Y OU went to the trouble to send me by messenger a donation for the service for your deceased ancestors of one to of polished rice as white as snow, a bamboo container of oil like well-aged sake, and one thousand coins. In particular, I was very much moved by the contents of your letter.
The service for deceased ancestors has its origins in the events arising from the Venerable Maudgalyayana’s attempts to save his mother, Shodai-nyo, who, because of her karma of greed and stinginess, had fallen into the world of hungry spirits for a period of five hundred lifetimes. He failed, however, to make his mother a Buddha. The reason was that he himself was not yet a votary of the Lotus Sutra, and so he could not lead even his mother to Buddhahood. At the eight-year assembly on Eagle Peak, he embraced the Lotus Sutra and chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and became Tamalapattra Sandalwood Fragrance Buddha.1 At this time, his mother also became a Buddha.2
You also asked about offerings for the hungry spirits. The third volume of the Lotus Sutra says, “Suppose that someone coming from a land of famine should suddenly encounter a great king’s feast.”3 This passage is explaining that the four great voice-hearers,4 who were of intermediate capacity, had not
yet even heard of the delicacy called ghee, but when this sutra was expounded, they savored its taste to their hearts’ content for the first time, thus bringing an end at once to the hunger that had long been in their hearts. Therefore, when you make offerings to the hungry spirits, you should recite that passage from the sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for their repose.
Generally speaking, hungry spirits are divided into thirty-six kinds. Among these, caldron-shaped hungry spirits are ones with no eyes or mouth. If you ask what sort of cause from the past exists for this, it is because, while they were in this world, they did such things as attacking people under cover of night or committing robberies. Vomit-eating hungry spirits feed on what people have vomited up. The cause of this is the same as that mentioned above. It is also because they robbed people of their food. Thirstconsumed hungry spirits are ones that drink things like the water that people offer out of filial piety to their deceased parents. Property-possessing hungry spirits5 are ones that drink the water from horses’ hooves. This is because, while alive, they begrudged their property and concealed their food. Property-less hungry spirits6 are ones who have not heard even the name of
