超度And Dedicate Merits To Christians
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Followings are the true stories of Christians being trapped in the ghosts realm. I swear that they were true stories unless the person who told me lied to me which I don't think so. It is not worth for me to make up stories and risk my chance of going to Amitabha's Pureland.
Reason for telling these stories is for Buddhists who care and concern for their loved ones who were Christians. Please 超度and dedicate merits to them even though they had the Christian funernal.
1) A friend who comes from a Christian family told me she saw her father's spirit in her house. Her father was a Christian or Catholic (can't remember but my friend was a Christian) since young. Each time she saw his spirit was in split second. Her mother 超度her father upon a friend's advise. One night, she saw a flash of white light flowing out from her house. Since then, she did not see her father's spirit. Last year, her mum took the 3 refuges and my friend is now learning to chant.
2) A friend told me she and her brother dreamt of the same dream. They dreamt that their late brother who was a Christian telling them that he had nothing to eat and wear and was suffering. They held Taoist prayers for her late brother after the dream.I told her about 超度 but she does not seem to understand.
3) My immediate neighbour told me that one of her friend was offering food to her ancestors in her house. One of the family's friend who had 3rd eye told her that there was another spirit standing at the door of her house. Her friend with 3rd eye told them the descriptions of the spirit (she had not met her brother-in-law before). They knew it was their brother-in-law who was a Christian. Her friend with 3rd eye said it was unable to enter the house because his name was not in the tablets. My friend asked the friend with 3rd eye to invite her brother-in-law's spirit into the house.
4) This is a hearsay story about an old woman who dreamt of her son who passed away in his early twenties. Her son was a Christian. She dreamt her son asked her to bring offering food when she visited his grave because he felt embarrassed that each time he had to ask food from his taoist "friends".
I know some Buddhists超度 their loved ones who were Christians but there are still many who do not. Thus, if you really care and concern for your dear ones, 超度 and dedicate merits to them even though they were Christians. For all you know, they may not be in heaven but suffering in the ghosts realm.
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Regardless of what religion or faith one has, including free-thinkers, it's still possible for them to be stuck here in our realm as ghosts (lost souls) upon death, if they don't feel ready to move on, for various reasons.
Even if one has died and crossed over properly, they can still return occasionally to our realm to visit as spirits, if they wish, though it's not often. But that will be fine as they are not 'lost', so they can come and go as they wish in such situations.
Rainbow Jigsaw of Life
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Hmm is 超度 considered buddist or taoist ? Anyway whats the diff between these two ?
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Originally posted by TTFU:
Hmm is 超度 considered buddist or taoist ? Anyway whats the diff between these two ?
超度is one of the Buddhist prayer. 超度is to dedicate merits to the deceased by chanting. This is to let the deceased to be born in Amitabha's Pureland, if not a better rebirth or a better life in his already reborn realm. I understand there are ghosts with merits and ghosts with no merits. Of course, ghosts with no merits will suffer more.
Taoists will normally pray to the deceased by offering food and burning incense papers like in case 2.
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What about taoist 超度 ? Those funeral where you have those sai gong in orange robe chanting
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Originally posted by TTFU:
What about taoist 超度 ? Those funeral where you have those sai gong in orange robe chanting
I think the taoists call it �功德 which they will burn houses and incense papers hoping that the deceased in the ghost realm will have a better life.
However, in Buddhism 功德 can only be accumulated by doing good deeds, in fact is more than doing good deeds (hard to explain 功德in Buddhism). Anyone can help? In Buddhism, by offering food and burning houses will only encourage the deceased stay in the ghost realm, thus it is strongly discouraged.
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Originally posted by Dawnfirstlight:
Followings are the true stories of Christians being trapped in the ghosts realm. I swear that they were true stories unless the person who told me lied to me which I don't think so. It is not worth for me to make up stories and risk my chance of going to Amitabha's Pureland.
Reason for telling these stories is for Buddhists who care and concern for their loved ones who were Christians. Please 超度and dedicate merits to them even though they had the Christian funernal.
1) A friend who comes from a Christian family told me she saw her father's spirit in her house. Her father was a Christian or Catholic (can't remember but my friend was a Christian) since young. Each time she saw his spirit was in split second. Her mother 超度her father upon a friend's advise. One night, she saw a flash of white light flowing out from her house. Since then, she did not see her father's spirit. Last year, her mum took the 3 refuges and my friend is now learning to chant.
