The story of a filial son

Go take a look at the Chinese lunar calendar.

Today, if my grandma is still around, she would say something like, “Don’t go out at night this whole month,” and my mom would add in her favorite line, “Don’t go swimming too!”

You see, the Chinese seventh month or the month of the hungry ghost is here again. During this whole month, it is believed that the gate of hell will be opened so that all spirits could roam the human’s realm freely, either to take revenge, to feast on food or simply for a visit to loved ones.

When we were young, family elders would remind us not to go out at night, especially to dark and quiet spots for fear of encountering evil spirits lurking in nooks and corners. You might fall sick if you encounter them, grandma used to say.

It was believed that those who were drowned in the swimming or mining pools would come back to look for “replacements” for their watery graves. Thus, it is very dangerous to play in deep water for fear you might get drowned much more easily than on normal days.

According to my mom, when you heard someone calling your name at night but you could not see anyone, don’t answer. Chances are, some naughty spirits are up to some mischief.

And if you suddenly smell some fragrance, run for your life! Spirits are following on your heels. Female spirits loved to lure their male victims using this method, so beware guys!

Never wear red when you go out at night during this month. Red is the favorite color of the wandering spirits and they would follow you home should you don this color.

But have you ever heard that hungry ghosts love to roam eating stalls, especially those where the food were exposed for the human customers to choose? Stalls selling roasted chickens or pork are clear favorites, I think!  🙂 It was said some people could actually see these spirits eating the food with their long tongues! Whatever, it sounds scary, right?

Now, how does the festival of hungry ghosts came about? This is what grandma told me when I was a young girl.

Long ago, in ancient China, lived a young man called Mu Lian. He was the son of a rich but wicked woman. While Mu Lian has a very pure and compassionate heart, his mother was just the opposite – evil, greedy and snobbish.

One day, Mu Lian decided to leave home to seek refuge in Buddhism. He wanted to become a Buddhist monk. When his mother heard this, she flew into a rage. What a useless son, she scolded him. She wanted him to become a businessman and earned more money so that she could continue to live a luxurious life but Mu Lian got his heart set on his chosen path. In a bid to get even with her son, Mu Lian’s mother slipped in some dog meat into the food she offered to some monks who came begging at her doorstep. Mu Lian left some money with her and instructed her to donate generously among the poor and needy; instead she wasted them away on some luxurious items.

Years had passed and one day, Mu Lian came home from the monastery to visit his mother. Unknowingly to him, she had died from an illness a year ago. In his deep meditation, Mu Lian saw the spirit of his mother. She was undergoing tortures in the deepest level of hell for her past misdeeds. He saw her bloated belly and roasted throat. She was very hungry and was trying to eat but whatever food that reaches her tongue got burnt by fire. Nothing got to her stomach. In the end, she became a hungry ghost.

Seeing the pain his mother was in, Mu Lian decided to relieve her sufferings. Again, he meditated and in his clairvoyance state, the Lord Buddha appeared before him. Mu Lian was instructed to offer as much prayers and food to the monks, the poor and the needy as he could. He did this for many years and many people benefited from his kind acts.

After some years, Mu Lian’s accumulated good deeds became merits and his mother was forgiven. First, she was released from the deepest level of hell (level 18) and was reborn as a dog. Subsequently, she became a fairy and all her sufferings ceased. Mu Lian became a distinguished disciple of the Lord Buddha and the practice of offering prayers and food became a yearly affair during the seventh month.

Now you know the significance of this month, don’t you?