In some contexts, the number of Nannies can be from 12 and go up to 36 or 72, each given a task to perform.
In Chinese Culture (民間信仰), usually when a baby is born, the parent of the new born baby will have to visit Temple that is dedicated to Zhu Sheng Niang Niang to pay respect to her and also, to request Zhu Sheng Niang Niang to give her blessing to the baby, and of cos, sending the Spiritual Nannies to the home to take care of the baby.
Here's the names of the 12 Spiritual Nannies (十二婆姐名諱):
Overall In-charge Madam Chen 總管陳大娘
2nd Nanny Madam Huang 二宮黃鷥娘
3rd Nanny Madam Fang 三宮方四娘
4th Nanny Madam Liu 四宮柳蟬娘
5th Nanny Madam Lu 五宮陸九娘
6th Nanny Madam Song 六宮宋愛娘
7th Nanny Madam Lin 七宮林珠娘
8th Nanny Madam Li 八宮李枝娘
9th Nanny Madam Yang 九宮楊瑞娘
10th Nanny Madam Dong 十宮董仙娘
11th Nanny Madam He 十一宮何鶯娘
12th Nanny Madam Peng 十二宮彭英娘
For Higher Res Pictures, please proceed to this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/taoism_deity_singapore_2007/photos/album/143970005/pic/list
Hello!, Is it true that those who want to have baby, need to pray respect plus request from this Deity ...is that true? logical behind it? Why some couples are blessed with many children while other have difficulty having baby??? pls help...
ReplyDeletePaying respect to Mother Goddess of Birth aka Zhu Sheng Niang Niang is a must for all couple who want babies and after having babies, this is a form of respect or so-called gratitude to her for giving the blessing, but if one couple after multiple times of paying respect to her and yet no sign of pregnancy, meaning that, something is not right on either the guy side or the gal side, this will need to go for medical check-up.
ReplyDeleteBut if after medical check-up, nothing is being proven, then, this will be issues that are connected with the previous life of the couple, etc.
haha i jus have a meetin wit our priest and he jus mention shi er nai niang haha ..
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha.. its not common for Shi Er Nai Niang to be in Spore, cos till today, not much people know abt them neither any Priests can recite their name out probably :P
ReplyDeleteya .. but seriously ..满天神佛 who can remember all ..
ReplyDeleteHahahahahahaha.. to an extend, all Religious Leaders/Master or Priests will need to remember all these.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the basic study that all of us need to do. :P
yes... many many...
ReplyDeletethe only thing me can do is to absorb the impression of all the deities...
dsfz
Thanks for the post. Do you also have the picture of the 36 nannies of Lin Shui Fu Ren?
ReplyDeleteTill today, almost all Temples only dedicate the 12 nannies to Lin Shui Fu Ren, seldom can see people dedicate 24 or the 36 nannies.
ReplyDeleteIn Spore, the most we can see is only 6 nannies.
Hoping one day, people can dedicate at least the 12 nannies in-order to promote the culture going.
Yes. I do hope so too...
ReplyDeletei don't think I saw a nanny in the main temple of lin shui fu ren in china. I remember seeing a stone snake in a cave under the main deity and two tai baos and a couple of generals near the three main deities. But I haven't seen a nanny in there. Maybe because its dark the temple opened just for us in the middle of the night because we got lost in the mountains and arrived at the temple at 12 midnight. hahaha. We ask if it is not intrusive but they (temple keepers) told us it is okay since we've traveled so far.
ReplyDeleteI dont know which temple you went to, but most of the temples that dedicated to Zhu Sheng Niang Niang will have the nannies standing beside her.
ReplyDeleteAs for the snake at Madam Lin Shui's temple, cos the snake is one of her assistants (this snake is being subdue by her)
Its the main temple of Lin Shui Fu Ren in Fujian. I think the place is also named Lin Shui. AH so the snake is her assistant... It was kinda creepy but there was a light bulb down the cave so I saw the snake. The opening to see the snake is very small its a horizontal hole right below the foot of Lin Shui Fu Ren.
ReplyDeleteI see, yup, the place mus be Lin Shui, to be more accurate, in the Spiritual World, there's another cave dedicated to Madam Lin Shui and her 10 other sworn sisters (all addressed as Fu Rens), but in other places in Asia, not much people aware of that.
