(ReligionForBreakfast) Writer: Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut.
Editor: Mark Henry. Executive producers: Daniel Cuevas, Jay Gotschalk, Producer: Lyndsay Ballew. Further reading:
R. Andrew Chesnut, Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint, 2011. RFB Patreon community: religionforbreakfast.
In Buddhism, HOW can we transfer our merit (good karma) to benefit the grateful dead, the dearly departed, those who have gone beyond so that it gets to them today?
(Lady of the Library): Cinzia DuBois is a part-time, self-funded doctoral (Ph.D.) student and writer, YouTuber, and podcaster. She has been creating videos for over 15 years. On this channel she talks about dark and ancient history, literature, and folklore. On a second channel, she discusses productivity, personal development, her doctoral thesis, academia, and mental well-being.
Mictēcacihuātl ("Lady of the Dead"), in Aztec mythology, is a [goddess] death deity and the consort of Mictlāntēcutli, the god of the dead [like Buddhism's Judge Yama in the underworld also known as Yama in Hinduism] and ruler of Mictlān, the lowest level of the underworld [1].
Her role is to watch over the bones of the dead and preside over the ancient festivals of the dead. These festivals evolved from Aztec traditions into the modern Day of the Dead after synthesis with invading Spanish traditions. She now presides over the contemporary festival as well. In this respect, the pseudo-Catholic cult of Santa Muerte owes much to her. More
The third edition of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saintoffers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte[female Saint Death], a skeleton saint whose cult has become the fastest growing new religious movement worldwide over the past two decades.
Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint's supernatural powers appeal to millions in Latin America, the USA, and beyond. Devotees believe the Bony Lady (as she is affectionately called) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Jude, two other giants of Mexican religiosity.
In particular, Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of fentanyl and marijuana; DEA agents and Mexican police often find her altars in the safe houses of drug smugglers.
Yet, Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints of both the Latin American and American religious landscapes. More
"Ghost Month" (the Seventh Month of the Chinese Lunisolar Calendar, corresponding to Sept. 6 to Oct. 6, 2025) is the time of the Ghost Festival (Yulanpen). It is observed among the Chinese diaspora population of the world, particularly in Chinatowns, Malaysia, Singapore, and anywhere Mahayana Buddhism dominates. Hungry ghosts or petas (Sanskrit pretas) are miserable being who have been reborn deprived due to unskillful karma (deeds).
If hungry ghosts, demons, and malignant spirits are living beings, and Buddhists cherish all sentient beings, how do we exorcise them when they create obstacles in our lives? Why did Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) convert angry subhuman beings into "protectors of the Dharma" (Dharmapalas)? Why did the great Tibetan sage Milarepa have long conversations with ghosts and demons? How do can humans protect against curses and black magic? What are Buddhism’s Protective Verses (Parittas), and how do we chant them? These questions are answered in this “Buddhist Guide to Exorcism: A Spirit Handler’s Guide” and demonstrate some of the methods. More: Buddha Weekly
The Hungry Ghost Realm: A Buddhist Teaching of Hope in Addiction
(Mythos & Logos) Complete Archives: Mythos & Logos. The Realm of Hungry Ghosts (peta-loka) is a plane of existence in Buddhist cosmology, an unfortunate destination, an afterlife marked by deprivation, suffering, and dependency.
The journey of one of the Buddha's chief disciples, Maha Moggallāna (Sanskrit Maudgalyayana, Chinese Mulian), to this realm provides a first step for how to break the vicious cycle of addiction borne of trauma.
Many of us have a "hungry ghost" (peta, preta) lurking inside of us. If anyone is struggling, please reach out to a professional as there are many great organizations, including @TWLOHA, filled with people trained and willing to help.*
00:31 Bhavachakra at Punakha Dzong, Bhutan, photographed by Bernard Gagnon, licensed under Creative Commons
00:49 The Six Realms of Birth, Edo Period Japan, British Museum
01:13 Ghosts from the Bangkok National Museum
01:26 Hungry Ghost Scroll, Kyoto National Museum
02:06 Unending Hunger
02:09 Hungry Ghost Scroll, Kyoto National Museum
02:50 Haunting Ghosts from the Thirty-Seven Nats
03:15 Dr. Gabor Maté, In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
03:54 Hungry Ghost Scroll, Kyoto National Museum
04:39 Maudgalyayana [Maha Moggallana] Rescuing His Mother, Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum
05:05 From Darkness
05:08 Ven. Maha Moggallana at Wat Olak Madu, Kedah, photographed by Ven. Anandajoti Bhikkhu, licensed under Creative Commons
05:38 Hungry Ghost Scroll, Kyoto National Museum
06:37 Yulanpen Sutra, Mahayana canon
07:12 Shakyamuni Buddha from the Dazu Rock Carvings, photographed by Michael Gunther, licensed under Creative Commons
07:42 Mulian Saves His Mother, 19th Century China
08:26 Into Light
08:30 Silk Roundel with Endless Knot Symbol, 19th Century China, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
09:00 Rahans Receiving Offerings, 19th Century Burma
09:18 Hungry Ghost Scroll, Kyoto National Museum
09:57 Offering at Hong Kong Ghost Festival, photographed by Rose Tim Wing Mxuiek, licensed under Creative Commons
10:10 Begging monk in Himeji, photographed by Nesnad, licensed under Creative Commons
10:20 Mukaebi of the Bon Festival, photographed by Batholith
10:55 Conclusion
10:59 Homeless man in New York, photographed by CGP Grey, licensed under Creative Commons
11:09 The Drinker by Albert Anker
11:26 Sinhalese manuscript, photographed by Wellcome Images, licensed under Creative Commons
11:51 Floating Lanterns, photographed by San Lie, licensed under Creative Commons
12:25 Hungry Ghost Scroll, Kyoto National Museum Ambient - The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
ABOUT: Mythos and Logos are two ancient words that can be roughly translated as “Story and Meaning.”
