Eight Items about Ghosts
Rinpoche first discoursed on 4th April, 1993
Senior Dharma-brother Cheng in France repeated it on behalf of Rinpoche on 19th January, 2003
(after about ten years)
Uploaded to the Website on 15th September, 2014 (and then after about eleven years again)
| Introduction | |||
| We are cultivating the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Dharma today. Arising from this conditional causation, let us talk about the circumstances of the realm of ghosts in accordance with 【Scripture on the Retribution of Hungry Ghosts】, which is a Buddhist Sutra that involves karmic retributions (Sanskrit: samskaras). In understanding the scary truth of samskaras, let us be more alert. | |||
| Content | |||
| One day when Venerable Maudgalyana (one of the ten chief disciples of the Buddha who was foremost in transcendental power) was travelling alone on the watersides of the Ganges, he saw a great many hungry ghosts under the rocks as well as in the deep shade of trees there. Each of them was suffering from different kinds of guilt and sorrow that made them very miserable. Seeing the appearance of Venerable (Maudgalyana) and knowing that he was a great Arhat, all the hungry ghosts arose an incomparable devotion towards him. They came in front of Venerable (Maudgalyana) one by one to inquire into the cause and effect of their own former karma that had made them endure and suffer all the hardships. Cherished with compassion,Venerable Maudgalyana responded to the inquiries of the ghosts by meditating them with his transcendental power of predestination and told each of them the answer separately. | |||
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| 1. | One of the ghosts asked: Once being born as a ghost (Rinpoche said with a sense of humour, “This ghost doesn’t need to handle and collect any birth certificate like that in man’s world.” This immediately evoked the disciples on site to burst into laughter !), I always suffer from famine. I’ve thought of going to toilets to eat dung but unfortunately I fail to do so because there’s a strong ghost inside the toilet who always hits me with a rod. As I can’t even get near the toilet, I’m unable to get food (dung). It’s really not easy to get dung to eat. Why is it like this? | |||
| Maudgalyana answered: When you were living in the world as a man, you were in charge of a Buddhist monastery but protected public possessions (of the monastery) with a stingy mind. Instead of supplying good diets to the monks, you provided inferior food for them. Occasionally you would think of offering good food. Nevertheless, whenever there was Bhiksu (a Buddhist monk) who came from another place putting-up at the monastery for a short stay, you were mean again and avoided supplying any good food for them. Waited until the put-up bhiksu had left, you would then share the good food with other old resident Bhiksu (Like the old saying that one would deliberately give benefit privately to those with good relationships and one’s own friends. That is, having a selfish motive). It was your evil mind of greed and miserly as well as acts of favouritism that resulted in the retribution you are having now. After suffering from all the hardships of a hungry ghost, you will still fall into hell in the future to suffer from painful retribution. | ||||
| 2. | One of the ghosts asked: After being born as a ghost, I always feel hot and thirsty. Hearing that water in the Ganges is cool and refreshing when walking on the road, I’ve thought of throwing myself into the river to remove the heat and thirst. However, whenever I’m in the water, my body is burnt and ulcerated at once; or when I try to quench my thirst with water, the five viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys) in the abdomen will also be burnt and ulcerated once water is swallowed into the throat. It does not only give off an unbearable stink, but the burnt and rotten muscle will also fall out exposing the bones inside. What crime have I committed after all? | |||
| Maudgalyana answered: When you were living in the world as a man, you were fond of being a fortune teller to practise physiognomy to predict one’s good or ill luck. Telling lies more than saying honest words, no matter slandering or praising, you claimed that you were efficacious to delude the public’s minds so as to get paid by deception. Besides, you always made flattering, fawning and false remarks to your parents, brothers and clan relatives. After suffering from all the hardships of a hungry ghost, you’ll have to fall into hell to suffer from painful retribution which are billions of times worse (than the present ones) and the pain is unmentionable. | ||||