2) A friend told me she and her brother dreamt of the same dream. They dreamt that their late brother who was a Christian telling them that he had nothing to eat and wear and was suffering. They held Taoist prayers for her late brother after the dream.I told her about 超度 but she does not seem to understand.
3) My immediate neighbour told me that one of her friend was offering food to her ancestors in her house. One of the family's friend who had 3rd eye told her that there was another spirit standing at the door of her house. Her friend with 3rd eye told them the descriptions of the spirit (she had not met her brother-in-law before). They knew it was their brother-in-law who was a Christian. Her friend with 3rd eye said it was unable to enter the house because his name was not in the tablets. My friend asked the friend with 3rd eye to invite her brother-in-law's spirit into the house.
4) This is a hearsay story about an old woman who dreamt of her son who passed away in his early twenties. Her son was a Christian. She dreamt her son asked her to bring offering food when she visited his grave because he felt embarrassed that each time he had to ask food from his taoist "friends".
I know some Buddhists超度 their loved ones who were Christians but there are still many who do not. Thus, if you really care and concern for your dear ones, 超度 and dedicate merits to them even though they were Christians. For all you know, they may not be in heaven but suffering in the ghosts realm.
The christians can dismiss these and give excuse that all these are from Satan to temp them away from God.
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Originally posted by hasene:
The christians can dismiss these and give excuse that all these are from Satan to temp them away from God.
Thats why this is meant for Buddhists to read ;)
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Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Thats why this is meant for Buddhists to read ;)
What will happen if the dead has all the family members as christians and nobody dedicate merits to the dead christians? -
Originally posted by Dawnfirstlight:
I think the taoists call it �功德 which they will burn houses and incense papers hoping that the deceased in the ghost realm will have a better life.
However, in Buddhism 功德 can only be accumulated by doing good deeds, in fact is more than doing good deeds (hard to explain 功德in Buddhism). Anyone can help? In Buddhism, by offering food and burning houses will only encourage the deceased stay in the ghost realm, thus it is strongly discouraged.
You're right.
http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol5no1a.htm
Volume 5 no 1
Feature
Ullambana Dharma - not Festival of Hungry Ghosts
By Venerable Shen-Kai
According to a popular Chinese superstition, ghosts are released from hell in the 7th month of the Chinese calendar for a one-month break in the human world. In order to appease them, animals are slaughtered and offered to these 'hungry ghosts', together with other food. Big feasts and other festivities are held during this month and the most 'auspicious day' is the 15th day of the month. It is so widespread that this yearly affair is dubbed the Month or Festival of the Hungry Ghosts. What is this all about?
Among the chief disciples of the Buddha was one named Maudgalyayana. He had immense supernatural powers: Deva-foot ubiquity which made it possible for him to appear at any place at will, the divine sight of Deva-eye to have unlimited vision of all things, large and normal, near and distant; Deva-ear to hear all sounds regardless of the distance. Furthermore, he had the ability to read and understand whatever was in a person's mind. He also had the ability to see clearly the events that occurred in a person's many past lives aeons ago. Thus, Maudgalyayana is considered to be a Maha-Bodhisattva who is foremost in supernatural powers.
One day, his Deva-eye saw that his deceased mother had transmigrated to the realm of the hungry ghost. Her stomach was enlarged and she had tiny limbs. Her throat was as normal as the eye of a needle, and as a result, it was impossible for her to eat any food or even to swallow a drop of water. Maudgalyayana could not bear the sight of his mother in such an extreme state of suffering. He immediately filled his alms bowl with food and with the immense power that he possessed, he sent it to his mother. However, she could not have the food because each time it turned into charcoal before she could put it in her mouth. It hurt Maudgalyayana to see what was happening and because of his strong emotion for his mother, it hindered his ability to see the karma that she had committed in her past lives. He went to Buddha for advice. The Buddha closed his eyes and entered into pure contemplation. With great compassion and gentleness, he said: "Maudgalyayana, your mother did not believe in the retributions arising from the law of cause and effect. She committed many evil deeds. She dishonoured the Buddha and insulted the Sangha [1], had no respect for the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), was greedy, filled with hatred, ignorant and arrogant. She was a wicked person who committed many evils, and she teased others giving them no peace. Therefore, she is suffering such a bitter consequence. Even though you are her son and your filial piety touches the heavens, these are still not able to save a person who had committed such serious evil karma." On hearing this, Maudgalyayana wept in pain.