Support the channel by subscribing, liking, and commenting to join the conversation.
Patreon: mythosandlogos. The purpose of this channel is to share the important stories at the foundation of human cultures throughout history. These include mythology, legends, folktales, religious stories, and parables from the dawn of history to the modern day. This channel provides interpretations and insight into these stories, to find and apply their meaning to contemporary life. All stories covered are treated academically. This channel makes no claims regarding the historical, scientific, or religious truth of these tales. Rather, its goal is to find the meanings understood by their authors and apply them to the modern world.
*All channel income from October 31-November 30, 2021, donated to To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) to help the Hungry Ghosts around us every day. Thanks for supporting an organization that helps those who are struggling.
(NBCLA) Take a peek at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, an amusement park where many scary things were once filmed for the big studio system.
It's that time of year again when The Veil is thin between the worlds/dimensions and the dead mingle with the living. What we call the Halloween season is Obon in Buddhist Japan, Samhain in Celtic Ireland, and Dia de Los Muertos in Mexico and Latin America.
These ancient beliefs and customs are linked to some reality, not just make believe swept away by a colonial missionary religion that says no to heathen paganism and tries to enforce worship of its imperial deity.
Obon (お盆 [1]) or just Bon (盆 [2][a]) is a fusion of the ancient Japanese belief in ancestral spirits and a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's deceased ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon Odori. More: Obon
QUESTION: Can meditation cultivate merit (punya) to transfer to the dead?
ANSWER: Yes, intensive sitting meditation is one way to cultivate skillful qualities like stillness, silence, calm, peace, serenity, contentment, joy (piti), bliss (sukha), and insight (vipassana) through fourfold mindfulness (satipatthana).
Can we meditate to help the dead?
Another way, particularly if dealing with monkey mind or a sugar rush is mindful walking to cultivate "being here now," holding attention on the present moment, the present action (walking), and slowing down to pay attention rather than operating on automatic pilot.
Yet another way is to engage in skillful action (feeding others, giving, letting go of things we cling to, offering help, compassion to alleviate the suffering of others, developing joy in the joy of others, equanimity or looking on with unbiased spreading of attention to make our love, compassion, and joy-in-others'-joy universal and unbounded).
And just when this is done, one utters the "mantra" or "prayer" or dedication of merit, bringing to mind those to whom we are making the offering:
To “share or transfer merits,” sincerely say: “May [so and so] receive merits from this good deed that I have done.” And to cultivate boundless loving-kindness (metta) add: “May ALL beings be free from the suffering in the apāyā.”
In both cases, we are BROADCASTING our intention of goodwill and compassion in offering help. PureDhamma.net
NOTE: One does not lose merit by giving but rather multiplies and compounds it.
The mistake Americans make about the Day of the Dead is that it's mournful, when it's really all about life and living, food and celebrating, remembering and loving. Goths may love the look, but it's uplifting.
The Bodhisattva Guanyin (Kwan Yin): Goddess of Compassion
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“May the merit and virtue accrued from this work adorn the Buddha's Pure Lands. Repaying four kinds of kindness above and aiding those suffering in the paths below, may those who see and hear of this all bring forth the resolve for Bodhi (enlightenment) and, when this retribution-body is over, be reborn together in ultimate bliss.” Transference of Merit (abuddhistlibrary.com)
Vajrayana
A tulku returns to help others.
In the initial stages of our journey of self-cultivation, most of us may still be inclined to transfer merit only to ourselves, our family members, and/or our loved ones. It is superior to broaden that giving to all sentient beings to make it universal and unbounded by self-interest.
