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Taoism in the practical form of psychological needs, offer those immediate relief to the relatives and friends of the recent departed ones when some form of paper money <not real> paper copies of everything a living person may need are burnt up as offerings to the departing person for sacrifices for the departed. It may be knowingly unreal and a form of make-belief but it does help to release the psychological stress and feelings of filial love expressed by the those alive and understanding that something had been done for the dead. It may look foolish but what when life is so illusionary and can be considered as make-believe too ? Ultimately they all said, it is all believing that is the point! This is the kind of Taoism in practice in Singapore by supporters of the religion or the age old Taoism traditions.

• Opposite Picture on the left: A festival during the the fifteen day of the seven month <Lunar Calender> known as the hungry ghost festival generally an elaborate affairs in Singapore .

[edit] The Origin of the hungry Ghost Festival

Commonly known as the 'Hungry Ghost Festival', the correct term to be would be 'the zhong Yuan Festival'.

The Zhong Yuan Festival, commonly called Half Seven, is set on the 15th of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. According to legend, all ghosts are set free from hell on that day and so folk people commonly hold offerings to ghosts. The ghosts are then able to seek salvation and repent. As a rule, those who suffered death recently must see their new tomb, and local people give sacrifice to lone souls and wandering ghosts. So, this is a festival totally focused on offering to ghosts. It is the major ghost festival in Chinese folk culture.

The seventh lunar month is the minor autumn when some crops ripen. Folk people as a rule offer to ancestors with new rice to report the harvest.The people in ancient China, on the day before the Festival of Zhong Yuan, will buy fragrant leaves for spreading on the sacrifice table, and tie small bowls of grains to the the foot of table to report the harvest to the ancestors. In the minor autumn of the seventh month when some crops ripen, the Chinese, stressing filial piety, as a rule offer new rice to ancestors and report the harvest. So people hold offerings to the ancestors in the seventh month. In the Eastern Han, Daoism set three meeting days and five days of offerings. The 7th of the 7th month was the Moral Offering Day as well as the middle meeting day when Taoists received examinations in the Diocese office. The five days of offering were focused on offerings to ancestors. The day in the seventh month was set on the 15th, as it became the birthday of the Earthly Official of the Middle Origin.

The Zhong Yuan Festival is both a religious and a folk festival. Early Daoism worshiped the Three Officials. The Orthodox Oneness Tradition (Zheng Yi Taoist Sect) believed in the Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official and the Water Official, who were later called the Three Great Official Emperors 8. They each have their respective tasks: the Heavenly Official of the Upper Origin gives blessings; the Earthly Official of the Middle Origin pardons sins; the Water Official of the Lower Origin dispels misfortune. Daoist books say that on the Three Origin days, the Three Officials examine people's merits and sins and decide on corresponding rewards and punishments. The Earthly Official, in charge of hell, surely focuses on examining ghosts and souls. On this day, all ghosts must leave the realm of the dead to accept examinations. Taoists celebrate the birthday of the Earthly Official with offering rites; Daoist believers have offering rites set to bless their ancestors, pardon their sins and pray for them to ascend to heaven early. This is the main reason that the Middle Origin day became a folk festival.

The 15th of the 7th month is also the Buddhist Ulabhama festival. Ulabhama is a Sanskrit word that means loosening upside-down hanging. According to legend, Mujianlian, a disciple of the Buddha, asked the Buddha how to save his mother who was suffering in hell for her vicious deeds in life. Buddha told him that by offering food for the Sangha on their Dismissal Day, one can save souls from misery in hell. According to Buddhist rule, monks sit in meditation in temples without going out from the middle of the 4th month until the 15th of the 7th month, which is called the Dismissal Day, when monks can come out and accept believers' gifts. Chinese Buddhists created the Ulabhama Sutra to spread it and formed the custom of offering food for souls and ghosts. Thus, the festival is characterized by offering to ancestors and lone ghosts on Middle Origin day, and saving souls from hell and giving food to ghosts, in combination of Buddhism and Taoism. It is the most important ghost festival in folk culture.

The folk activities centre on sacrificing to ancestors and lone souls. Also, the City God processions save the wrongly dead; Taoist and Buddhist temples hold universal salvation rituals; and people see new tombs. As Chinese migrated to Southeast Asia, the custom of the Zhong Yuan Festival was brought to this area. The activities in SE Asia cities are very popular and famous.

Origin of the Ullambana Festival

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 small, 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 small 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.

[edit] Back to Christian's point of view

For the Taoist, some believe that this festival also marks the birthday of the Officer in charge Earth and its occasion for them to ask for forgiveness from the Officer (Ti Guan Da Ti).

N.B.Much like the western culture’s Halloween, some Eastern cultures celebrate a fall festival where they believe the gates of hell are thrown open, releasing hungry ghosts to wander the earth in search of food and taking revenge upon those who wronged them in their life. This month-long festival is known as the hungry ghost festival and takes place during the 7th lunar month.

• goto see our New Year celebrations and festival of the lanterns

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[edit] Incense smoke a cause for concerned

see article on 'cancer

[edit] A Note To Christians

This is an issue with many Christians here in Singapore. Majority of Christians understand that to be filial is one of the commandments of the Bible in the Old Testament. However a belief in the One true God means abhorrence and against all idolatry and false worship <including ancestral worship> especially with ghosts and spirit of so-called departed death, is forbidden! Thus, we have a problem> this is not a option to follow Jesus and idols together in the same sphere of religion or worship! We can try, but the God <Jesus> won't be pleased. To please God or our dead ancestors? The Bible explicitly reveals that the death have no part with the living but the worship of spirits and ancestral spirits is quite real!

For the matured Christians they likely understand that such familiar spirits were not ancestral spirits but counterfeits of the ancestors. That 's why the Bible explained it as familiar spirits. Christians are therefore forbidden to deal with such worship and fanfares, so others in Singapore understand this respect, and they usually are tolerant with their Christian beliefs, even though the practice of such false<ancestral> worship is so real. Personally I<as a Christian> do not participate in such <ancestral>worship but I have to respect all my friends and relatives, just as they do respect mine165.21.154.112 08:47, 26 Jul 2005 (SGT)Someone said, You cannot talk to the dead anymore , they are all dead! Or just some people said 'the dead tell no lies'!

• • • goto see overcoming Power of God over the fear of all principalities and dominions in the so-called occult world