| 3. | One of the ghosts asked: After being born as a ghost, whenever I want to move, my whole body will loop in rotations as if there’s a whirlwind dragging by my side. I’ve never been able to move back and forth comfortably. This makes me extremely worried and annoyed and I’m so depressed that it’s unable to be described. What crime have I committed after all? | |||
| Maudgalyana answered: When you were living in the world as a man, you worked on divination and geomancy. Using deceitful words and deeds to hoax others and blind people, you made people so confused that they were at a loss of what to do. Sometimes, people were made joyful but sometimes they were made fear. Even so, all of them were not real predictions. Due to the cause of such wicked crimes, you’ve to suffer from the painful retribution of a hungry ghost now and in the future, you’ll fall into hell to continue to be punished. | ||||
| 4. | One of the ghosts asked: After being born as a ghost, I need to find objects to have my head covered because I’m always afraid that someone is going to kill me. Such personality renders me a sense of horrific feeling frequently. Moreover, I’m fear that someone will confine me to a prison where I’m fastened by chains. I’m also afflicted and beaten cruelly there. The suffering in the heart is really intolerable. What is the crime that leads to such sufferings? | |||
| Maudgalyana answered: When you were living in the world as a man, you enjoyed sexual misconduct so much that you were intoxicated in female charms. As you had lured someone else’s wives and daughters, you were often scared that such behaviour would be discovered and hence you were always on tenterhooks without being able to stay calm. Having suffered from the painful retribution of a hungry ghost, you’ve to fall into hell to suffer from all kinds of tortures. For example, lying down on an iron bed that is covered with spikes or being compelled to hold a boiling hot copper post tightly you’re your arms. In that case, you would have to experience (these sufferings) for countless hours. | ||||
| 5. | One of the ghosts asked: After being born as a ghost, I’m bitten and chewed day and night by vicious dogs that are huge in size with sharp teeth as well as crimson eyes. At the dying moment just before I stop breathing, the torn muscles from head to foot are all reinstated and the same circumstances continue to happen repeatedly. Such pain is really unbearable. What kind of sin have I committed? | |||
| Maudgalyana answered: When you were living in the world as a man, you were the host of a Skyshrine. You always killed cows and sheep in the Skyshrine to offer their fresh blood to deities as sacrifices whereas you cooked and ate the flesh yourself. You even claimed to everybody that they would receive good luck and great fortune by offering such kind of sacrifices to deities. Since you have confused and deluded common people with such wrong views and evil acts, you’ll still fall into hell for further punishment after you’ve finished with the sufferings of the painful retribution of a hungry ghost. | ||||
| 6. | One of the ghosts asked: After being born as a ghost, my body is always cut and flake-cracked by people who are holding different types of knives and saws. They cut open my abdomen to draw the five viscera out and then pare all the muscles in my body. After that, the tendons and veins are picked off in which the pain is really unbearable. All of a sudden, my damaged body is reinstated but the same slaughtering is restarted again after a while. What kind of crime have I committed that brought about all these sufferings? | |||
| Maudgalyana answered: When you were living in the world as a man, you were a Brahman. However, you didn’t believe in correct doctrines of the Buddha and evil views arose instead. You served deities with evil acts by constantly killing cows and sheep to offer and worship them. Because of these evil sins, you’ll still fall into hell after you’ve finished with the sufferings of the painful retribution of a hungry ghost. | ||||
| 7. | One of the ghosts asked: After being born as a ghost, there’re always people holding different types of knives and saws come to cut and flake-crack my body. They cut open my abdomen to pull out the five viscera and six bowels (the vital organs) inside, pare all the muscles and pick off the tendons and veins that make me tormented and torn apart. In an instant, my body is reinstated but suddenly I’m being slaughtered wilfully again. What kind of crime have I committed that brought about all these sufferings? | |||
