I happened to attend a lecture given by a Tibetan Buddhist abbot. In recounting the history and culture of his people, he mentioned a particular feast day that he call the Feast for the Hungry Ghosts. Suddenly something inside me leapt to attention. I had to know more! It happened so fast...faster than thought. It was urgent that I learn everything possible about this!
I had an opportunity to ask the abbot about this festival and this is the explanation that was given:
We are all here to learn and experience life and to grow as souls. We must learn to develop and master our minds and bodies as well as our spiritual potential. We work to overcome weaknesses and failings.
Sometimes people neglect to clear their faults in this life. They leave this life with unfinished business. Let’s say someone is addicted… A person can be addicted to many things....
Gambling, drugs, alcohol, sex…any number of things. These are some of the obvious addictions.
In another post we’ll look into some of the less obvious problems…
When a person dies with these active lusts or addictions, their soul leaves the body. In this state, their cravings are felt even more keenly. For some, the desire is experienced as a kind of burning.
The problem arises because the person no longer has a body with which to fulfil their desires or lusts.
This is the hungry ghost...
Their suffering can be intense and they will do anything to lessen their craving.
So the hungry ghost will seek out a vulnerable person and attach themselves...
much like a hitchhiker... to share the vehicle of that person’s body.
He went on to explain that in their culture if a person is approaching death, families take care to protect anyone who might be vulnerable to the hungry ghost. Pregnant women, babies and young children, the elderly, and anyone who is otherwise weak from illness, trauma or grief is kept away for their safety.
Likewise, in recognition of the fact that the hungry ghosts are suffering and hovering near the earth, they continue to pray for them and they try to assuage their suffering by means of the Feast for The Hungry Ghosts. The whole community comes together to spread a banquet table with miniature tokens of all that they might need in their present state.
Tiny gambling tokens, small glasses of alcohol, sweets, miniature replicas of money… anything that souls get attached to are offered to the hungry ghosts so that they will partake of them and leave the people alone.
They understand that the ghosts or spirits can exist on the essence of a thing and thus relieve their cravings for a time. They know that they are acknowledged and prayed for and they will not cause suffering for those who still live on earth.
I was so fascinated by these ideas. Here was a culture where such things could be talked about and dealt with openly. Even my skeptical mind could sense the rightness of their ideas.
I sat with the story for several days, mulling it over. It started to dawn on me that perhaps there was a connection with my odd behavior as I came to the end of each item that I had been addicted to.
I remembered that as time went on, I even bought smaller amounts… one donut, not a dozen. Finally… just a representative sample of each thing with the sense that I did not have to take it into my body, but just leave it on the table. And with that final move, I had relief. And then very soon after… it was gone.
Finally, some small clarity was coming to me…
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