Ullambana Dharma - not Festival of Hungry Ghosts

We have all heard about the Hungry Ghost Festival. So who let’s the ghosts out? Why are they “released” once a year and when released why must they be appeased? According to superstition, ghosts are released from hell in the 7th month of the Lunar calendar for a one-month break in the human world. In order to appease them, animals are slaughtered and offered to these 'hungry ghosts', together with other food. Big feasts and other festivities are held during this month and the most 'auspicious day' is the 15th day of the month. It is so widespread that this yearly affair is dubbed the Month or Festival of the Hungry Ghosts.

What is this really all about? Did you know that this actually has its roots in Buddhism?

Maudgalyayana
Maudgalyayana was one of the chief disciples of the Buddha. He had immense supernatural abilities as a means to benefit all beings: to appear at any place at will, unlimited vision; to hear all sounds regardless of the distance. He had the ability to read and understand whatever was in a person's mind and also the ability to see clearly the events that occurred in a person's many past lives aeons ago. Thus, Maudgalyayana is considered to be a Maha-Bodhisattva.

His mother
He saw that his deceased mother had taken rebirth in the realm of the hungry ghost. Her stomach was enlarged and she had tiny limbs. Her throat was as small as the eye of a needle, and as a result, it was impossible for her to eat any food or even to swallow a drop of water. Maudgalyayana could not bear the sight of his mother in such an extreme state of suffering. He immediately filled his begging bowl with food and with the immense ability that he possessed, he sent it to his mother. However, she could not have the food because each time she could only see the food as charcoal before she could put it in her mouth.

Buddha’s Advice
It hurt Maudgalyayana to see what was happening and because of his strong emotion for his mother, it hindered his ability to see the karma that she had committed in her past lives. He went to Buddha for advice. The Buddha entered into meditative absorption, and with great compassion said: "Maudgalyayana, your mother did not believe in the retributions arising from the law of cause and effect. She committed many evil deeds. She dishonoured the Buddha and insulted the sangha (spiritual community) , had no respect for the Three Jewels, was greedy, filled with hatred, ignorant and arrogant. She was a wicked person who committed many evils, and she teased others giving them no peace. Therefore, she is suffering such a bitter consequence. Even though you are her son and your filial piety touches the heavens, these are still not able to save a person who had committed such serious evil karma." On hearing this, Maudgalyayana wept in pain.

Help the hungry ghost
The Buddha continued to console him, "It is impossible to rely solely on your own effort to save your mother from the realm of the hungry ghost. The only way is to use the combined merits of the Sangha. The 15th day of the 7th month of each year is designated "Buddha's Joy Day". This is the last day of the Sangha's summer retreat, and because of the purity with which the Sangha observed the precepts and practised cultivation, they accumulate merits are immense beyond imagination, and the Buddha is most delighted. If you make an offering to these Sangha during this time, you can liberate your deceased parents and relatives from the suffering of the three evil realms (realms of animal, hungry ghost and hell) through their immense merits. If the parents are still living, then they shall be blessed with good health, happiness and a life of abundance. This is the truly marvellous method of giving salvation to the deceased." Maudgalyayana was delighted to hear this, and carried out the Buddha's advice accordingly. Thus, on the 15th of the 7th month after the offering to the Sangha, Maudgalyayana's mother was liberated from the suffering of the realm of the hungry ghost.

To give offering to the Sangha in this way is called the 'Ullambana' method. After Maudgalyayana received the benefits from this Dharma, he was very grateful to the Buddha and praised the merits of the Three Treasures. He advised people to promote the 'Ullambana Dharma'. This day, the 15th of the 7th month, can also be considered an occasion to express our gratitude and filial piety to our parents and ancestors. Unfortunately, the passage of time has seen degeneration in understanding and purpose, so much so that this special occasion is not performed in accordance to the Dharma. Today, this auspicious celebration has become a day of auctions and widespread slaughter of animals to be used as offering to the hungry ghosts. The original act of performing offerings to the Sangha has become a day for feasting and making offerings to the hungry ghosts, often referred to as 'to invite the good brothers to a feast'. These practices are not only against the compassion of the Buddha, but also goes against Maudgalyayana’s advice to the world to be filial and to perform good deeds.

At Thekchen Choling, the month is marked with chanting of the Ksitigarbha Sutra, Amitayus Sutra and other confession texts. As we must transform our mind to regard all sentient beings as our mothers it is an incredibly beneficial method to benefit mothers of countless lifetimes.

From the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra “By reciting or hearing the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra any being will attain seven kinds of benefits :

  1. They can attain the divine stages quickly.
  2. They will be free from bad Karma.
  3. They will be protected by Buddhas.
  4. They will proceed towards Buddhahood without falling back.
  5. The energy of will to do right will be increased.
  6. They will have the power to recollect past lives.
  7. They will finally attain Buddhahood.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
   

From the Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra : Shariputra, if there be a good man or a good woman who listens to those Buddhas' invocation of the name (of Buddha Amitayus) and the name of this Sutra, that good man or woman will be protectedby all the Buddhas and never fail to attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. For this reason, Shariputra, all of you should believe in my words and in what all the Buddhas proclaim.