Beware, the gate of hell may be opened

How the general public and the Buddhists observe the “Ghost Festival”

Entrance to the Yu Lan Festival : Photo by Ceeseven on WikiMedia Commons

Summary :

Yu Lan Festival is an ancient Chinese tradition merging folk beliefs and Buddhism’s festival. Held on the 7th lunar month, it commemorates the opening of the gates of hell, when ghosts may return to the realm of the living. The Chinese make offerings to appease ghosts and help ancestors, while Buddhists perform rituals to relieve the suffering of hungry ghosts. Venues are set up with altars, sheds, and platforms for rituals. Monks chant scriptures, make food offerings, and transfer merit. The festival features many traditions, like burning incense and leaving food on the streets overnight for ghosts.

Ghost Festival

• “Ghost Festival” is an ancient Chinese festival that takes place in the seventh lunar month (approximately mid-August to mid-September). Chinese believe that the gates of hell will be opened on the first day of that month, and the ghosts are allowed to leave hell and return to our world until the end of that month, when the gate will be closed again.

Ullambana (The word is derived from the Sanskrit word “avalambana,” which means “hanging upside down” and is used metaphorically to denote intense suffering)

• “Ullambana” , on the other hand, is a Buddhist festival that originates from the story of Maudgalyayana, one of Buddha’s “Ten Great Disciples”. Using his “divine eyes” , he knew that his deceased mother was suffering in the realm of hungry ghosts. The food he gave to his mother was turned into fire. He sought advice from the Buddha on how to help his mother. The Buddha advised him to make food offerings to the sangha on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month (I will tell you why that date was chosen later). His mother was then released from the lower realm. The custom of making offerings on this day to help relieve the suffering of those in the realm of hungry ghosts became known as Ullambana. ( a short cartoon in Youtube)

How does the public observe the “Yun Lan Festival”?

• In many Asian countries, including Hong Kong, the ‘Ghost Festival’ and ‘Ullambana’ are integrated into what is known as the ‘Yu Lan Pen Festival’ or ‘Yu Lan Festival’ for short, which is a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word ‘Ullambana’.
• A temporary Yu Lan Festival venue will be set up in an open area, such as a football playground. It is set up with bamboo sticks and usually consists of several sites.

Photo taken by the author’s friend, Mr. Yung

• The main site is the main altar, where monks chant scriptures for days and nights to liberate hungry ghosts from the lower realm.

Photos taken by the author:

• Rituals were accompanied by temple music. Above the central altar are three portraits, with Gautama Buddha in the middle, Medicine Buddha on the left and Amitabha Buddha of the west on the night. After each ritual, elders among the chanters would take the memorandum along with the paper cranes and paper money to the joss paper furnace, where they were burned. This signifies that the “memorandum has been taken to the heavens by the celestial crane.
• There is a site for performing Chinese operas

Source : Photo by mnb on WikiMedia Commons

• The following site is the “Heaven and Earth Parents Shed,” used for worshipping the many generations of parents of heaven and earth. By making a small donation, local residents can write the names of their ancestors on paper spirit tablets and place them in this altar so that the prayer chanters can pray for the ancestors release from hell and ascension to the Pure Land . Moreover, you will find sites for “lonely” ghosts, whom no offspring will worship. You will find a variety of paper offerings there.

Photos taken by the author

• The following site is the “Great Master’s Platform,” on which is set a paper-made “Great Master King,” a representation of Guanyin with a coloured face and fangs, used to pacify the ghosts. （The appearance of the Great Master King can vary among different provinces of China )Beside it, there is a shed for the “Scared Horse ,” the Sacred Horse helps to transmit the “Golden Chart” (displays the names of people who make donations to the festival and the amount they donated) and the will of people to the Deity for more blessings. When the golden charts is sent off in the flames, the money and treasures as well as the wishes of local residents are taken to the gods in heaven.

Photos taken by the author and his friend Mr. Yung (From top to bottom, The first two are the Great Master King (standing on one leg) of “Hailufeng”, The Great Master King of “Chiu Chow” , Scared Horse and Golden Chart)

• The following site displaying three super-big clothes are called “The Sacred Robes Shed”. From here, you can find three large sacred robes that are offered to the God of Heaven, the Northern and Southern Dippers and the auspicious gods respectively. They are offered as another act of thanksgiving so that the gods can have new clothes to wear. Also placed in the shed are other paper offerings, such paper shoes, paper clothes and and silver paper money

Photos taken by the author

• In addition, rituals to appease the ghosts are carried out on the street by the general public, with offerings including fruits, rice, tofu, and sprouts. Joss sticks or candles are stabbed into fruits, and meats or rice are laid out in opened styrofoam boxes. Some even throw coins as a way to provide money for the wandering ghosts. Then incense and goss papers (also known as ghost money) will be burned. The food will be left on the street for ghosts to “enjoy”, waiting for the street sweepers to clean up the next day.

