Calling Out to Hungry Ghosts
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part of a larger time of year called oban in us in the summer yeah in which people on her their ancestors and they go out to the cemeteries and me
they clean up the the grave sites and they put out flowers ah and remember their those who have come before them
and siddiqi ah
is that part of the ceremony part of the season where we go hum
we feed the hungry ghosts
which could include
astronauts and skeletons in a these rockers and each of us ah could be a hungry ghost now hungry ghost
is ah comes from the ancient buddhist traditions it probably predates
buddha and actually i we can pass these out how i have
here's here's a picture of a hungry ghosts one on one side when the other
ha
the hungry ghosts are
creatures who
a hot in the realm of desire
which is not true of any view i'm sure
they have they've called hungry ghosts because they have big swollen bellies right
and they have long sort of pencil thick necks and so they're always always always hungry
and they are never ever ever satisfied
because they can't get enough food through their tiny neck to fill that billy
so the belly is always crying out for more
and the mouse can just just can't take
in a food in
so we celebrate g ah
at this time of year because it's really close to halloween great
or any of you going out for halloween
yes
who else any of your kids okay and are
in halloween
you know it's trick or treat
and we get these go around and some neighborhoods you get these big piles of of candy right
yeah you like that are and you eat it all
oh good so your ration it
you you get you take it just a little at a time
you of that
that's very thoughtful
i don't think i was as thoughtful when i was a kid is like it was gone the next day
so on
when we go round from door to door it's like we're feeding a hungry ghosts we have weird the hungry ghosts and then and the people that we knock on their door
we feed them if they feed us
ah
so there's a similarity in this time of year ah in halloween
it's this time of year that's between the light and the dark
i think is it next week that daylight savings time hence yes this is a traditional
this is a traditional ancient ceremony changing the clocks from daylight savings time to standard time
now that's not true
because he didn't have clubs they didn't have times out
ah but is very important if they didn't have that you couldn't be an astronaut be very difficult to navigate without times out anyway i digress i digress
ah
so this is a time of year when we're moving from light
for more light into more dark until it's appropriate to have cgp at this time of here
now according to the legend
ah the buddha had a disciple a student ah and
this student had
powers to see beyond what he could see he could see into other worlds and when he saw
into another world
into the world of those who had died
he saw his mother
who had previously died and in this world that he saw
he was suffering
and she was suffering
because she had ah been greedy and that harmful things to people and so she was hanging upside down
in this other world and she was hungry and thirsty
and his heart was broken that he
when he saw his mother
in that position
and so he asked the buddha
what should i do and the buddha said
well i think you should go down there
and feeder
and magana that was the new that was his name ah went down
tis this realm of those who had died before
and the gates were very carefully locked to that realm
so he had to figure out how to get through and finally he took a hammer and a smash the locks
and he opened the gate
and oops
he led all of the hungry ghosts out they were all at the gate wanting to get out and he smashed the lock and they all escaped
into the world
and meanwhile he went down and he found his mother
and he cut her free and he fedor
he gave her soothing drinks and fruit and easily to the easy to digest food
and he said her at ease
but meanwhile what are you didn't do about all these hungry ghosts that are wandering around among us this is a problem
for us in this world
and so
the buddha said well we should figure out a way to feed them all
and so that's what this ceremony is about symbolically
i think that this ceremony is also a way of reminding us and it says so in the ceremony itself that that all of us can be hungry ghosts
all of us can have
great suffering
insatiable appetites
and
ah
sit in the middle of this world and feel that way
and so we recognize one of the things that's wonderful about the ceremony is we recognize that that is part of who we are
that when
when certain circumstances arise
all of us can be reborn as hungry ghosts right now
and how it's not necessarily because of something we've done it's the circumstances of the world
you know you think about refugees
who are coming thousands of miles
fleeing violence fleeing poverty
and coming wanting a better life ah
and they are
they're like the hungry ghosts in the story there you know they're knocking at the gates in this case for knocking at the gates of our country for they're knocking at the gates of other countries wishing to get in
there's nothing that the it's not that they deserve being hungry ghosts
but they can be
their circumstances can be transformed
by us feeding them by us seen them by us helping them by us recognizing that they are not different than us
each of us could be in that circumstance and the people who are in those circumstances are just like us ended quickly the kids you know that ah
i've i've gone to a lot of god to refugee camps and when i see
when i see the children and has kept them just like you guys they're just like markets there's no difference fear as smart they wanna have fun and i like to play
and so
you can think of them has
your children as your brothers and sisters
have we can feed them
so
i'd like to have you help me sing a song
the out to the hungry ghosts
let's see we can
yeah we actually have the words feel
and why are you doing this so
how finish my talk with the song and then we'll do a short walking meditation and come back in here and sojourn roshi will lead the ceremony
and we'll feed the hungry ghosts to see the wonderful alter that we have set up behind the screen
ah and we'll turn our attention there and we will feed the hungry ghosts and also remember everyone who is thai people who have been close to us people in our families friends and feed them as well
the
calling owl too hungry hearts
every way to lose time
you launder you who serves i offer you these bawdy mind the reagan is good calling now too hungry heart
everywhere to and less time
you who wander you who there's i offer you these bodhi my
calling now too hungry spirits
every wire through and list time callie now do hungry hearts
all the last thing left be i
gather round and share this me your joy and your sorrows i make it mine
callie now to hung really hard
we're no good friend in our way we all wonder we all thirst we understand there is no place to stay calling now do hung respite
it
every way through list time calling out you hungry hearts
all the last in live be i gather around and share this meal yeah joy anger sorrow i make it my
call you now do you hungry spirit
everywhere you in this time calling now you hungry hearts
all the laws didn't left be behind gather round and share his meal your jaw yeah your sorrow i'm a kid mine your jaw and your sorrow hi becky
if my