Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

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DesertDweller
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Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by DesertDweller »

Hello, I was wondering if someone could give me a "short and sweet" method of feeding hungry ghosts. Like, as simple as possible, so that if I happen to be out, eating at work or whatever, I can just simply offer any "waste" to feed them. I notice that in our modern lifestyle there is so much wasted food. Every day I eat in a cafeteria and see trays full of wasted food that starving people, not to mention starving spirits, would give an arm and a leg to obtain. So I would like to ritualistically purify, "stealthily," as it were, anything extra that I see, so that at least someone can benefit.

Beyond that, I was hoping someone could provide me with a dharani to purify water for blessing, protection, etc. I would imagine the Great Compassion dharani would suffice for this, but there may be something more specific in the Sutras for this....

In general I'm very interested in these "magical" sorts of Sutra-based practices, especially for healing, blessing, helping hell beings, etc, so lease feel free to share anything else that might be of interest.
Norwegian
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Norwegian »

Hi DesertDweller,

Some years ago on a now defunct forum known as eSangha, Loppon Malcolm (who posts here), wrote this post, containing a translation of such a practice, with a brief explanation:
The very simplest method is the practice of the Pretamukha-agnijvalayasharakara-nama-dharani:

Early in the day, but also at any other time: into a pure vessel which is completely clean without any remnants of any food at all, place water, and holding this in one's right hand recite the following dharani seven times:

Namah sarvatathagata avalokite om sambhara sambhara hum

Then recite the names of these Buddhas:

(De zhin sheg pa gyal wa rin chhen me la chhag tshal lo)
Homage to the Tathagata Precious Mother [imagine all the pretas avaricial actions of many lifetimes are destroyed and they accumulate all merits]

(De zhin sheg pa zug dze dam pa la chhag tshal lo)
Homage to the Tathagata Sublime Form [Imagine all the pretas physical sufferings are conquered and they achieve perfect forms and characteristics]

(De zhin sheg pa ku jam le la chhag tshal lo)
Homage to the Tathagata Endlessly Abundant Body [Imagine all the pretas thirst is given up and satisfied, and they are satisfied with sufficient food]

(De zhin sheg pa jig pa tham cha dang dral wa la chhag tshal lo)
Homage to the Tathagata Free from Fear [Imagine all the pretas are free from all fears]


At the end of reciting these names, snap one's fingers three times, and pour the vessel's contents out onto clean ground.

Having done this, one will have pacified the realms of the pretas, and satisfied them, and so on.

This instruction on how to do the practice is extracted from the root text found in volume Wam of the sbtan 'gyur.

This practice is very powerful in removing provocations by non-human beings, is an extremely rapid way of reaching the end of the perfection of generosity, and so on. It requires no initiation of any kind.

Also one may omit the recitation of the names of the Buddhas.

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Virgo
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Virgo »

Norwegian wrote: Mon Jun 04, 2018 5:21 pm Some years ago on a now defunct forum known as eSangha, Loppon Malcolm (who posts here), wrote this post, containing a translation of such a practice, with a brief explanation:
You have reminded me of this rite. Thank you very much, Norwegian. :)

Kevin...
DesertDweller
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by DesertDweller »

Thanks for this great ritual Norwegian (and Malcolm)! This is most excellent, and is something I can hopefully start doing today :thumbsup:

The thing is, however, is that I was thinking of something specifically for food, and even more particularly for waste that one often comes across--I have seen long and elaborate versions of Hungry Ghost food offerings, but I wanted something extremely streamlined and "stealthy." I suppose I could try to craft my own, but it's always good to ask if there's something already available.

Yogi Chen has a great little ritual somewhere (I'll dig it up if somebody wants it) where he says, while urinating or defecating, to chant a certain mantra to purify the waste and then silently dedicate the waste to the hungry ghosts with a little prayer, i.e. "May this __ be turned into nectar for the nourishment of the hungry ghosts" (paraphrase from memory). I thought that was great; it takes all of thirty seconds and has potentially immense benefit. I thought that the same could be done with food. I might simply try to adapt Yogi Chen's practice for this also.
Fortyeightvows
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Fortyeightvows »

This is done everyday at mahayana temples.
Look at pages 154-156 of this pdf: http://ftp.budaedu.org/ebooks/pdf/CE002.pdf
It really starts earlier, but those mantras (11-14) make it so that the ghosts can actually receive the food and water.
You can hear the mantras and see the mudras at 43.25:


I would think that the abbreviated version would just be those few mantras
DesertDweller
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by DesertDweller »

GOOD CALL, Fortyeightvows! That is a great suggestion!

Looking through this liturgy book, I notice that there is an even briefer method given on 188-189 of the PDF, starting with "The following gathas are to be contemplated on in silence, once for the gathas and seven times for the dharanis." These are for donating food at morning and noon. What seems to be happening here is that the monks inwardly recite the dharanis over their own food, then eat it with the understanding that it is an offering. Or does one literally leave some to the side (i.e. "7 grains") for the spirits?