Street Offerings : Image by the author with “Bing”

How does the Buddhist observe the “Ullambana”?

• In Buddhism, there is no concept og “opening of the gate of hell”
• The “Ullambana Sutra Offering Ritual” is a Buddhist ritual that is traditionally carried out in a temple on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, when the Ullambana Festival is celebrated. The festival is a time for remembering the dead and making offerings to alleviate the suffering of beings in the hungry ghost realm, particularly one’s ancestors. While the exact procedures for the ritual may vary depending on regional traditions and the specific practices of different temples, the ritual generally includes the following elements:

Recitation of the Compassionate Ksitigarbha Repentance

Dharma Talk

Preparation of the Ullambana Vessel : A bowl or pot filled with offerings.

Offering to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha

Transference of Merits: The merits obtained from making offerings and practicing virtues are consciously transferred to all sentient beings. This act of transference is believed to relieve the suffering of hungry ghosts and ancestors.

Releasing the Flaming-Mouths Ritual : The ritual is dedicated to the hungry ghosts by giving them food and water. Hungry ghosts perceive water as flames. Their needle-thin throats and bloated bellies ensure excruciating hunger and thirst. They are unable to drinking water (link to my other article ) due to bad karma (link to my other article). The main purpose is to liberate the beings in the hungry ghost realm from their suffering through the teachings of the Buddha. Hungry ghosts are quite pitiful, because they have lost their human form and it is difficult for them to accumulate merits and to learn Dharma (*), Therefore, they need the compassionate alms of others. By listening to the Dharma, the hungry ghosts take refuge in the Buddha, receive the precepts, and cultivate right view.

Monks and followers are reciting Buddhist Scriptures :

Image by the author with WOMBO Dream AI

• (*) It is believed that being a human is invaluable, as this state provides the optimal realm for learning Dharma; it is neither excessively painful nor overly joyful.
• As the Buddhist saying goes, “Now that one has attained the scarcely attainable human body and listened to the scarcely heard Dharma teachings, if this body is not used in this life to attain enlightenment, in which life will one put this body to such use?”

Why the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar?

• When the Buddha was alive, he designated the period from the fifteenth day of the fourth month to the fifteenth day of the seventh month as the summer retreat. In India, the summer rainy season lasted for three months. During the summer, insects and ants often crawl on the ground in search of food, and monks, while begging for alms, may accidentally step on these insects. Therefore, out of compassion, the Buddha established a three-month summer retreat. During this period, the monastic community was dedicated to intensive practice. On the last day of the summer retreat, the monks would gather to reflect on their practice. Some might have achieved enlightenment or made progress toward enlightenment; therefore, this day is called the ‘Buddha’s Delight Day’. The Buddha instructed Maudgalyayana to make offerings to the monastic community in an Ullambana pot on that holy day to liberate Maudgalyayana’s mother.

Why does “Great Master King” look so different from the image of Gunyn we usually see?

• Guanyin (also called Avalokitesvara) is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which literally means “Perceives the Sounds of the World” . Guanyin hears sentient beings’ cries for help when they recite his name, upon which he comes to their relief and saves them.
  “O son of a virtuous family! If innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of sentient beings who experience suffering hear of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and wholeheartedly chant his name, Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara will immediately perceive their voices and free them from their suffering” (The Lotus Sutra)
• Guanyin is originally depicted and described as male in early Buddhist texts; the Bodhisattva is now commonly depicted as female in East Asian Buddhism. This transformation may be due to the fact that people more often associate “compassion” with women.
  Anyway, it is believed that Guānyīn can manifest himself in any form in order to save different people
  “To those who would be saved by a heavenly being, dragon, yaksha, gandharva, asura, or garuda, he appears as a heavenly being, dragon, yaksha, gandharva, aura, or garuda to preach the Dharma. To those who would be saved by a kimnara, mahoraga, human, or non-human, he appears as a kimnara, mahorage, human, or non-human to preach the Dharma. To those who would be saved by a vajrapani, he appears as a vajrapani to preach the Dharma.”(The Universal Gateway of Guanyin Bodhisattva)
• The “Great Master King” pacifies the ghosts, so it is natural that it looks “cruel”
• The following image called Hayagriva, is found in Tibet. It is one of the many manifestations of Guānyīn. Although the appearance is chilling, resembling a fierce and angry figure, but it just symbolises an unwavering determination to overcome any obstacles that block enlightenment.

Hayagriva : Image by Secretlondow on WikiMedia Commons

• The Guanyin image, which displays compassion, at the end of that article is the most common manifestation.