| Maudgalyana answered: When you were living in the world as a man, you were a burly executioner who understood that killing others was a behaviour that lacked a compassionate heart. Although knowing thoroughly that it was an evil deed, you enjoyed this occupation which involved the slaying others. Due to this evil karma, you received such evil retributions. When you’ve finished with the sufferings of the painful retribution of a hungry ghost, you’ll fall into hell for further punishment. | ||||
| (Note: | Although the hungry ghosts in both No.6 and No.7 received the same flower retribution, their karma-hetu (the cause of good or bad karma) done were different. From this, it is learnt that the principle of causality and karma is not easily understandable by ordinary people.) | ||
| 8. | One of the ghosts asked: After being born as a ghost, I haven’t got any head whilst my eyes, ears, nose and mouth are all grown on the front of my chest. What is the sin I’ve committed that leads to such karma? | ||
| Maudgalyana answered: When you were living in the world as a man, whenever you saw someone being killed, you would hold the skull of the deceased happily and excitedly without feeling merciful at all. As a result of this evil karma, you’re now suffering from having a hungry ghost’s body and you’ll still need to fall into hell for further punishment. | |||
| Conclusion |
| 1) | There is a Cantonese proverb saying, “Being friends, privately (secretly) give him/her something better or more.” In fact, it (this concept) may not necessarily be something good. For organizations in the society, if underhand secret dealings are found, one may have to face with severe punishment of the world’s laws. Not to mention that the same happens in a Buddhist place (a place for attaining the Buddha-truth)? The problem becomes more serious in a Vajrayana place because there are Vajra Dharma Protectors who supervise the good or evil as well as the right or wrong in the body, mouth and mind of all persons. Everything in a Vajrayana place is bought with the offerings as well as donations from pious disciples of the Ten Directions. The money is their token offerings to Rinpoche as well as various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and hence the things of the temple (including the food we consume, the materials we use and the facilities we share) belong to The Three Jewels, namely the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha of the Ten Directions. If you are extremely audacious that you underhand secret dealings of the things of the temple or consume them carelessly, no one can save you from the evil karma done because you have violated the fundamental sins. Therefore, the Buddha said in【Vaitulyasutra方等經】, “For those who have committed the Five Rebellious Acts (parricide, matricide, killing an Arhat, shedding blood of the Buddha or destroying the harmony of the Sangha) and Four Parajikas (killing, stealing, carnality, lying), I can still save them. For those who steal Buddhist objects, I am not going to rescue them.” | ||
| (Note: | In Tibetan Buddhism, the Four Treasures are Rinpoche, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Rinpoche is not only one of the Sangha, but also the President and so it is universally believed that the things of the temple from Ten Directions in a Vajrayana place all belong to the Rinpoche. It is a kind of natural cognition. Besides, Rinpoche propagates Buddhist teachings and benefits sentient beings wholeheartedly by donating all properties and resources in the place generously for the sake of benefitting sentient beings. As a result, if there is someone who steals, misuses, privately uses, mutually uses or damages the properties and resources of a Vajrayana place, how serious the consequence of evil karma that this person ends up to be suffering with!) | ||
| The hungry ghost mentioned above who had been the host of a Buddhist monastery had a very strong＞＞ | |||
| Stingy mind(unwilling to provide good-quality of food to serve the monks) If good-quality of food is provided, the monks will have fine and healthy physique to cultivate. In that case, the host, the monks and the benefactors can all enjoy boundless meritorious virtue. When one of the monks can practise well, both the host and the benefactors can enjoy a little more meritorious virtue; if it is ten thousand monks who have practised well, ten thousand times more meritorious virtue will be received. As soon as the monks can practise well, they will receive immeasurable meritorious virtue themselves. Thus, all persons involved are satisfied and contented, aren’t they? |
