Yinqing, also known as "Shouqing" (hand gong). A knob runs through the center of its bottom, attached to a wooden handle, and it is struck with a small iron mallet.
Yinqing is mostly struck on occasions involving greetings, turning around, worshipping, and other movements. For example, during the "Mengshan Food Offering" in the evening class, Yinqing is used to direct the movements of the practitioners.
The way to hold Yinqing is: the left hand holds the lower end of the Yinqing mallet, the right hand wraps around the left hand, held level with the chest, and the Yinqing is aligned with the mouth, which is called "duikou Yinqing" (mouth-aligned Yinqing). When striking, one holds Yinqing in the left hand and strikes it with the mallet in the right hand; or, one holds it only with the middle finger, ring finger, little finger and palm of the right hand, and uses the index finger and thumb to hook and strike upward.
When
Taoist priests worship at the altar or "turn to the Heavenly Lord", they hold and ring it to guide the Taoist congregation, hence the name "Yinqing" (guiding gong).
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About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is the curator of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
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