The Yu Lan Festival: A Celebration of Community Bonding and Solidarity

• In Hong Kong, the Yan Lan Festival, which is on The National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, is primarily organized by individuals from Chiu Chow, a city in eastern Guangdong province, China. Most of the Chiu Chow people who relocated to Hong Kong in the early days came alone and had no choice but to perform hard labour. Since life was difficult, fellow townsmen came together for support. Even though they did not share blood relations, they treated one another like real brothers. They organised the Yan Lan Festival during the seventh lunar month according to the customs of their hometown to help relieve the spirits of the “brothers” who died suffering in Hong Kong. They also took the occasion to offer sacrifice to the gods and paid respects to their ancestors to invoke their blessings. Through organising and participating in the Yu Lan Festival, the Chiu Chow people connect with one another and the spirit of solidarity is thus enhanced. During the festival, an auction is held to raise funds. The Yu Lan Festival will offer offerings to the gods and then put those items up for believers to bid on, and the highest bidder wins. Generally, it is believed that these “blessed items” can ensure household safety and business prosperity. In addition, there is the activity of distributing ‘peace rice’ after the festival. At first, it aimed at helping those who were poor. Now, people are much richer, but the tradition continues because people believe that it can bring you ‘peace’ (a short Youtube video in Cantonese)

Bridging Buddhism and Chinese Culture through Kindness and Liberation

• Buddhism was introduced to China from India around the first century AD. Over centuries, it gradually became integrated with Chinese culture in a variety of ways, making it more acceptable to the Chinese people. The “Yu Lan Festival” is a perfect example. The rituals are symbolic acts of kindness and generosity that acknowledge the interconnectedness of all living things. The general public puts more emphasis on offering material support to their ancestors and wandering ghosts so that they can lead a more comfortable life in the other world. On the other hand, Buddhist not only aims at alleviating suffering and providing comfort to all hungry ghosts, but the ultimate goal is to liberating them from the hungry ghost realm.

Hugry Ghost(needle-thin throat and bloated belly, perceive water as flame):Cropped image by Tokyo National Museum, Emuseum On WikiMedia Commons

According to “The Buddha’s Discourse on the Scripture of the Spell for Saving the Burning-Mouth Hungry Ghost” (佛說救拔焰口餓鬼陀羅尼經):

• “……The Buddha then explained to Ananda, ‘I have a spell called The Wonderous Victorious Power of Unlimited Awesome Self-Existent Light ……’ …… take a clean vessel and using pure water set out a little drink and rice or various cakes and so on. Using the right hand put these in the vessel and recite the previous spell seven times. Afterward, invoke the names of the four Thus-Come Ones……Because of the power [generated by] invoking the name of the Thus-Come One Guang-pu-shen (Expansive-Body), one is able to make the throats of all the ghosts expand so that the food that is distributed can satisfy them……The Buddha told Ananda, ‘When good sons and others of your clan invoke the power of the names of the four Thus-Come Ones, they should snap their fingers seven times and take the rice vessel and sprinkle rice and water on purified ground. Having done this the distribution is complete and each of the hundreds of thousands of myriads of hungry ghosts in all the four quarters-ghosts as numberless as the sands of the Ganges — will have forty-nine ‘Magadha’ bushels of rice. Having received this rice they will be completely satisfied and all these ghosts and others will completely slough their ghost bodies and born in Heaven……’”

Beware: from mid-August to mid-September, the gates of hell will be opened. During that period, there are several taboos you must bear in mind.

Do not pick up coins from the street. You know, the coins are not for you. If you take them, the ghosts might follow you home!

Avoid getting close to walls. It is believed that ghosts don’t want to bump into you, so they will walk close to the wall.

Eat less grilled meat. Grilled meats are commonly used as offerings in Hong Kong. Therefore, some people believe that during the seventh lunar month, ghosts like to gather around barbecue shops, surrounding the roast to “smell the barbecue” or even “lick the barbecue”.

Be home before 11 p.m..After 11 p.m. is the time when yin and yang alternate and the spiritual energy is stronger. It is Ghost Month, and there are more ghosts wondering in the human world. Staying out late on the streets will increase the chance of encountering ghosts

If you find that the Chinese opera is performing at midnight but no audience is watching, Don’t sit down to watch the opera. Sometimes, the debut performances is for ghost 👻 only, may be it is “full house”.

If you hear your name being called at night behind you, don’t turn around and answer.

If you want to learn about the Savior of Hell, click that link

YouTube videos of Ullambana (2017 long version) and (2022 short version) held by Tsz Shan Monastery

YouTube videos off Yu Lan Festival in Hong Kong (2013）（2020）

If you’re going to visit Hong Kong and want to visit a temple, don’t miss the Tsz Shan Monastery. But you have to make a reservation, perhaps one month in advance.

Tsz Shan Monastery : Photo by Underwaterbuffalo on WikiMedia Commons

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