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Pop Culture Miscalany Religion - Tales From The Other Side

Hell Bank Notes

May 1st 2008 21:56

In Chinatown the other day I bought myself a wad of ‘Hellbank’ notes. I thought the name was just one of those cute mistranslations. However, browsing a bit of reading, I found the truth was quite different.

Hell Bank notes are simply paper money with ‘Hell Bank’ written on them. They are not play money though, and have a specific ritual purpose to be used at funerals. When a person dies, the money is burnt, in a careful way (either folded or put in an envelope, due to the concept that burning real money brings bad fortune). The basic concept is, as within other cultures where paper effigies of consumer products are burnt, that the money can be used in the afterlife.

Hell Bank money is never given to other people, as it is seen as wishing their death.

Hell Bank money got its name from a loose translation of the ‘Underworld’, where the departed are said to go to atone for their mortal sins. The term Hell does not hold negative connotations in China.

It is rumored the term was introduced by Christian Missionaries, and adopted with new meaning as a term for the underworld.

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Posted By: Brenton - Category: Pop Culture, Miscalany, Religion

   

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Hare Krishna Spam

June 19th 2007 11:30

Gouranga Gouranga Gouranga

I got an unusual Email the other day.

Call out Gouranga be happy...
Gouranga Gouranga Gouranga
That which brings the highest happiness!

I was pretty perplexed by this. It wasn’t selling anything. It wasn’t really spam, in a traditional sense anyhow.
I had a bit of a poke around on the Internet. Gouranga is a Hare-Krishna word, meaning ‘Be Happy’. The identity of the Spammer in question isn’t known, but a gentleman contacting the International Society for Krishna Consciousness received this message from not the society itself, but an anonymous individual:

Hello Joe,

I am just very enthusiastic person, who wants everybody to be happy.

))

What an incredible inspiration! The medium of Computer Spam being Hijacked to bring joy, not misery, to give instead of take.
I find it uplifting that there are people willing to do things for no other reason than wanting others to be happy.

Wikipedia Article on Gouranga.

IMAGE

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Posted By: Brenton - Category: Pop Culture, Miscalany, Subcultures, Religion, Internet

   

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