The Copper Kumantong which grows hair

The Jataka tales say:

"Opening the doors wide to practice Dana,
is what you are doing today;
Out of compassion for all beings,
you seek to achieve Buddhahood."

Last week the Shin Min papers carried a report from Selangor, Malaysia talking about a certain man owning a copper Kumantong Roop (shown above) which started growing hairs on its own. The man was so shocked that he fell sick for 3 days. When he first saw the hairs (seen in the yellow circles) on the 2-inch tall roop, he thought they were just cobwebs and simply cut them away. To his surprise, it the hairs grew back soon after. These 1/2 cm hairs could be found on the roop's head, back, ears & arms. The most obvious ones are the ones on its back. The owner of this roop, Mr Liang Hui (31 yrs old), could not understand this phenomena and so he took it to Pulau Kitam to consult his friend, Mr Xu Jiangjin, who was more well versed in such matters. After seeing the roop, Mr Xu thought it was incredible and believed this KMT roop to be a sentient entity. Mr Liang got the roop from a Thai monk in Pulau Kitam about a year ago for RM180 (< 90 SGD). At that time, he bought the roop to venerate at home, hoping to gain protection, luck & metta for himself & his family. However, after 1/2 a year, when Mr Liang was doing some house cleaning, he discovered that the roop had grow 1/2-inch long hairs all over. Thinking it was just dirt, he cut them off, but the hair grew back after another 2 months! Not familiar with the supernatural, Mr Liang was of course scared out of his wits. Because of the relatively small size of the roop, one may not notice the hairs unless one takes a very close look; but all who saw them were equally amazed.

What Mr Liang doesn't know, is that this KMT roop is actually the "house" of a KMT spirit and growing hairs is just a way of telling his owner that he is real & existent. They are child beings of the ghost realm who are converted to Buddhism by the monks who made the roop. Using the roop as their temporary body, they must try to earn enough merit (by helping their owner or otherwise) to be reborn into a higher realm. Venerating a KMT is no different from taking care of a child. An owner must not only clothe & feed it diligently (through daily offerings), but should communicate with it whenever possible also. Let them hear recitations of the Dhamma & as the child spirit gains right understanding, it will progress quickly and eventually be liberated from its ghostly form. If a person could really take care of such a KMT well, it will help its benefactor fulfill their wholesome wishes in this life & the next. Even after they are reborn, they will still come back somehow to be of service. Therefore those who own KMTs should have the right motivation in order to earn merit for oneself as well as for the spirit. If all the owner thinks about is selfish gain, then even if one take care the KMT well and it also help you to satisfy unwholesome desires, this is a negative path and both KMT & owner will end up in the lower realms for sure. Heaven or hell, it is up to you.