Hungry ghosts in Chinese religion

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article's layout. (November 2008)

Hungry Ghosts are not the same as ghosts in Chinese tradition. Traditional belief is that people become ghosts when they die.^[1] It was originally thought that ghosts did not have eternal life, but would slowly weaken and eventually die a second time.^[2]
 Hungry ghosts in traditional thought would only be an issue in exceptional cases such a whole family was killed or when a family no longer appreciated their ancestors.^[2] With the rise of popularity in Buddhism the idea that souls would live in space until reincarnation became popular.^[2] In the Taoist tradition it is believed hungry ghosts can arise from people whose deaths have been violent or unhappy. Both Buddhism^[2] and Taoism^[3] share the idea that hungry ghosts can emerge from neglect or desertion of ancestors. According to the Hua-yen Sutra evil deeds will cause a soul to be born in different realms. There are six possible realms of existence for souls.^[4] The highest degree of evil deed will cause a soul to be born into a realm as a denizen of hell, the lower degree of that would cause a soul to be born as an animal, and the lowest degree would cause a soul to be born as a hungry ghost.^[5] Evil deeds that lead to becoming a hungry ghost would be killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. Desire, greed, anger and ignorance all have factors in causing a soul to be reborn as a hungry ghost because they are motives for people to perform evil deeds.^[1] The least serious of these will cause one to be have the destiny of becoming a hungry ghost.

Contents 1 Stories of Origin 2 Celebrations/ Practices 3 Types of Spirits 4 Superstitions 5 References 6 See also

[edit] Stories of Origin


There are many stories of the origin of hungry ghosts. In the Buddhist tradition there are stories from Chuan-chi po-yuan ching (Sutra of One Hundred Selected Legends) that is from the early third century.^[6] Some examples of these stories are as follows: CRUSTY PENIS!

One story is of a rich man who travelled selling sugar-can juice. One day a monk came to his house looking for the juice to cure an illness. The man had to leave, so he instructed his wife to give the man the drink in his absence. Instead of doing this, she secretly urinated in the monk's bowl, added sugar cane juice to it and gave it to the monk. The monk was not deceived, he poured out the bowl and left. When the wife died she was reborn as a hungry ghost.^[6]

Another such tale is of a man who was giving and kind. One day he was about to leave his house when a monk came by begging. The man instructed his wife to give the monk some food. After the man left his house his wife was overcome with greed. She took it upon herself to teach the monk a lesson, so she locked the monk in an empty room all day with no food. She was reborn as a hungry ghost for innumerable life times.^[6]

Most times the legends speak of hungry ghosts who in a previous lifetime was a greedy woman who refused to give away food.^[6] Other stories in the Buddhist tradition come from Kuei wen mu-lien ching (The Sutra on the Ghosts Questioning Mu-lien). One of the stories tells of a man who was a diviner who constantly misled people for his own mean and is now a hungry ghost.^[2] There is another story in "The Legend of Mu-lien Entering the City and Seeing Five Hundred Hungry Ghosts". The story is about five hundred men that were sons of elders of the city they lived in. When monks came begging to the city for food, the sons denied them because they thought the monks would keep coming back and eventually take all their food. After the sons died they where reborn as hungry ghosts.^[2]

[edit] Celebrations/ Practices


The Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated during the 7th month of the Chinese Lunar calendar. It also falls at the same time as a full moon, the new season, the fall harvest, the peak of monastic ascerticism, the rebirth of ancestors, and the assembly of the local community.^[7] During this month, the gates of hell are opened up and the hungry ghosts are free to roam the earth where they seek food and entertainment. These Ghosts were believed to be ancestors of those who have forgotten to pay tribute to them after they had deceased. They have long thin necks because they have not been fed by their family. Family members would offer prayers to their deceased relatives and would burn joss paper, better known as "hell money". It was believed that "hell money" was only valid in the underworld, which is why they burn it as offering to the ghosts that have come from the gates of hell. It helps them to live comfortably in the afterlife. People would also burn other things such as paper houses, cars and televisions to please the ghosts.^[8]

Families would also pay tribute to other unknown wandering ghosts so that these homeless souls would not intrude on their lives and bring misfortune and bad luck. A big feast is held for the Ghosts on the 15th day of the 7th month, where everyone brings samplings of food and places them on the offering table to please the ghosts and ward off bad luck. Live shows were also put on and everyone was invited to attend. The first row of seats was always empty as this is where the ghosts would sit to better enjoy the live entertainment. The shows were always put on at night and at high volumes as the sound would attract and please the ghosts.^[9]
 These acts were better known as "Merry-making".^[10]

The chief priest of the town would wear an ornate crown of five gold and red panels, a practice borrowed from Buddhism. This represented the five most powerful deities (The Jade Emperor, Guan Gong, Tudi Gong, Mazu, Xiwang Mu). He became their voice on earth.^[8]