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| Conditioned mind (failed to treat put-up Bhiksu with an impartial mind) In every case, the conditional causation of the acquiring as well as the existence of any goods and materials in temples or Buddhist places are for the benefits of monks so as to facilitate their cultivation. As long as they are one of the Fivefold Assembly (Buddhist monks) which includes both resident monks and present monks, they are all destined and entitled to share and use the resources equally. According to ‘The Precept against Apportioning Food to the Sangha Unfairly’ in 《Bodhisattva Precepts for Laypeople》, resource-distributors should never distinguish the outsiders from those of the internal assembly brutally and unreasonably with an unequal mind (or there are in fact selfish motives). The executive (of temples) must allocate supplies complying with the Buddhist System lest bring about the painful and suffering results of the Three Evil Paths. |
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| Possession mind (described euphemistically as guarding the things of the temple. As a matter of fact, one treated public resources as personal belongings in order to have monopolistic control over them) | |||
| Fail to share the resources (equally) among the monks but instead regards them as favours for Bhiksu of deeper affection and better relationship! | |||
| (Note: If you are the executive of a Vajrayana place, you have to understand thoroughly that all goods and materials that are put inside the place belong to the things of the temple from the Ten Directions. Furthermore, you should always remind yourselves that you are only appointed to be in charge of the utilization of these resources temporarily. For fellow Dharma-brothers who have ever committed the evil conduct mentioned above, please do not equivocate that, “I’m not responsible since I don’t know about the precepts.” You should confess and repent to Rinpoche as well as various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as soon as possible and swear that you will never commit the same sin again. Or else, when karmic retributions knock on the door in this or future life/lives, you will have to bear the sufferings of a hungry ghost first and then fall into hell to suffer even more severe painful retributions. What goes around comes around, karmic retribution is perfectly matching. What is the purpose of doing such abominable act to suffer all the ‘pain’?) | |||
| 2) | Rinpoche is proficient in five classes of knowledge of ancient India or the five sciences (Sanskrit: Pancavidya. The five sciences are: science of fine arts and crafts工巧明(工藝學), science of language聲明(語言學), science of medicine醫方明(醫學) science of logic外明(天文學) and science of spirituality內明(佛學)) and is also able to understand as well as implement the knowledge of Astronomy, Geography, History and Medicine in Buddhist Sutras, observe astronomical phenomena, the twenty-eight mansions and Lakshmi hexagrams etc. Though Rinpoche thoroughly understands the world exclusion acts, he rarely does cosmological computation for people because he knows exactly what karmic retribution in Buddhism is. However, under the strenuously repeated requests of worshippers, Rinpoche takes pity on sentient beings and accommodates them sometimes (please consult the article, ‘A White Dog Barked at the Buddha’ in our website. Responding to the request of Subha Manava Todeyyaputta (a boy of Brahman named Subha whose father was called Todeyya), the Buddha speaks the predestination of a man and a dog) by carrying out cosmological computation for them. Even so, Rinpoche processes it with extreme cautions and often re-computes it for three to four times (before drawing any conclusions). | ||
| 3) | Rinpoche always has advised lay disciples who are in a relationship or are dating and have fallen in love with somebody else, “If you’re actually not in affection with him/her, you must avoid getting together with him/her, even the holding of hands should be averted either(the holding of hands has the cause of holding hands which will lead to the effect of holding hands in the future; as for the development (of these two persons) in future live/lives and the phase that will be reached, it can only be told by the Buddha. One should know that with reciting a word of Buddha’s name innumerable lives ago, a connection with Buddhism had already been made!). If there’s an intimate relationship between a man and a woman (being intimate has the cause of intimation which will bring about the effect of intimation in the future), one must get married with the other party. One should not simply walk away after having the pleasure just like bees gathering nectar from flowers and then looks upon him/her as a stranger. In addition, trial marriage is forbidden. One has to treat the other half very well and takes good care of your husband/wife after marriage. Whether he/she loves you or not is another matter. Hence, in the aspect of lovers, it’s better to have nothing than substandard choices.” | ||
