DO NOT BRING HOME ANY OF THE OFFERINGS TO THE DECEASED; HOW SHOULD WE STATE OUR PRAYER WHEN OFFERING LITTLE HOUSES TO THE DECEASED IN FRONT OF THEIR GRAVES?
Caller: When offering Little Houses at the cemetery, does it matter if we do so in the morning or afternoon?
Master Jun Hong Lu: It does not matter as long as you do so in the daytime. But, avoid doing so when the sky is getting darker or at a time when the sky is seemingly bright but is rapidly turning dark.
Caller: How about doing so right before 4 o’clock in the afternoon?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Try your best to bring it forward.
Caller: Is it necessary to bring along an incense burner for this purpose? Is it alright for us to insert the incense into the mound on the grave?
Master Jun Hong Lu: If it’s not feasible to bring an incense burner along, use a bowl as the incense holder and this is definitely much better than inserting the incense into the soil.
Caller: Once the incense has burnt out, do I bring home the bowl or just leave it there?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Don’t keep it anymore.
Caller: Is there any colour requirement for the piece of cloth placed below the offerings?
Master Jun Hong Lu: It’s fine to use a red or yellow cloth.
Caller: Can we bring home the fruits that have been offered to the ancestors?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Do not bring home the fruits that have been offered to the ancestors. These are not offerings made to Bodhisattvas. They are fruits for the ghosts! Are you sure you want to keep and eat them?
Source: Wenda20120401A 39:57, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program