Communication and Boundaries
What does a friend’s experience of a roommate worshipping a Kuman Thong remind us?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Dao Jing relayed a friend’s experience of shared accommodation. For a period, the friend often smelled an indescribable odor and felt the roommate had become more irritable and looked different. On asking, the friend learned that a Kuman Thong was being worshipped in the room, and the roommate said a particular oil had to be continually offered. The friend moved out soon afterward.
This was a story relayed by a friend, not a room I personally investigated. In the story, the roommate hoped for romance and a better life. But we cannot focus only on getting something while ignoring the effects felt by ourselves and those living with us.
I also said then that Kuman Thong figures and Buddhist amulets cannot all be regarded as identical; their origins matter. The friend first felt uncomfortable, then learned what was being worshipped in the shared home and decided to leave. It does not mean anyone can identify an unseen presence merely by smelling a particular oil.