Offering Ceremony In The Spirit Of The Nikaya.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.

 

According to Buddhist scriptures, the spirit that if the use of food that life, equivalent to beings in the realm of hungry ghosts. So incense is a language of the world, can receive donation of goods. The Bible records that: "That person, after his own destruction, became born in the hungry ghost realm. The food of beings, how hungry ghosts, there, they live with that dish; There, he exists with that dish. What dish do your friends, or friends, or relatives, or blood relatives from there want to offer for him, where he lives with that dish; There, he exists with that dish. This She-la-Mon, this is the same, originated here, he was the benefit of alms [4]. In fact, there are many types of beings in the demon realm, depending on the merit and different karma, so there are many types of beings in the demons. The food we offer, in proportion to that karma, has perception. Theravada and Mahayana sutras often refer to demons that are blessed and stately, demons who lack blessings of suffering and hunger. There are species of demons that often appear in space, only the eyesight can see them. This is clearly recorded in the Nikaya Sutta, when the Venerable Maudallana (Maha Moggallana) sees that there are many strange species that ordinary people cannot see, and the Buddha confirms that through the following Sutta. : “Formerly, monks, I saw that being but I did not say. If I have said, others would not believe Me. And those who do not believe in Me, they will suffer unhappiness and long suffering. ”[5]. Theravada and Mahayana sutras often refer to demons that are blessed and stately, demons who lack blessings of suffering and hunger. There are species of demons that often appear in space, only the eyesight can see them. This is clearly recorded in the Nikaya Sutta, when the Venerable Maudallana (Maha Moggallana) sees that there are many strange species that ordinary people cannot see, and the Buddha confirms that through the following Sutta. : “Formerly, monks, I saw that being but I did not say. If I have said, others would not believe Me. And those who do not believe in Me, they will suffer unhappiness and long suffering. ”[5]. Theravada and Mahayana sutras often refer to demons that are blessed and imposing, demons that lack suffering and hunger. There are species of demons that often appear in space, only the eyesight can see. This is clearly recorded in the Nikaya Sutta, when the Venerable Maudallana (Maha Moggallana) sees that there are many strange species that ordinary people cannot see, and the Buddha confirms that through the following Sutta. : "Formerly, monks, I saw that being but I did not say. If I have said, others would not believe Me. And those who do not believe in Me, they will suffer unhappiness and long suffering. ”[5]. When Venerable Maudgalyāyana (Maha Moggallana) saw that there were many strange monsters that ordinary people could not see, and the Buddha confirmed that through the following Sutta: "There, monks, I have see beings that but I did not say. If I have said, others would not believe Me. And those who do not believe in Me, they will suffer unhappiness and long suffering. ”[5]. When Venerable Maudgalyāyana (Maha Moggallana) saw that there were many strange monsters that ordinary people could not see, and the Buddha confirmed that through the following Sutta: "There, monks, I have see beings that but I did not say. If I have said, others would not believe Me. And those who do not believe in Me, they will suffer unhappiness and long suffering. ”[5].

In this article, only based on the Nikaya base to verify the meaning of the actual worship ceremony which has its origin in the two Buddhist traditions. If you do not understand the positive meaning and method of this ritual and if you apply the sacrificial ritual in the form of extreme Te Dan of Brahmanism and pagan, there is certainly no good blessing. A ceremony full of meaningful sacrifices needs food donation and the use of grammar to declare the spirit, hungry ghosts and morality awareness to discharge attachment, attachment and soon liberation. The issue here needs to be clearly aware of the spirit of the donor and the object offered in the practice of wisdom, in order to have benefits.

1. The Donor

a) The donor by unwholesome method

People who donate food with unwholesome dharma will get bad karma, because killing living beings for sacrifices will create three bad karma from body, mouth and mind, which will surely lead to unintended results. This is recorded in the Sutta Prayer by the Priesthood, when Buddha answered Brahmin Uggatasarìra. This Brahmin intends to set fire, erect the altar, kill hundreds of cows, sheep, pigs as food offerings to pray for great blessings. The Buddha bluntly criticized that it was unwholesome action that only led to suffering in this life and the next. He taught, " This, Brahmin, who ignites the fire and sets up the stake. before the altar sacrifice, erected these three swords, leading to suffering, heterosexual suffering ” . [first] (Building up three swords is an example for the three evil karmas of body, mouth and mind, because you have killed the living beings to make food sacrifices blindly.) Thereby we understand that, in Vietnamese Folk, if the individual family, or the tradition of the village and they, with any sacrificial rituals that kill and harm animals will lead to the same suffering as the sacrifices. and objects of worship.

b) Offering practical experiments with good deeds

People who donate by good deeds will lead to blessings, they do not kill living beings to give meat to donate, use pure offerings of sacrifice. This Dharma consecration shows the virtue of compassion to help beings escape from the realm of poverty. In the Buddhist Sangha, the Buddha explained to the Brahmins as follows: " Brahmin, at which altar in which no cow is killed, no sheep and sheep killed, no pigs and chickens are killed." kill, no other creatures will be killed. This Brahmin, I praised the kind of sacrifice without killing, that is to make alms, pray for happiness for the family. These types of sacrifices do not have such killing, Brahmin, the Arhats and those who are on the path towards the Arhats, have come. " [2] Through the passage above, the content clearly affirmed, sacrifices do not kill living beings is a good retribution, worthy of praise.

