Seeking Blessings of our Supreme, Enlightened Teacher in the Month of the Hungry Ghost
O Bhagawana, you subdued the four Demonic forces —
The destructive thoughts, the lord of death,
The afflicted psychophysical aggregates, and the demonic spirits.
Who, as of today, is more caring and compassionate?
— The Sutra of the Supreme Moon (Chandrottara-darika–vyakarana, Bu mozlamchoggi lung bstan pa)
We, at Maha Tare Buddhist Centre, are pleased to organise “Buddha Shakyamuni Puja” at Maha Tare Centre on 28 August 2015 (Friday) from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The puja is intended to help counter and overcome all negative forces and influences associated with ‘the month of the hungry ghost’, which corresponds to the 7th month of Chinese lunar calendar.
According to Asian folk religious culture, as well as in Chinese Buddhist and Daoist traditions, it is believed that the gates of hell remain open this entire month and that hungry ghosts return to the human world for food and to clear any unsettled scores. For centuries, people have resorted to different rituals to appease hungry ghosts of the deceased by laying food, drinks, and provisions. This is done with the hope that it will satisfy the forlorn spirits and prevent them from intruding on people’s lives or causing harms and misfortunes.
Maha Tare Buddhist Centre is therefore pleased to serve the community by organising one of the most effective rituals—“the Buddha Shakyamuni Puja”. The puja will be based on a Tibetan Nyingma Buddhist ritual called “Treasury of Blessings: The Worship of Buddha Shakyamuni (Phon. Thub-chokjin-lab ter-dzö)”, which involves recollecting the deeds, praising the qualities, and worshipping the representations of our supreme teacher.
The ritual is based on the conviction that Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment by subduing the four demonic forces (Skt. māra) — i. destructive thoughts, ii. afflicted psychophysical aggregates, iii. death, and iv. demons and ghosts. And that it was accomplished through his unconditional love and compassion for all beings including demons and ghosts and through his infallible wisdom understanding conventional and ultimate realities of all things. Our Centre is therefore pleased to facilitate the puja to help purify our negativities accrued through many countless eons and save us from the recurrence of these four demonic forces in future. All in all, the puja is intended in empowering us to see demons, ghosts, and other non-humans as objects of our compassion. It also seeks the Buddha’s blessing to guide these beings who have temporarily lost their sense of directions and keep us far from all harms and misfortunes.
Event details
Date: 28 August 2015 (Friday)
Time: 8:00pm to 9:30pm
Venue: Maha Tare Buddhist Centre – 658A Geylang Road Singapore 389588