Self may be the focal point of our efforts when we start practicing Buddhism. As practice deepens and our understanding of Buddhism becomes more profound, the capacity of the heart will gradually expand. This makes us more willing to share merits with all sentient beings.
The Vedic Brahmins' Cosmic Buddha Vairocana
The practice of merit transfer involves dissolving and reducing our sense of separation and selfishness, thereby cultivating boundless love, compassion, and unbiased equanimity.
The sharing of merit is most supreme, complete, and without outflows (defilements) when our mind/heart is capable of expanding giving to include all sentient beings.
A thanksgiving prayer for the (grateful) dead
To help all sentient beings be liberated from suffering and attain happiness, we generate the Bodhi mind of attaining Buddhahood and transfer our merit to all sentient beings.
We can vow to use the limited power of our vows to resonate with the infinite, compassionate vows of the various Cosmic Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and attain supreme enlightenment along with all sentient beings. More
(Andy Spits) The Day of the Dead in Oaxaca City, Mexico. We had the chance to spend the night in a cemetery in Oaxaca (\wah-ha-kah\) during El Dia de Los Muertos with local people. This night was magical. Why? The conception of death for Indigenous Mexican people is very different from our Eurocentric conception, and we really like this much more traditional point of view.
He lives in Orange County.
Of course, love. Of course, honor. Of course, remember. The dead are grateful. The dead may need our help (so we can transfer merit to aid them out of a bad way they may have fallen into.
After all, what is "family"? It extends seven generations out, and among all those people it is said that it is impossible that not one of them has fallen into a bad way (niraya), an unfortunate destination. (Is it a coincidence that the Indigenous people, the Native Americans, also concerns themselves with seven generations?) So what we offer, if it is not needed by that particular person for whom we make the offering or ofrenda at the altar, other extended family members in need may partake of it and be given ("transferred") good karma, which is needed everywhere at all times.
nails it down in Theravada texts and commentaries explained below*
Mexican Buddhists
Somos Aztecas y Maya, y si no se van las almas (los muertos) al cenote (la tierra), donde van?
Nuestra Senora Guanyin of Guadalupe
The only other people who spend a night in the cemetery for any good reason are Buddhist monastics training to contemplate and be mindful of death (maranasati).
Why would anyone contemplate it? Just as traditional filial piety says to hold on to loved ones, to cling to them, to never forget, Buddhist wisdom says to let go, detach, set them free. In this way they can come back, are not stuck, and go on living.
The ruling sky-gods are hard to please.
They did not "die" in the sense of ending, stopping, or finishing. The Wheel of Life and Death keeps turning, does not stop turning, fits the other side of the coin to the process. How can there be an inside without an outside? How can we really ever "live" if all we do is fear that it will end and all will be lost? Sure, these trivial things and possessions will be pulled from us, but not all will be lost. Our character, the habits we built up, and our store of deeds (karma) is carried from here to the beyond.
Patti-dāna is literally "giving of the acquired," that is, "transferring merit." Though very seldom mentioned in the older texts (e.g., A.VII.50), it is a widespread custom in all Buddhist countries.
The merit of morality (sila), especially that which is acquired by giving alms to monastics and the needy, can be transferred to others. This is so that one's own good deeds may become to others, especially to departed relatives and friends reborn in the ghost realm, an inducement to a happy and morally wholesome state of mind. (That is the secret of how it works).
Naked hungry ghosts in rags, hounded by dogs
Transferring merit is advocated (without mentioning the term patti-dāna) in the Tirokudda Sutta (Khp. and Petavatthu) and its Commentary (Khp. Tr.).
It is one of the ten "bases of meritorious action" (puñña-kiriya-vatthu, where it is called pattānuppadāna, App.).
Let's party till we're dead then go to the cemetery
The Day of the Dead is said to be on Nov. 2, but it is preceded by a visit and/or an overnight stay in the cemetery on Nov. 1.
Halloween is celebrated on Oct. 31 because it is based on All Hallows' Eve (the Catholic Church version attempting to usurp the heathens), making All Hallows' Day Nov. 1, the exact date of the events of the commencing of the original Day of the Dead.
Nov. 2 is the wrapping up of the previous night's celebration. Therefore, this "day" is carried out over two days.
We're here to civilize you. - With that Book?
Sadly, now in the USA, we have gotten it further twisted: We have become The Dead. Why? We dress up, haunt others, trick or treat, and cram ourselves full of sugar-laden candy, leaving Nov. 1 and 2 to be days of sickness with stomachaches and sensitive teeth, making ourselves ripe for possession, our immunity compromised by the shock of glucose spikes, in need of purging, walking around like traumatized zombies.
It's odd how the ancients knew this was a special time for peering between realms. Irish Scottish Celtic Samhain (Sauin), European paganism, Wicca remembered that before they were all but exterminated by Judeo-Christianity's Old Testament God of Genocide.
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