| Some lay disciples have ever asked Rinpoche, “Is it too harsh to deal with it in this way?” Rinpoche said with sincere words and earnest wishes, “It’s indeed harsh for worldly people. Nevertheless, for those who would like to have achievement in cultivation, it’s just the fundamental Precepts only. In the modern world, everyone goes after free love. Without reading any Sutras, one has no idea what samskaras is and so it’s natural that one does not know what the after-effects (of free love) are either! How about you? Do you know that? Venerable Kasyapa (one of the principal disciples of the Buddha) and Golden-Hued Girl could still meet each other after ninety-one kalpa because of their fate of predestination. Predestined relationship is really inconceivable. When ordinary people plant certain causes, they’ll necessarily undergo transmigration in the Six Paths of Reincarnation. All of you are lay practitioners who have determined to be detached from the wheel of karma. If you’d like to have achievements, it’s essential to have a mindset which is different from worldly people. I’m your Rinpoche and it’s my responsibility to tell you all these. Moreover, according to《Bodhisattva Precepts for Laypeople》, it’s violating the micro branch-precept of ‘the Precept against travelling alone in dangerous places’. As you’ve planted such risky causes, there’ll be crises of meeting each other during reincarnations in the future (only the Buddha can tell whether the meeting is paying a debt of gratitude or taking revenge). Besides, you ought to remind yourselves constantly about this.” | |||
| The lay disciples asked Rinpoche again, “In Buddhism, ‘save both oneself and others’ as well as ‘Practise Bodhisattva Path’ are always advocated, aren’t they? Since two persons are destined to fall in love with each other, one should thereby influence and encourage the other one to devote his/her life as well as relying on Buddhism.” | |||
| Rinpoche continued to explain, “Superficially, it’s right, but one has to make further analysis on it calmly and carefully＞＞ | |||
| Suppose that your pursuing target is a worldly person, | ||||
| ● | It’s undoubtedly the most optimal and wonderful if you can influence him/her to accept the Buddha’s teaching as well as enlightening the other party to be good and learn Buddhism. | |||
| ● | On the contrary, you’re assimilated by the other party during the process of dating with him/her and you become more secular. Backtracking, you’re slothful in cultivation gradually but getting admired in world affairs slowly instead. As time passes, you are held up by mundane affairs and unceasingly desires. Having biased thinking and turbid thoughts, you do not only forfeit the Right View, but the mind of seeking enlightenment is also eroded without your realizing it. It must be understood that the world is in fact a vat of dye which belongs to the world of demons. If one can’t keep oneself under control, one will certainly be contaminated. Countless and unlimited afflictions will be derived that drive you into oceans of misery. Ancient masters had often exhorted, ‘Be sure not to believe in your own deluded mind before you have attained the stage of Non-Retrogressive Arhat.’ | |||
| Suppose that your pursuing target is also a practitioner, | ||||
| ─ | Cultivator of Exoteric Buddhism/Vajrayana | |||
| ● | If you’re a senior Buddhist disciple and you’re going to influence him/her whom has learnt Buddhism not yet in depth, it may be easier to succeed and in turn both of you can have improvements together. Well, I’ll also have to gasp in admiration for you, ‘Good indeed’! | |||
| ● | If you’re an elementary Buddhist disciple and you’re going to pursue him/her whom is more senior, have you ever taken into account that you might disturb or even destroy his/her foundation of cultivation? There’s a saying, ‘Prefer stirring the water in a thousand rivers rather than harassing the cultivation of a practitioner.’ How much evil karma and hindrance will be made by doing so? Why don’t you allow him/her to continue his/her practices quietly and peacefully so that his/her attainment to Buddhahood can be achieved and simply serving this as the purest and most exquisite affection to your beloved him/her? | |||
| Suppose that your pursuing target is a devoted believer of another religion, | ||||