ReplyDeleteI only know 2 of her sisters Lin Nai Fu Ren and Li Nai Fu Ren. But I am not aware that she has 8 other sworn sisters so thats why Lin Nai Fu Ren's Name is Lin Jiu (nine) Fu Ren and Li Nai Fu Ren is Li San (three) Fu Ren... So I see that there is er, si, wu, liu..... fu rens. What are their names?
ReplyDeleteHahahaha.. the other 10 dont include Madam Lin and Li, there are another individual 10. :P
ReplyDeleteWow, so there are actually 13 of them?>
ReplyDeleteHahahahahahaha.. yup yup, actually there are more la.
ReplyDeleteWow. Can I have their names too...? I sort of remember the name of the two tai baos in that temple. It was Yang taibao and Wang Tai Bao. AT their backs are humungous size joss sticks. I racked my brain till now how to light them. I guess they are ten feet tall or more! Those are the largest incense sticks I saw in my entire life. hahaha.
ReplyDeleteDear Lotus, slowly i will do an intro on them, yup the taibaos' name are correct...
ReplyDeleteThank you very very much I will eagerly await your posting about them. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSure, once I'm free, I will make the posting.
ReplyDeletehaha mayb i yet to ask the priest ..
ReplyDeletelin shui fu ren is zhu sheng niang niang ??
the temple @ fujian ?? near anxi ??
i went to the zhong miao of cheng huang and beside it was zhu sheng niang niang temple i think ..
lin shui fu ren got sworn sis ?? all goddness ??
den how ling shui fu ren related to her nai niangs ??
jus master and servant ??
Alot of people tend to mix-up Lin Shui and Zhu Sheng, to be exact, they are of different Deities.
ReplyDeleteLin Shui was a cultivated Lady Priest which later seek master-ship under Heavenly Master Xu Xun - one of the classmates of Zhang Gong Sheng Jun.
Whereas Zhu Sheng Niang Niang exist before Lin Shui Fu Ren (both got the same objectives in assisting the Mortals - protect their children from the negative entities).
Lin Shui Fu Ren got many sworn sisters, mostly all of them are the same as her - cultivated Lady Priests.
Assistants under her, we dont really address them as Nai Niang, usually we address them as Fu Ren.
oh i see .. haha wonder why zhu sheng niang niang topic change to lin shui fu ren .. haha thanks
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha.. once we touch on the topic on Giving Birth, these 2 Madams will sure to appear ma :P
ReplyDeleteIn our sintua Lin shui fu ren and Zhu Sheng niang niang altars are close-by because both of them can be called upon for the protection of devotees' babies/children But most people call upon Zhu Sheng niang niang more on the topic if they can't have children or will soon take birth (to avoid complications). Both of them also has spiritual nannnies (Nai Niang/ Fu Ren) to take care of children, and both of them are also closely connected to the netherworld. Although I think Lin Shui Fu Ren has other functions other than protecting births and babies. But Jave is right that once we touch the topic of giving birth (and spiritual nannies) these 2 Madam's name will sure to appear. :D
ReplyDeletehaha .. this made this topic more interestin haha ..
ReplyDeletezhu sheng niang niang is guan yin another "hua shen" ??
Wahahahaha... Buddhism and Taoism cannot be mix-up.
ReplyDeleteZhu Sheng Niang Niang is a form that being manifest by Di Mu, the Mother Goddess of the Earth, which till today, not much people know abt her true initial form.
As for why most people will tend to look up for Zhu Sheng and not Lin Shui, cos much of the folks do not know of the task of Lin Shui, they jus know her as a Madam of fighting, etc... fight for what, they also dont know :P
haha .. fo dao ben yi jia ma haha
ReplyDeletethanks
Hahahahahaha.. in someway yes, in someway no.
ReplyDeleteIf everything we combine, then this World will be in chaotic :P
Hahahahahaha.. not going into too detail, if not later all kana mix-up... leave it to all individual ba.
actually it wont la .. but the world will be rather peaceful .. think about it .. tel u why when i see u .. haha
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha.. ok.. then... to me.. I have to follow the rules and regulations.. so no choice..
ReplyDeletewell discuss abt it when see u ba hahahaha
ReplyDeleteNew Pics added:
ReplyDelete36nanny_01.jpg - 36nanny_04.jpg
nanny_new_01.jpg - nanny_new_02.jpg
nanny_new28112010_01.jpg - nanny_new28112010_04.jpg
New pics added (nanny_new07012011_01.jpg - nanny_new07012011_05.jpg).
ReplyDeleteBest Set seen for the Nannies.