A sacrificial altar and a chair are built for a priest either at street entrances or in front of villages. The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha sits in front of the chair. Under the chair are plates of flour-made rice, and peaches. Sitting on the altar are three spirit tablets and three funeral banners. After noon, sheep, pigs, chicken, fruits, and cakes are donated by families that are displayed on the altar. A priest will put a triangular paper banner of three colors with special characters on every sacrifice. After the music begins to play, the priest hits the bell to call the souls back to the table. He then throws the rice and peaches into the air in all directions to distribute them to the souls.^[10]

During the evening, incense is burnt in front of the door of each household. Incense stands for prosperity so the more incense burning, the more prosperity you would receive.^[10] 
During the festival, all shops were closed as they wanted to leave the streets open for the ghosts. In the middle of each street stood an altar of incense with fresh fruit and sacrifices displayed on it. Behind the altar, the monks will sing songs that only the ghosts can understand. This rite is called shi ge'r, meaning singing ghost songs.^[10]

15 days after the feast, to make sure all the hungry ghosts find their way back to hell, people flow water lanterns and set them outside their houses. These lanterns are made by setting a lotus flower-shaped lantern on a piece of board. The lanterns are used to direct the ghosts. They have found their way back when the lanterns go out.^[10]

[edit] Types of Spirits


It is believed that the soul contains elements of both yin and yang. The yin is the kui, or demon part, and the yang is the shen, or spirit part. When death occurs, the kui should return to earth, and the shen to the grave or family shrine. If a ghost is neglected, it will become a kui. The shen, or ancestral spirits watches over its decendents, and can bring fortune if properly worshipped.^[11]
 These also are of three kinds of hungry ghosts, who are named after specific body characteristics: needle-like hair, stinking hair, and wens. Some of them, when they are about to eat, experience their food turning into pus and blood. Some of them eat filthy sputa, saliva, urine, and feces or swallow filth as food. 
Hungry Ghosts are beings who suffer from constant hunger and thirst. Hungry ghosts are different from the ghosts of Chinese traditions, which all people become after death. According to the Buddha Dharma, there are three main groups of hungry ghosts: those with no wealth, those with a little and those with much.^[1] 
Those with wealth are broken into 3 groups: the torch or flaming mouths, in which food and drink become flames; the needle mouths, whose throats are so tiny that food cannot pass through; and the vile mouths, whose mouths are so decomposed and smelly that they cannot ingest anything.
The ghosts with a little wealth are able to eat small amounts. These also are of three kinds, named after specific body characteristics: needle-like hair, stinking hari, and wens. Some of their food turns into pus and blood. Some of them eat filthy sputa, saliva, urine, and feces or swallow filth as food.^[1] 
The ghosts with great wealth are also of the three subgroups: the ghosts of sacrifices, who live off sacrifices offered by humans and are similar to spirits described in China; the ghosts of losses, who live off objects from the human world; and the ghosts of great powers, such as yaksas and raksasas, who are the powerful rulers of ghosts. The ghosts of sacrifices and losses sometimes suffer from hunger and thirst, whereas the ghosts of great powers have pleasures close to those of divine beings. Among hungry ghosts, however, most have little or no wealth and are extremely hungry.16
Hungry ghosts are said to either live in hell or in a region of hell itself. Unlike other hell dwellers, they can leave hell and wander. They look through garbage and human waste on the outskirts of human cities. They are said to be invisible during the daylight hours but visible at night. Some hungry ghosts can only eat corpses, or their food is burnt up in their mouths, sometimes they have a big belly and a neck as thin as a needle (this image is the basic one for hungry ghosts in Asian Buddhism).^[4]

[edit] Superstitions


There are many superstitions and taboos surrounding the Hungry Ghost Festival. Spirits are thought to be dangerous, and can take many forms, including snakes, moths, birds, foxes, wolves, and tigers. Some can even use the guise of a beautiful man or woman to seduce and possess. One story refers to a ghost who makes the form of a pretty girl and seduces a young man until a priest intervenes and sends the spirit back to hell. Possession can cause illness and/or mental disorders.^[11] During the 7th month children are advised (usually by an elder in the family) to be home before dark, and not to wander the streets at night for fear a ghost might possess them. Swimming is thought to be dangerous as well, as spirits are believed to have drowned people. People will generally avoid driving at night, for fear of a "collision", or spiritual offence, which is any event leading to illness or misfortune.^[12]
 While "ghosts" is a common term used throughout the year, many people take on the phrase "backdoor god" or "good brother" instead so as not to anger the gods. Another thing to avoid is sampling any of the food placed on the offering table, as doing this can result in "mysterious illness". Any person attending a show at an indoor entertainment venue (Getais) will notice the first row of chairs is left empty. These seats are reserved for the spirits, and it is considered bad form to sit in them.^[13] After an offering has been burnt to the spirits, stepping on or near the burnt area should be avoided, as it is considered an "opening" to the spirit world and touching it may cause the person to be possessed.^[13]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Chinese ghosts