Kanromon: Offering to the hungry ghosts

 

Last Tuesday of every month - h. 20.10

The hungry ghosts, or Gaki in Buddhist mythology, are creatures living a condition of deep suffering due to their behaviour led by ignorance and greed.
They are usually depicted with small necks and mouths, and large bellies, representing their greedy desire that is the cause of their rebirth in such condition of perpetual, unquenchable  hunger.

The hungry ghosts are a symbol for the ever unsatisfied state of mind that we all experience.

During the ceremony we conjure up the hungry ghosts, as well as the darker, unknown regions of our psyche, bringing them to light. We offer them food and chants as a spiritual nourishment so that they can be satiated and liberated from their condition.

This ceremony has its foundation in the Bodhisattva* vow to help all sentient beings,  and, in addition to liberating the hungry ghosts, has the purpose of dispelling regrets and tensions related to unresolved situations that bind us to the past.

* Bodhisattva - "Being of Awakening ": the one who expresses the vow of practicing the Way and saving all beings.