| ─ | For example, Taoism, Catholicism, Christianity, Brahmanism, Jainism or Islam … etc. | |||
| ● | All Buddhist disciples have to perform the Three Refuges, ‘Refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha but not refuge to demons and non-Buddhists (remarks: demon is a category whereas non-Buddhism is another category in which non-Buddhists may not be demons), non-Buddhist books or non-Buddhist evil congregation.’ If you’re in a relationship with a non-Buddhist, it’s inevitable that you’ll have a chance to be in contact with his/her religious thoughts, doctrines and social circle. With your belief in Buddhism, do you think you’re disciplined enough to avoid being devoured but run into non-Buddhism? Supposing that you’re really highly disciplined, you’ll definitely not fall into the love net at the very beginning! Even if your good guidance and great love are genuine enough to make him/her abandon his/her own religion willingly, do you know that some religious regulations in non-Buddhism involve very severe and savage punishment on renegades? Why bother making your loved one suffer from immeasurable pain? Perhaps you’ll retort that in various Sutras like【Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra維摩經】and【The Pilgrimages of Sudhanakumara of Avatamsaka Sutra/Sudhana Visiting Fifty-Three Spiritual Guides in Avatamsaka Sutra華嚴經的《善財童子五十三參》】, it’s mentioned that lots of Buddhist figures had roused their great compassionate minds to enlighten non-Buddhists, isn’t it ? One needs to know that they were all returned ancient Buddhas and reincarnation of Bodhisattvas. It is exactly ‘Boldness of execution stems from superb skill’ as well as ‘For heights that lions can jump over, cats fail to do so.’ Are you returned ancient Buddhas or reincarnation of Bodhisattvas? | |||
| ● | Practitioners should never exaggerate that you’re ‘saving both oneself and others’ or ‘practising Bodhisattva Path’ and are imitating Bodhisattvas to meet and guide sentient beings towards Buddhism. As a matter of facts, the truth is that you aren’t disciplined enough to control your greedy desire for the opposite sex and you rush all round to search for it. Under the torment and gradual influence of love and lust, you’re unable to identify the conditional causation of your pursuing the other party on whether it starts with sentiment and follows by lust or vice versa. You then use words and phrases in Buddhism like ‘compassionate’ or Bodhisattvas ‘rescue’ indiscriminately to conceal your own mind of sentiment and lust. Without recognizing one’s own mind, practitioner will only be addicted to the joy of lust when he/she has a partner (not a Partner on the Bodhi Path). Practitioner will be addicted to the desire for happiness and tied up in the snares of love and is too deeply involved to withdraw. He/She will (eventually) have to undergo transmigration in the Six Paths of Reincarnation repeatedly without knowing the date of release. Just as recorded in the 【4th volume of Surangama Sutra楞嚴經】, ‘Longing for love, people become bound together and with love, they cannot bear to be apart. As a result, ceaseless and successive births of parents, children and grandchildren occur in the world, … , you adore my mind and I love your good look; Due to such causes and conditions, these people have already passed through hundreds of thousands of kalpa in sustained mutual entanglement.’ Furthermore, in【The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment圓覺經】, the Buddha said, “All sentient beings undergo transmigration of birth and death from an eternity without any beginning because of their possessions of various kinds of attached love, greedy desire. As all acquire their lives from sexual desires, one should realize that love is the root of Samsara (reincarnation). It is able to empower the continuity of birth and death. Desire is born from love while life is born from desire. Therefore, sentient beings who wish to be free from birth and death as well as being liberated from Samsara should first end their greedy desire and rid themselves of attached love.’ Various Patriarchs also said, ‘Samsara among the three realms is originated from obscene behaviour whereas the commuting between the Six Paths of sentient existence is based with love.’ Hence, if a practitioner is still in love desire, it’s difficult for him/her to be liberated from birth and death. How can he/she be detached and when can he/she be detached? | |||
| You have to be careful when doing things that will entail grave consequences (sow causes).You need to be cautious to see if causes are sowed as well as understanding why the causes are sowed and whether it’s worth to sow causes for the matter. You may have done the matter deliberately with reasons that can’t be mentioned. By the time, you ought to ask yourself, ‘Is it worth it?’.” | ||||