Also, why silently?
Fortyeightvows
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Fortyeightvows »

As a male layperson, I haven't been to many morning or noon services, but meals are usually had in silence. If I remember right for the noon meal, most of the chants are done in the shrine room before everyone goes to the cafeteria.

By the way, you can see some of those mantras in romanized sanskrit here: http://maitiriya888.pixnet.net/blog/post/350835713
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Vasana »

Thanks for sharing, Norwegian. And thanks for translating, Malcolm. I don't suppose anyone who is confident in the pronunciation of the dharani and homages could provide an audio recording? I'm never convinced I'm pronouncing things correctly without hearing it first.
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DesertDweller
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by DesertDweller »

@Fortyeightvows: Thanks.It seems the "silence" has more to do with monastic discipline, then, than anything "esoteric."

I found another nice, short and sweet little ritual from Yogi Chen here: http://www.yogichen.org/gurulin/efiles/e0/e0054.html

One other basic question that I have is, what does one do with the offerings after one sets them aside (as Yogi Chen's practice where rice is put into a cup of water)? In some of the literature (the liturgy posted by Fortyeightvows), it seems that one simply eats the food oneself, but in others (as in the ritual posted by Norwegian) the offering is poured out or left aside.) Is there one right way in this? And if one leaves the offering out, is there a certain time when it's OK to throw it in the garbage?
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Fortyeightvows »

at temple services like the video shows the water that has been blessed by the mantras and made so that the ghosts can eat it is taken outside,
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kalden yungdrung
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by kalden yungdrung »

Tashi delek,


Chu tor is the best practice to feed the Yidaks.

One uses copper tiny bowls and a Bumpa.
One´s body dissolves as food into the Bumpa.

Then we get the ringing of the flat bells.

Its a very nice practice if we can do it in this way , which is the original way.

I practised this a long time ago.

Below gives Arta Rinpoche a good performance of the ritual used in Bön.

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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Mantrik »

kalden yungdrung wrote: Wed Jun 06, 2018 11:02 am Tashi delek,


Chu tor is the best practice to feed the Yidaks.

One uses copper tiny bowls and a Bumpa.
One´s body dissolves as food into the Bumpa.

Then we get the ringing of the flat bells.

Its a very nice practice if we can do it in this way , which is the original way.

I practised this a long time ago.

Below gives Arta Rinpoche a good performance of the ritual used in Bön.

Flat bells? Shang? Or more like large Tingsha in the video.
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Sentient Light »

Fortyeightvows wrote: Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:53 am As a male layperson, I haven't been to many morning or noon services, but meals are usually had in silence. If I remember right for the noon meal, most of the chants are done in the shrine room before everyone goes to the cafeteria.

By the way, you can see some of those mantras in romanized sanskrit here: http://maitiriya888.pixnet.net/blog/post/350835713
Temples I'm familiar with do the hungry ghost offering at around 3 or 4PM, long after the the noon meal. ...Now that I think about it, that's sort of a weird timing.
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:buddha1: Nam mô Bổn sư Thích ca mâu ni Phật :buddha1:
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Fortyeightvows
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Fortyeightvows »

Sentient Light wrote: Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:38 pm 3 or 4PM
I'm usually working around that time.
humble.student
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by humble.student »

Sentient Light wrote: Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:38 pm
Fortyeightvows wrote: Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:53 am As a male layperson, I haven't been to many morning or noon services, but meals are usually had in silence. If I remember right for the noon meal, most of the chants are done in the shrine room before everyone goes to the cafeteria.

By the way, you can see some of those mantras in romanized sanskrit here: http://maitiriya888.pixnet.net/blog/post/350835713
Temples I'm familiar with do the hungry ghost offering at around 3 or 4PM, long after the the noon meal. ...Now that I think about it, that's sort of a weird timing.
No, it's not, if you consider that that is not connected to the noon meal, but rather to the evening meal instead.

Many temples perform this as part of evening service somewhat later, about 8pm or so, in my experience.
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by pemachophel »

According to what I've been taught, the reason for making offerings to the hungry ghosts late in the afternoon or early evening is that it is believed that hungry ghosts are especially roaming around at that time and more easily engaged.
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Meido
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Meido »

The mealtime offering of food and water in Rinzai monastic ritual is a little involved, but in a pinch one can simply set one's intention and then recite just the mantra used to consecrate the water offering, silently or aloud: Om mahakushalaya svaha (Sino-Japanese: on makurasai sowaka).

~ Meido
DesertDweller
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by DesertDweller »

Thanks for all the helpful posts. I like that "in a pinch" suggestion, Meido. It's also helpful to have that mantra in Sanskrit, which I prefer. :smile:
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Re: Hungry Ghosts, Purify Water

Post by Tenma »

Meido wrote: Thu Jun 07, 2018 5:29 pm The mealtime offering of food and water in Rinzai monastic ritual is a little involved, but in a pinch one can simply set one's intention and then recite just the mantra used to consecrate the water offering, silently or aloud: Om mahakushalaya svaha (Sino-Japanese: on makurasai sowaka).

~ Meido
Can this work with water from a water hose when giving it to plants during the evening?
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