Young And Old Praying In Lungshan Temple

There was always a gathering of people in front of the altar just inside the entrance of the Lungshan Temple, a Chinese folk religious temple in Taipei. As soon as someone finished praying, someone else would come along. There was a constant stream of worshippers. And they are all praying seriously. I had the impression that many of the people who visit shrines and temples are elderly people, but there are quite a few young people at Lungshan Temple. It seemed that everyone, young and old, men and women, come to visit the temple with their own worries. While I was looking at the worshippers, a young boy came and started to pray with the older people. Young children may have their own problems.

In Japan, when you visit a temple, you are required to give your address to the deity. If you don't do so, the gods won't know who you are. It is true that in this day and age of rapid traffic, it is not always the residents of the neighborhood who come to visit a shrine. If the gods don't know who they are, they can't give their blessings. Such a custom I wondered idly if there would be one in Taiwan, and then I realized I hadn't given any address when I visited the temple. It was my mistake. The gods in Taiwan must not know my address as I came from the other side of the ocean.