already.
10:23 I can't find a job or anything. The only way maybe I buy an amulet.
10:26 And we have to work hard.
10:27 You don't just wear an amulet and you gain everything."
10:31 For the past 10 years, Ambika practised as a spiritual healer in Singapore.
10:43 She offers guidance to her clients through new age methods
10:47 like energy healing, crystal therapy,
10:50 and even the ancient art of divination known as rune stone readings.
10:55 I feel superstition is something that's integral to the human condition, honestly.
11:02 I mean, technology, yes, we've advanced so much in terms of social status
11:08 or creature comforts and all that.
11:10 But man as an animal is by nature superstitious.
11:14 And why do you say that?
11:16 Most of the time, people when they practise a particular religion,
11:19 they seldom really understand the purpose behind it.
11:22 It's about safety, isn't it?
11:24 You do certain rituals because you want to protect yourself.
11:27 And that links to fear, right?
11:29 Because the lack of safety and security is fear.
11:32 And survival.
11:33 These are the three, I think, primary motives behind any form of superstition.
11:36 Ultimately, it's about being able to take care of your family,
11:39 do well in your job.
11:40 So I believe that that is where also the superstition comes in.
11:43 If you don't do something in a particular way,
11:46 you will fail or you'll be punished.
11:48 And superstition is, I think, linked to the idea of luck.
11:52 As explained by Ambika,
11:56 we may be drawn to being superstitious when we are fearful.
11:59 Therefore, we must be clear and sincere in our spiritual practice to avoid this trap.
12:05 We can believe in something, but it should not cloud our better judgement.
12:11 One of the most interesting ancient Chinese practices
12:14 that are highly paranormal are ghost marriages.
12:17 It is claimed that during the Han Dynasty,
12:20 when a young man is engaged to a girl,
12:22 and should he pass away before that,
12:24 the girl must still marry him.
12:26 This type of spiritual matrimony is often frowned upon today.
12:31 The guy might pass away,
12:37 the girl will still have to marry into the family.
12:40 So, there is no choice, they have to marry into a tablet or a rooster.
12:44 This girl will actually be like a living widow.
12:47 Is there a strong element of superstition involved?
13:08 What you do not know, you do not know, and you don't say it's superstition.
13:11 They actually don't just follow.
13:14 They want to find an answer from something.
13:16 For the newer generation, we do have these ghost marriages,
13:28 which are actually spirits and spirits.
13:30 For the Southeast Asia or for Singapore,
13:32 we use paper tablets to represent the guy or the girl,
13:35 or some we have to use those paper figurines.
13:38 Some souls are actually quite young.
13:41 They pass on with that type of desire,
13:45 which is that I'm still young, I've yet to get married.
13:48 So, this must actually follow them.
13:50 Is the rationale behind the marriage between two spirits reasonable?
13:55 It is said that the deceased would appear in the dreams of a family member
13:59 to inform them that he wishes to marry,
14:01 and to ask them to find a spirit bride or groom.
14:04 And when the time is right, the spirit spouse will appear,
14:07 and a spiritual wedding is conducted.
14:09 This one, we need to go through the priest.
14:15 So, a priest like me, we will conduct the reporting.
14:17 So, we do have a cert for them.
14:19 After the so-called "chop" stamp,
14:21 these two souls are officially married.
14:25 [Music]
14:28 At this point, I feel that the lines between fantasy, logic and reason have blurred,
14:43 especially when it comes to ghosts, spirits and the traditional beliefs about these phantoms.
14:48 The next case that I came across is very much like a dramatic movie,
14:52 which involves a spirit and a human.
14:54 To some, this is probably more of a fiction than reality.
14:58 What do you think?
14:59 Four years ago, Jai's Lim moved into a new house.
15:06 Everything was fine, and then one night, she claimed that strange things started to happen.
15:18 When I started to sense that when I was sleeping,
15:20 that something, just someone watching, kind of feeling sick sense,
15:24 so your goosebumps, which just starts to happen, sense of fear.
