DEDICATION OF MERITS TO OUR DEPATED RELATIVES
Exemlified by the Tirokudda Sutta, Khuddaka Nikaya
INTRODUCTION
Petas are beings from one of the three Woeful States the other two being Niraya (Hell) and Tiracchanayoni (Realm of Animals1). The Petayoni is less woeful than the Niraya but more woeful than the Tiracchanayoni.
The word peta is not synonymous with hungry ghost, but a hungry ghost for what it means in Hokkien as go-kui is only one type of peta. The word hungry ghost lacks formal documentation, whereas the word peta was documented by The Buddha as one type of beings from one the 31 planes of existence in the universe.
Stories about petas were connected with real life situations during the lifetime of The Buddha. On some occasions The Buddha directly explained the cause for attaining the existence of a peta having encountered them himself; while the other occasions were reported to The Buddha by his bhikkhus and people who had come across petas. Please refer to the Petavatthu in order to see what evil actions that bring about birth as petas.
A good portion of the stories of petas have been grouped into the fifth Nikaya, the Khuddaka Nikaya, under Petavatthu, or the Stories of Petas. For more details please refer to the Paramatthadipani nama petavatthu-atthakatha, of the Pali Text Society, London.
Hungry Ghosts ?
As told in the Petavatthu, some petas are incessantly hungry because their mouths are as small as a needle point; however, they do not die of hunger as their unwholesome kamma ripens in a peculiar way to make them suffer immensely from an insatiable hunger. This type of petas is perhaps the go-kui referred to in Chinese beliefs. Not all petas suffer in this manner. Some petas can be released from their suffering by receiving the merits dedicated to them by the next-of-kin who are living.
While some 'lucky' petas have next-of-kin (who believe in the Triple Gem) to depend on for their end of their woe, the 'not-so-fortunate' petas have to wait for an almost impossible chance for someone to help them. [A peta who gains rebirth in a happy realm, the human realm or a celestial realm is only a temporary state of affairs just like any being has to go through in Samsara.
Upon cessation of life in any realm, beings take rebirth in another realm depending on their kamma.] As the Sangha with the Tathagata as its head is the unsurpassable field of merit (in all the worlds), the performance of alms-giving to The Buddha and the Ariya Sangha is the most efficacious for the transference of such merits to the petas for their release from suffering.
Nowadays, alms-giving to the Sangha represented by four Higher Ordained Bhikkhus is the way to reap the merits to be passed to the departed next-of-kin who have been reborn as petas. Petas who are 'desperate' for merits will usually approach their next-of-kin who are still living in the human realm (though the minority may approach strangers; such 'strangers' now could have been their relatives in the incalculable past); making eerie noises, appearing in their dreams during sleep and even cause themselves to be visible to them.
Thus, these class of Departed Relative Petas (nati); and they can recognize their living next-of-kin, their former abodes, and the past deeds which caused them to be such. All petas know by what evil deed they had carried out immediately before their current life that caused their woe and they can even give a lesson or two to humans.
Take for example the story of a group of traders from Savatthi who had done their business at Uttarapatha and were returning to their city; they camped a night at a place where a hideous peta was around. The peta revealed himself to the traders. When asked who he was, the peta related by what specific deeds he had done that made him thus.
The peta said that if the traders pertormed an alms-giving to the Buddha and dedicated the merit to him, he would be released from the wretched condition (else he would have to wait until the evil kamma wears off). The traders observed precepts and gave alms to The Buddha and the Sangha. Later The Buddha taught Dhamma connected with the Law of Kamma. The audience abandoned thoughts of evil and took delight in meritorious deeds (Dhanapala Peta Story)
It has to be borne in mind that only The Buddha, by virtue of his Sabbanu Nana (Omniscience) was able to recount the past lives of beings without limit and know the inter-relationship between the kamma of beings. Thus, whenever an encounter with a peta was told to The Buddha, past events related to the peta dating back to many kappas ago could be recounted by The Buddha.
Petas are free to roam, but within boundaries wrought by their kamma. For example, if they are attached to a certain house or an heirloom at the moment of death, they may be reborn as a peta in the vicinity of these assets. Most petas are dreadful to the sight. For various reasons peculiar to the ordinary human, the presence of petas are at times 'detected' via any of the five sense objects: sight, sound, odour, bodily feeling, and thoughts; for example a sudden horrible smell at a place with no possible source of this odour; an indescribable fearful bodily feeling of a 'presence.' The 'worst' case is they reveal themselves.
However, do not be mistaken that all petas are ugly, foul-smelling creatures. Some petas are endowed with merits and even have their own vehicles, for example a horse (as in Ambasakkhara Peta Story), living in mansions (in the air, oceans, forests, deserts, etc.), and possessed supernormal powers but all of them have some defects that make them suffer greatly, for example nakedness, defective bodies, insatiable hunger, off-sized bodies, and loneliness.
As mentioned in many stories in the Petavatthu certain types of petas capable of having intimate relationships with humans.
Earth-bound Spirits
The earth-bound (terrestrial) spirits (or called earth-bound devata) are classed together with the petas, though they are more 'fortunate' in certain ways than the woeful petas. They reside in trees, caves, gateways; and even in occupied houses where they are called house devata. Some of these beings may at times exude pleasant odour akin to flowers or cause themselves to glow with light. They can render certain favours to worldlings (who choose to communicate with them) in return for specific rituals and sacrifices; and vent their wrath on whoever (intentionally or unintentionally) annoy them.
Some description of petas mentioned in the Petavatthu ·
An earth-bound spirit residing in a banyan tree
A peta whose body exuded light but having a face like that of a boar.
A peta with a beautiful complexion but had worms in his putrid smelling mouth.
A peta who resided in a doll ·
Departed relatives petas of King Bimbisara of 92 kappas ago.
A peti (female peta) who devoured the sons which she delivered, surrounded by flies and foul-smelling.
An ox-faced peta
A peta who fed on excrement, urine, pus, and blood.
A peti who resided in the middle of the ocean in her mansion; with beautiful long hair but naked.
A peta and a peti who clubbed each other with huge iron hammers and drank each others' blood while cursing each other.
A naked peti who was emaciated with prominent veins and protruding ribs.
A dark red-eyed peti with fangs ·
A peta with body the size of a tree trunk and tongue sticking out of his parched throat. ·
A peti with a mansion on the shore of a great lake surrounded by lotuses, enjoying celestial comfort by day and suffering by night -- being devoured by a huge terrifying black dog which cast her bones into a lotus pond and she regained her life each time.
Correct way of helping the Departed Next-of kin petas relieve themselves from suffering.
The Buddha had confirmed that the dedication of merits resulting from a wholesome deed to the departed next-of-kin petas is the true and effectual way of helping them overcome their defects and later gain a good rebirth. [It directly proves that the wrong practices of burning this-and-that, sacrificing livestock, chanting of mantras, etc. are ineffectual for the helping of these petas.]
Some petas already know that their only quick release (depending on conditions) from suffering is to receive a dedication of merits resulting from a great wholesome action; and they learn this truth from other petas as mentioned in the Tirokudda Sutta.
Pertormance of alms-giving to the unsurpassable field of merit, i.e. the Sangha formed by The Buddha is the best way for the cultivation of merits necessary to bring the most effective results to the departed-next-of-kin petas. The efficacy of this practice was proven many a time during The Buddha's time as documented in the Petavatthu
12 March 2023
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