Notes 1. Sangha
The corporate assembly of at least 3 monks; in general the term has come to mean a monk, or monks.2. Bodhi
From budh; knowledge, understanding; perfect wisdom; the illuminated or enlightened mind.The Buddha continued to console him, "It is impossible to rely solely on your own effort to save your mother from the realm of the hungry ghost. The only way is to use the combined merits of the Sangha. The 15th day of the 7th month of each year is designated "Buddha's Joy Day". This is the last day of the Sangha's summer retreat, and because of the purity with which the Sangha observed the precepts and practised cultivation, many attain the Bodhi [2]. The merits that they accumulate are immense beyond imagination, and the Buddha is most delighted. If you make an offering to these Sangha during this time, you can liberate your deceased parents and relatives from the suffering of the three evil realms (realms of animal, hungry ghost and hell) through their immense merits. If the parents are still living, then they shall be blessed with good health, happiness and a life of abundance. This is the truly marvellous method of giving salvation to the deceased." Maudgalyayana was delighted to hear this, and carried out the Buddha's advice accordingly. Thus, on the 15th of the 7th month after the offering to the Sangha, Maudgalyayana's mother was liberated from the suffering of the realm of the hungry ghost.
To give offering to the Sangha in this way is called the 'Ullambana' method. After Maudgalyayana received the benefits from this Dharma, he was very grateful to the Buddha and praised the merits of the Three Treasures. He advised people to promote the 'Ullambana Dharma'. This day, the 15th of the 7th month, can also be considered an occasion to express our gratitude and filial piety to our parents and ancestors. Unfortunately, the passage of time saw a gradual erosion in its understanding and purpose, so much so that this special occasion is not performed in accordance to the Dharma. Today, this auspicious celebration has become a day of widespread slaughter of animals to be used as offering to the hungry ghosts. The original act of performing offerings to the Sangha has become a day for feasting and making offerings to the hungry ghosts, often referred to as 'to invite the good brothers to a feast'. These practices are not only against the compassion of the Buddha, but also a let down to Maudgalyayana who had advised the world to be filial and to perform good deeds.
When we refrain from killing and protect all lives, we actually accumulate the merit of longevity and good health. It is meaningless to kill other living beings and offer them to the ghost, because they cannot benefit from these at all. Instead, those who kill shall have to repay for their action by suffering endlessly in hell. Unless we put an end to all forms of killing, the world forever shall not have peace. If the tradition of offering to the ghosts and the deceased on this day cannot be changed, the least we could do is to replace the slaughter and offer of meat with vegetarian food, flowers or fruits. It does not matter if we are not able to make offerings to the Sangha on this day, but at least we could invite them to chant the sutra for the purpose of liberating the deceased. In this way, it benefits both the living and the deceased.
© Copyright 2002.Jen Chen Buddhism Centre
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Originally posted by hasene:
What will happen if the dead has all the family members as christians and nobody dedicate merits to the dead christians?
Then nothing much can be done. Or their non-immediate family members can try to help. -
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Then nothing much can be done. Or their non-immediate family members can try to help.
Can the same chanting be dedicated to a few dead people? -
Originally posted by hasene:
Can the same chanting be dedicated to a few dead people?
Yes. -
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Yes.
Thanks.In the case of dead christians, any extra words to chant for them for merits?
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Originally posted by hasene:
Thanks.In the case of dead christians, any extra words to chant for them for merits?
Not necessary. If you want to dedicate merits, try to find a Buddhist temple that conducts Ullambanadharma pujas, so that you can attend their chanting, and also donate to the sangha, and dedicate these merits to the deceased. Whether Christians or non-Christians doesn't matter. -
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Not necessary. If you want to dedicate merits, try to find a Buddhist temple that conducts Ullambanadharma pujas, so that you can attend their chanting, and also donate to the sangha, and dedicate these merits to the deceased. Whether Christians or non-Christians doesn't matter.
Chanting to dedicate merits without ending praying about Sangha will it be effective?What is Sangha? How do we donate to Sangha?
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Forgot to mention... Ullambanadharma is the 7th month. You can donate or not to the sangha. It is a good thing to donate to sangha, then you can dedicate the merits to the deceased as well. Sangha is the community of monastics/monks/nuns. Whether it is donating food, clothes, etc, you can check what people donate.
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Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Forgot to mention… Ullambanadharma is the 7th month. You can donate or not to the sangha. It is a good thing to donate to sangha, then you can dedicate the merits to the deceased as well. Sangha is the community of monastics/monks/nuns. Whether it is donating food, clothes, etc, you can check what people donate.