15:28 There's one night, that particular night,
15:33 that I was actually sitting over here in my living room.
15:36 I was playing my mobile phone, watching the TV,
15:38 so it was like a very strong smell came.
15:42 [Suspenseful music]
15:44 My family members all had a sense of smell of her.
15:53 I decided to go and see Master Chiew,
16:04 so he actually came out and he said that actually there was a spirit inside the house,
16:08 so I was like, "Oh!"
16:11 So now that the whole family has been convinced by her presence,
16:15 what was the next step?
16:16 So Master Chiew suggested that we perform a ritual for her,
16:19 because she was actually here longer than I was.
16:22 I was the intruder because we actually bought a second-hand flat.
16:26 We actually performed a coffin ritual that we sent her off.
16:31 [Suspenseful music]
16:33 Was that effective?
16:46 It was effective in the first few weeks, but after that, came back the smell again.
16:51 [Suspenseful music]
16:54 [Heartbeat]
16:56 [Suspenseful music]
17:01 Despite the ritual that you had conducted,
17:15 the lady spirit still came back.
17:18 Can you explain how is that?
17:20 For her case, we found that no matter what we do,
17:24 every time we send her away, a few days later,
17:27 she can detect the spirit present in the house.
17:30 Our mentor suggested that we give her a place in the home
17:34 to see whether we are able to do a balancing of the energy inside the house.
17:40 [Suspenseful music]
17:45 So on what basis that giving her a place in the house was the solution?
17:52 When we are doing that, we were not sure too.
17:55 [Suspenseful music]
17:57 We have tried all methods, unless we wanted to destroy her,
18:00 but this is not what we wanted.
18:02 [Suspenseful music]
18:04 She had not done any great harm to their family.
18:12 So after throughout the negotiation, then we say, "Okay, we trial."
18:16 And during the trial and error, we give some offering to the spirit.
18:21 [Suspenseful music]
18:23 So you were resistant to her presence in the first place,
18:31 and now she's become a resident and part of the family with you.
18:34 Yes, correct.
18:35 Have you seen her? Does she have a face with you?
18:37 I only know that she's a lady,
18:39 but because I did tell her before that,
18:42 "Don't let me see the 3D kind of version because I can't accept it."
18:47 [Suspenseful music]
18:49 When I first arrived at Jay Slim's apartment,
18:53 I did wonder if the accounts of the female spirit told by Jay Slim were true.
18:58 However, I have decided to investigate this case objectively
19:02 and not conclude if the lady spirit was present
19:05 or if the method prescribed by Master Jerone was effective.
19:09 When it comes to ghosts and spirits,
19:11 the boundaries between culture, spirituality and superstition are easily blurred.
19:16 [Suspenseful music]
19:18 In hindsight, I noticed that I did ask for permission
19:23 from the spirit in resident to film at the location.
19:27 Was I being superstitious or was it simply an act of respect?
19:31 [Suspenseful music]
19:34 [Suspenseful music]
19:36 In this episode, we have learned that spirituality and ritualistic influences
19:41 are strong guiding principles for a multicultural and modern country like Singapore.
19:46 It is good to have faith, respect and trust in spiritual beliefs,
19:52 but we must remember never to be blinded by the unseen forces
19:56 until we lose our sense of reason.
19:59 [Suspenseful music]
20:02 Like I always say, what we see may not be real and what is real we may not see.
20:07 [Suspenseful music]
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20:13 [Suspenseful music]
20:15 [Suspenseful music]
20:20 [Suspenseful music]
20:23 [Suspenseful music]
20:26 [Suspenseful music]
20:29 [Suspenseful music]
20:32 [Suspenseful music]
20:35 [Suspenseful music]
20:38 [Suspenseful music]
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20:43 [Suspenseful music]
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20:49 [Suspenseful music]
20:52 [Suspenseful music]
20:55 [Suspenseful music]
20:58 [Suspenseful music]
21:01 [Suspenseful music]
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21:07 [Suspenseful music]
21:10 [BLANK_AUDIO]