Dear Mr. Know-It-All,
Halloween is coming up. Can you tell me about Chinese ghosts? – Cool Ghoul
What good timing, Cool Ghoul. Why don’t I tell you about the spooky spirits we have on the cover of HK Magazine this week: the Taoist grim reapers themselves?
They are the hak bak mo seung (黑白無常), the “Black and White Impermanence.” “Impermanence” is the Buddhist doctrine of mutability: all things must change, and nothing can ever remain static—particularly our lives. This pair of deities guides the spirits of the recently deceased to the underworld. The Black Guard has domain over the evil souls; while the White Guard guides those who have been good in life.
The White Guard wears a hat emblazoned with the phrase yat geen fat choi (一見發財), “Fortune at one glance.” The Black Guard’s hat reads teen ha tai ping (天下太平), “Peace under heaven.” The tablet he holds is a symbol of authority, engraved with the character ling (令), “order.” They are often depicted with long red tongues, to scare away evil demons.
How did these opposing guards come about? Well, there are a variety of stories, but they all share a common theme: loyalty. This is my favorite.