1. 2.  Subjects are worshiped

a)                Being born as a human is difficult (This meaning is of a legal nature, in the grammar of rituals that the spirit of ghosts and ghosts need to recognize)

The terms Huong Linh and Vong Linh only refer to lay people who died. The term Giac Linh is only for people who have virtue and virtue to die. Here, the saints, renunciation of samsara we do not discuss in the story of giving. According to the wisdom of the Buddha, those who do not practice good dharma, who kill, steal, deviant conduct and evil speech, when dying are not born in heaven, cannot be reborn as humans, most of them enter the realm low as hell, hungry ghosts and animals. The Buddha taught, " Bhikkhus, less beings after death from a human body, being reborn as a human being." And more than beings after death from a human body, must be reborn in a hungry ghost realm  [3]. The beings in this species, most of them suffer from hunger and strange shapes, most wish for the food donation of the people. Offering and object receiving must have the same. In worship culture of Vietnamese people, whenever people worship, people set two tables, upper and lower tables. The upper table offers flowers, fruits and pure water to worship gods and beings in high realms, called the Thien table. The lower table is a common food offering as living people often use it, such as rice, rice porridge, and fruit cakes to make offerings to the incense, called the spirit table. Tantric philosophy. The worshiper of monks invited the chanting, praying for the blessings of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas, helping them to feel full and escape suffering.

b) Offering food, why should we introduce incense in the worshiping ceremony?

According to Buddhist scriptures, the spirit that if the use of food that life, equivalent to beings in the realm of hungry ghosts. So incense is a language of the world, can receive donation of goods. The Bible records that: " That person, after his own destruction, became born in the hungry ghost realm. The food of beings, how hungry ghosts, there, they live with that dish; There, he exists with that dish. What dish do your friends, or friends, or relatives, or blood relatives from there want to offer for him, where he lives with that dish; There, he exists with that dish. This She-la-Mon, this is the same, originated here, he was the benefit of alms  [4] . In fact, there are many types of beings in the demon realm, depending on the merit and different karma, so there are many types of beings in the demons. The food we offer, in proportion to that karma, has perception. Theravada and Mahayana sutras often refer to demons that are blessed and stately, demons who lack blessings of suffering and hunger. There are species of demons that often appear in space, only the eyesight can see them. This is clearly recorded in the Nikaya Sutta, when the Venerable Maudallana (Maha Moggallana) sees that there are many strange species that ordinary people cannot see, and the Buddha confirms that through the following Sutta. : "Formerly, Bhikkhus, I saw that being, but I did not say. If I have said, others would not believe Me. And those who do not believe in Me, they will suffer unhappiness and long suffering. ” [5] .

There are those who die again in the species fund still relatives relatives. A detail in the Sutta Path of the Venerable Velukantakì and the talk of Sariputta proves it. The sutta reads as follows:  “Here, Venerable, my husband, when the general network, born into the type of yaksha, and he appeared before me, with a self like before. But Mr. Ton, I know, because of that predestined relationship, my mind has changed. [6]  Thus, though through other lives, the impression of what was in the previous life still exists, so the demons still cling to relatives and past living circumstances. So, in addition to the offering, it is also necessary to use the Buddha's teaching, enlighten the spirit, hungry ghosts to renounce the attachment to craving elements for liberation.

1. Conclude

Buddhism does not have to establish the goal of realization through ritual sacrifice. But performing real sacrificial rituals for the deceased by pure articles, not killing living beings as sacrifices, is praised by the Buddha. Such practical French experiments are not derived from the pagan threshold that is. Because through grammar in the ceremony, the spirits of hungry ghosts receive the Buddha's teaching.

We should look at sentient beings who are lost in the realm of suffering, maybe they have been our parents, ancestors, relatives, for many lifetimes, they deserve to be rewarded and receive fathers offering. It is a practical and fruitful work that deserves respect.

In modern life, people chase material values, easily forgetting the favor of their loved ones who have passed away. Practicing alms, including Dharma, always fosters and inspires Buddhism's spirit of salvation and joy for sentient beings in this life and the afterlife./. END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.15/10/2019.