Threads of Connection
After the spirit house set up is complete an elaborate procedure of measure to make sure it is even on the platform tray. While the crew takes care of the calculations, a white holy string (sai sin) is wrapped around the spirit house, the offerings and connected to the hands of the priest and all the participants. If there is a Buddha room on the land inside the home a very long string will be pulled around the Buddha statue to connect the Buddha energy.
The ritual of using a saisin is an ancient ceremonial technique used by the Buddha in the Jataka tales. The purpose is to connect the energy within the group involved. The symbolism behind it is scientific; natural cotton string is a conductor, which can carry energy like a wire. The power source may be a chanting monk, the chanting of a priest or the powers residing in the invoked receptor statue.