Does every temple accept this donation in Singapore?
What is it that I was told to end prayer/chanting by dedicating merit to Sangha when we chant for dead? I don't know
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Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Forgot to mention… Ullambanadharma is the 7th month. You can donate or not to the sangha. It is a good thing to donate to sangha, then you can dedicate the merits to the deceased as well. Sangha is the community of monastics/monks/nuns. Whether it is donating food, clothes, etc, you can check what people donate.
Does every temple accept this donation in Singapore?
What is it that I was told to end prayer/chanting by dedicating merit to Sangha when we chant for dead? I don't know how
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Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Forgot to mention… Ullambanadharma is the 7th month. You can donate or not to the sangha. It is a good thing to donate to sangha, then you can dedicate the merits to the deceased as well. Sangha is the community of monastics/monks/nuns. Whether it is donating food, clothes, etc, you can check what people donate.
Does every temple accept this donation in Singapore?
What is it that I was told to end prayer/chanting by dedicating merit to Sangha when we chant for dead? I don't know how to do
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Originally posted by hasene:
Does every temple accept this donation in Singapore?
What is it that I was told to end prayer/chanting by dedicating merit to Sangha when we chant for dead? I don't know how to do
If it is a Buddhist temple and they have monks or nuns, then yes. Not dedicating merits to Sangha, it is dedicating merits (of the chanting, donation, etc) to the deceased. Regarding dedication verse I think others can help you with it. It is just a simple dedication to the person you intend to dedicate to. But if you are attending the Ullambanadharma Puja in the 7th month, it should be guided. -
There is no one single superior religion or faith. If our true intentions are of unconditional love, and are pure and filled with genuine goodness, even simple thoughts alone can do wonders.
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Originally posted by Rainbow Jigsaw:
There is no one single superior religion or faith. If our true intentions are of unconditional love, and are pure and filled with genuine goodness, even simple thoughts alone can do wonders.
Whether there is a superior religion or faith isn't the matter here.
It is that there are a lot of misunderstandings.
For example: Christians usually think that all of their kind will go to heaven.
In Buddhism, our understanding is that this is not the case. People go to different realms according to karma. It is not always that a person *must* go to heaven just because they hold certain beliefs.
Similarly, some folk Chinese thinks that all who deceased will turn into ghosts. Which is not always the case as well. We recognise that there are 6 realms, not just one or two that one can be reborn to.
They also have the misunderstanding that just by burning things, the other beings can receive them: cars, houses, etc, in their 'afterlife'. First of all if a person turns into ghost, they cannot possibly enjoy cars, houses, and money. All these are useless. Secondly if they are truly in the ghost realm, what is important is to help them out of that realm, and the only way is via dedication of merits.
Hence this is again a false understanding. In Buddhism we recognise the only way we can help them is to dedicate merits to them. And this is true - there are many people who personally experienced its effectiveness.
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Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Whether there is a superior religion or faith isn't the matter here.
It is that there are a lot of misunderstandings.
For example: Christians usually think that all of their kind will go to heaven.
In Buddhism, our understanding is that this is not the case. People go to different realms according to karma. It is not always that a person *must* go to heaven just because they hold certain beliefs.
Similarly, some folk Chinese thinks that all who deceased will turn into ghosts. Which is not always the case as well. We recognise that there are 6 realms, not just one or two that one can be reborn to.
They also have the misunderstanding that just by burning things, the other beings can receive them: cars, houses, etc, in their 'afterlife'. First of all if a person turns into ghost, they cannot possibly enjoy cars, houses, and money. All these are useless. Secondly if they are truly in the ghost realm, what is important is to help them out of that realm, and the only way is via dedication of merits.
Hence this is again a false understanding. In Buddhism we recognise the only way we can help them is to dedicate merits to them. And this is true - there are many people who personally experienced its effectiveness.
Hence this is again a false understanding. In Buddhism we recognise the only way we can help them is to dedicate merits to them. And this is true - there are many people who personally experienced its effectiveness.
Living or dead people experienced the effectiveness?
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Originally posted by hasene:
Hence this is again a false understanding. In Buddhism we recognise the only way we can help them is to dedicate merits to them. And this is true - there are many people who personally experienced its effectiveness.
Living or dead people experienced the effectiveness?
The dead.
The living receive signs and dreams of their deceased relatives thanking them.