Translated into Chinese from
Sanskrit by Tripitaka Master Dharmaraksha. Retranslate into English by
Upsaka Neoh Shin Yung.
As distributed by PBHP
on the Ullambana occasion.
They burn
giant-sized joss sticks and paper money. They slaughter animals. They
stage street operas. They say this is Buddhism. How misleading they are!
Putting aside all
the malpractices, the Ullambana celebration has its origin in Buddhism.
Ullambana Sutra is a discourse given by the Buddha principally to the
Venerable Mogallana on the practice of filial piety.
Here is a brief
extraction of the Ullambana Sutra:
In the sutra, Ven.
Mogallana out of his filial piety used his deva vision to look for his
deceased parent. He saw that his mother had fallen into the realm of the
hungry ghost (Peta). He immediately went forth to his mother with rice in
an almsbowl. When his mother saw Mogallana, she was very pleased. But the
first thing she did after receiving the bowl from Mogallana was to use her
left hand to hide the bowl so that all the other hungry ghosts could not
share with her with the food! This represented the attitude of greed and
meanness which had been the cause of her falling down to the peta world.
When she tried to eat the food with her right hand, the food had turned
into charcoal.
In grief, Mogallana
went back to seek the Buddha's help. The Buddha explained to Mogallana
that his mother's offences were very great and that he himself alone could
not save his mother. Mogallana would need the help of other Sangha
members. The Buddha advised Mogallana to make offering in a bowl
containing rice, fruits and other delicacies as well as offering to the
monks' requisites to all the Sangha members in ten directions. Since all
the Sangha members hold pure and complete precepts on that day, their
meritorious power can deliver the donor's parents of 7 births out of great
sufferings in the lower realms.
In this way,
Mogallana's mother was delivered of the hungry ghost world. Mogallana then
asked the Buddha if future followers of His could also practise the
Ullamabana offerings. The Buddha replied very gladly that all followers
should follow the practice. This practice to express filial piety would
bring similar benefits to the practitioner's parents of the seven births.
One factor
contribution to this degeneration of Ullamabana practices is the
businessmen making this an opportunity to make money. The celebration are
made more and more elaborate and less and less meaningful. Another
important factor is the twisted attitude of Buddhist tolerance. As a
result, we find that in different countries where Buddhism is being
followed a lot of un-Buddhistic elements have been accepted before
"purification". This is what I called "twisted tolereance".
Proper Buddhist
education plays an important part to enable the people to recognize these
un-Buddhistic elements. However, there is no need for violent opposition.
If one is skillful enough, all these elements can be made less and less
complicated and more and more meaningful. This is Buddhist tolerance.
---o0o---
Update : 01-08-2003