| 4) | Try to recall if you have ever admonished your relatives when they were killing living beings? Did they listen to and accept your advice? Even though the interception may be invalid, it is alright as long as we have tried our best to advise earnestly. Actually, the critical condition that determines whether your relative could be convinced to give up the killing at that time depended highly on the seriousness of the ill-fated relationship between the murderer and the killed. In case the evil karma between them is grave with one of the parties having a strong revenge-consciousness, the traction force in the wheel of collective karma will automatically be assembled and this makes the situation of the killing inevitable. The power of karma is really very frightening! | ||
| 5) | The reasons for the reincarnation of sentient beings in the destiny of hungry ghosts include the making of evil karma in their previous lives, having stingy minds and strong covetousness (the things in their present lives). Consequently, they have to suffer from the painful retributions of hunger and thirst. The Buddha had ever prompted the causes on how sentient beings would become hungry ghosts in Sutras. According to【The Sutra of The Buddha speaks about the Difference of Karmic Retributions to Elder SuKa佛為首迦長者說業報差別經】, it is recorded, ‘The Buddha told Elder Suka, “There are ten karmas leading to the retributions of hungry ghosts. First, it is the light evil karma of body(身行輕惡業); second, it is the light evil karma of mouth(口行輕惡業); third, it is the light evil karma of mind(意行輕惡業); fourth, derived from countless greediness; fifth, derived from evil greediness; sixth, jealousy; seventh, evil views; eighth, attached to the necessities of daily life even when one’s life is ending; ninth, died of hunger; tenth, died of thirst. The ten evil karmas mentioned bring about the retributions of hungry ghosts.” ’ | ||
| Classified according to appearance in the destiny of ghosts, there are powerful benevolent ghosts and non-powerful benevolent ghosts. Although some of the ghosts can enjoy the blessed reward of humans and devas, eight to nine among ten are probably hungry ghosts that are suffering from painful retributions. They have to experience hardships of thirst, hunger and supply deficiency to the fullest extent. The pitiful fact is that the lifetime of suffering from being a hungry ghost is rather long. In the 6th volume of 《Forest of Gems in the Garden of the Dharma法苑珠林》, it is written, “The tallest ghost is of one Yojan (a Yojan is a Vedic measure of distance that was used in ancient India and its length is about 20km) whereas the shortest is like a small child whose height is of only three inches. For their lifespans, it is said the longest can be of eighty-four thousand years old (this age is not calculated in the time of man’s world) while the shortest is not fixed. It is also said that five thousand years of man’s world equal to a day and a night of the hungry ghosts’. Thus, the lifespan of a hungry ghost is at least one million five hundred thousand years on Earth.” | |||
| Showing compassion for suffering of sentient beings in the Ghost Path, we should practise Dana (charitable-giving) more actively and sow the fields of blessedness extensively so as to cultivate good causes. Moreover, we ought to cherish the present human birth we are having as well as the opportunities of hearing, learning and practising Buddhadharma. Being a human, one should avoid doing anything evil to keep having a human body in order to facilitate cultivation so that one can follow the Buddha’s Path and be liberated as soon as possible to have the attainment of Bodhi. | |||
| Notes: | ‘Retribution’ is Samskaras. If one behaves evilly, one will sow the evil seeds of cause which in turn plant in one’s mind. When the Four Elements of which a human body is made, namely, earth, water, fire and wind part with the predestinated relationships, one dies. After death, as one’s consciousness degenerates and falls into one of the Three Evil Paths, animals, hungry ghosts and hell, it is the ‘fruit retribution’. If one’s evil crime committed is too heavy (much), one will fall directly into hell. Now that one is fallen into the Hungry Ghost Path and this belongs to the ‘flower retribution’. Similar to the blossom and then the bearing of fruit of a fruit tree, as soon as the flower retribution of a hungry ghost is done, one has to fall into hell as well. Therefore, the falling into hell is the fruit retribution. | ||
