The Benefit of Giving & Dedication of Merit

: Buddha spoke on Ghosts (Petas), who walk through walls & who need our help: Outside the walls they stand and wait, and at the junctions and road-forks, Returning to their prior homes, urging! They wait beside the posts of gates. But when a rich feast is set out with food & drink of every kind, remember the fact that few humans do recall: These pellucid ghosts was created from their past own acts. So they who are compassionate, who have a heart to give to their relatives such drink and food as may be pure. And good and fitting at these times: Then let this food be for the ghost relatives; May the ghost relatives have some happiness.! These ghosts of the departed of my family Foregathered and assembled there will eagerly their blessing give. For plentiful rich food and drink: So may our relatives live long, Owing to whom we have this gain, for honour to us has thus been done, No giver ever lacked the sweet fruit. In the dimension of these Ghosts, There is never any ploughing there, nor any cattle-herding found, Nor merchandizing just the same, nor bartering for coin of gold: The ghosts of your departed family, live there on anything given only here; As water showered on the hill, flows down to reach the hollow vale, So giving given here can serve the ghosts of your departed family. As river-beds, when full can bear the water down to fill the sea, So giving given here can serve the ghosts of the departed family there. He gave to me, he worked for me, he was my family, friend, & intimate! Give gifts, then, for departed ones, recalling what they used to do. No weeping, nor yet sorrowing, nor any kind of mourning, helps the Departed Ones, whose family remain unhelpful to them acting thus silly. But when this offering is given and well placed in the Sangha Community For them, then it can serve them long in future and at once as well. The True Dhamma for relatives has here been shown, and how high honour to departed ones is done, and how the Bhikkhus can be given strength as well, And how great merit can be stored away by you. Therefore: Dedicate the merit of any gift to your hungry Ghost Family! The suffer a lot, wailing in despair, but in vain, repenting their evil deeds. There are ghost who only can feed on: corpses, or excrement, or abortions, or menstruation, or ash, or earth, or glowing embers and many similar pains... Ghost existence is mainly the result of stealing and cheating with values! More on this dreadful Ghost existence! From the Canonical Tipitaka: Minor Anthologies Vol 4, Vimanavatthu & Petavatthu http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=130738 http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Hungry_Ghost_Rebirth.htm http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPPN/pu/peta_vatthu.htm Video also featuring Ghosts and their sad fate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QDBHCxvX-Q The Hungry Ghosts... Have a nice & noble day! Friendship is the Greatest! Bhikkhu Samāhita _/\_ ] http://What-Buddha-Said.net