Date: 02/24/2024 02/25/2024
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Lucy Zhou
Dharma talk
Who will enjoy the sacrifice
On one occasion, the Buddha was staying in the Kalandaka Park in the city of Rajagriha, the capital of Magadha kingdom.
One day, a brahmin named “Shengwen” came to the Kalandaka Park and asked the Buddha:
“Venerable Gautama! We brahmins advocate offering sacrifices to deceased family members. Because of the blood ties, they can enjoy the offerings. Venerable Gautama! Recently, a family member whom I love very much passed away unexpectedly. To make his life better, I followed the teachings of brahman and offered sacrifices to him. However, could he enjoy what I offered?”
“Brahman! If there is corresponding, then he can enjoy the offerings; if there is no corresponding, then he cannot enjoy the offerings.”
“Venerable Gautama! Then, what is corresponding? What is not corresponding?”
“Brahman! Those who have done the ten evil deeds in their lifetime are reborn in the hell and animal realms after death. They live in their own new worlds and live on the food of the hell and animal realms. This situation is not corresponding. Those beings in the hell and animal realms cannot enjoy the food of the sacrificial offerings.
Brahman! Those who have done the good deeds in their lifetime are reborn in the heavenly realm and human realm after death. They live in their own new worlds and live on the food of the heavenly and human realms. This situation is not corresponding either. Those beings in the heavenly and human realms cannot enjoy the food of the sacrificial offering either.
Brahman! Only those who have done ten evil deeds during their lifetime and become hungry ghost beings after their death are corresponding. Hungry ghost beings can live on the hungry ghost world’s food and enjoy the sacrifices offered by their relatives and friends.”
“Honorable Gautama! If the family I love is not reborn in the hungry ghost realm, then who can enjoy the sacrifices I offered?”
“Brahman! Then they will be enjoyed by your other friends and relatives who have been reborn in the hungry ghost realm in the past.”
“Venerable Gautama! If I don’t have any relatives and friends who have been reborn in the hungry ghost realm, then who can enjoy the sacrifices I offered?”
“Brahman! It is impossible to say that there are no friends or relatives in the realm of the hungry ghosts in the long life and death cycle of all sentient beings. Brahman! Moreover, the more important thing is that one who offers sacrifices will not get nothing in return.”
“Venerable Gautama! What will those who offer sacrifices get in return?”
“Brahman! Suppose one gives money, houses, and daily necessities to monks begging for food, such as sramanas, bhikkhus, other brahmins or poor people. Even if one dies in the animal realm because of ten evils one did during one’s lifetime, one can enjoy a better life in the animal realm. If one is reborn in the heavenly or human realm after death because one did ten good deeds, one will enjoy a better environment in the heavenly and human realms.”
“How rare! Venerable Gautama! Amazing! Venerable Gautama! One who offers almsgivings can have such blessings! Hearing the Buddha’s explanation, the brahmin was very happy and praised the Buddha for giving him a clear answer. Therefore, he took refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and he asked the Buddha to let him be a lay Buddhist of the Buddha for life.
