Extracted from Zacken’s FB post:
The truth..What is Seven month?
Lunar seventh month, which the majority of us refer it to the ghost month will be starting on the 3rd of August for 2016. During this season, Facebook will be flooded with articles on the Dos and Don’ts for the month. Is the lunar seventh month really the ghost month? Does the hell gate really open up and let the ghost roam free?
Since most of the people does not have the gift of the spiritual third eye, they will choose to believe what we can’t see just to be “safe”.
Ghost as what we call them, are everywhere, 24/7. Some are unable to recarnate, some have resentments which are yet to settle, some doesn’t know that they are dead, there are countless reason on why they are in the same astral plane as us human beings. Putting that aside, going through the Buddhism sutra, never is there any sutra stating that there will be “a month of holiday” for the ghost (being let out of hell). For ghosts who were being banished to hell, is because they have done evil deeds and are going through hell as a punishment before moving on to the 6 realms. What makes you think after being banished to hell, they will have such good entitlement to holiday on Earth for a month?
In the Ullambana Sutra (孟兰盆经), it clearly indicate the origins of the lunar seventh month and the meaning behind it.
A Buddhist monk named Maudgalyāyana (目犍连), originally a Brahmin youth who later ordained, and later becoming one of the 10 Buddha’s chief disciples. Mahāmaudgalyāyana was also known for having clairvoyant powers. After he attained Arhatship, he began to think deeply of his parents, and wondered what happened to them. He used his clairvoyance to see where they were reborn and found his father in the heavenly realms i.e. the realm of the gods. However, his mother had been reborn in a lower realm, known as Avici Hell, or the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. His mother took on the form of a Hungry Ghost (Preta) – so called because it could not eat due to its highly thin and fragile throat in which no food could pass through, yet it was always hungry because it had a fat belly. His mother had been greedy with the money he left her. He had instructed her to kindly host any Buddhist monks that ever came her way, but instead she withheld her kindness and her money. It was for this reason she was reborn in the realm of hungry ghosts.
Maudgalyāyana eased his mother’s suffering by receiving the instructions of feeding pretas from the Buddha. The Buddha instructed Maudgalyāyana to place pieces of food on a clean plate, reciting a mantra seven times to bless the food, snap his fingers to call out to the deceased and finally tip the food onto clean ground. By doing so, the preta’s hunger would be relieved. Through these merits, his mother was able to be reborn as a dog under the care of a noble family. Maudgalyāyana then sought the Buddha’s advice to help his mother gain a human birth.
The Buddha established a day after the traditional summer retreat (the 15th day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar, usually mid-to-late August) on which Maudgalyāyana was to offer food and robes to five hundred bhikkhus. Through the merits created, Maudgalyāyana’s mother finally gained a human birth.
Ullambana Festival Festival , the Buddhist version of Hungry Ghost Festival, is the day to emphasize on filial piety. By reciting mantras and be on a vegetarian diet dedicated to the deceased will help to lessen their sufferings and help them in their rebirth to higher realms. People nowadays made use of this month for business opportunities which most of the time does not benefit the deceased. And by instilling fear in people by all the “ghostly” talk during this month will only pollute the mind set of more people. Proper explanation on Ullambana Sutra (孟兰盆经) should be spread across, to correct the wrong beliefs.
Every year this time, LZT organized 3 events during the lunar seventh month for the benefit of self and deceased.
(1) 03 August 2016 七月初一
超度游魂法会 Soul Release Ritual For Wandering Souls
(2) 17 August 2016 七月十五
祖先超度／功德供养祖先 Soul Release & Merits Transference Ritual for Deceased Parents/Ancestors (Lessen deceased sufferings
(3) 31 August 2016 七月二十九
地藏王菩萨宝诞法会 Ksitigarbha Birthday Ritual & Offering of Merit Lotus event
This is the first anniversary since I joined LZT in 2015 on the Lotus event. This year event 2 was indeed eventful. I learnt the seriousness of how things are conducted and its purposes. Every year will be different for each of the Ancestors we helped in attaining merits and the lightening of their sufferings and karma.
Last year I did for Dad, Lit and Milton. There was a small hiccup where Lit appeared instead of Milton nevertheless everything went smooth. I had kneeled quite a while for Milton to be in the helping hands of DZW.
This year, I experienced difference scenario in the lotus merits. Milton and Lit were rather fast in asking DZW but for Dad, kneeling there asking for help took a long time. I became very stressed…there were negotiations. I had to help the ancestors with daily reading of DZW Jin 1 chapter a day and the monthly donation. I was a nervous wreck by the end of it. Last lotus was for Aunt Carmen who came and eventually received the lotus to follow DZW.
I am thankful to all the seniors in LZT , their kindness inhelping me. No words can describe my feels.
Thank-you.
simplydharma 