The Buddhist Conception of Spirits |
Common terms and phrases
acts of charity alms Ankura appearance Asayha ascetics asked beautiful became Benares bhikkhus Bimbisara birth to birth Bodhisatta body born Brahmadatta Brahmana Brahmin Buddhaghosa Buddhist cemetery child clothes conception of spirits crying daughter death Dhamma Dhammapala earth enjoy enquired faith father flesh food and drink forest Ganges Gautama Buddha gave gifts girl Hatthinipura hell hermitages high minister Hindu householder hunger and thirst husband Jātaka Kassapa Buddha Khuddaka Nikaya king lived Magadha Mahamoggallana mango Master Matta merchant merit acquired misdeeds miseries monk mother naked named Nandaka Nandiya night Nikaya offered Paccekabuddha past history peta replied petaloka Petavatthu peti pious preta previous birth queen Rajagaha reborn relatives requested residing result Revati samanera Samkicca samsaramocaka Sangha Sariputta Savatthi saw the peta stingy stories suffering tank Tavatimsa heaven thera Tissa told took tree upāsaka uposatha Veluvana venerable vihara village woman worship
Popular passages
Page 3 - The inhabitants of the Lokantarika naraka are prêtas. Their bodies are twelve miles long, and they have very large nails. On the top of the head there is a mouth about the size of a needle's eye. In the world there is a prêta birth called Nijhamatanha. The bodies of these prêtas always burn. They continually wander about, never remaining in any one place a longer period than the snapping of a finger. They live thus an entire kalpa; they never receive food or water, and weep without intermission....
Page vii - The belief in the existence of departed ancestors, and the presentation of offerings to them have always formed a part of Hindu domestic religion. To gratify this persistent belief, Buddhism recognised the world of petas, ie ghosts or spirits.
Page 3 - The bodies of these pretas always burn. They continually wander about, never remaining in any one place a longer period than the snapping of a finger. They live thus an entire kalpa. They never receive food or water, and weep without intermission. All beings except the Bodhisats receive this birth, at some period or other of their existence.
Page 70 - Indian philosophy and religion as an article of faith. The result of karma, whether good or bad, cannot be obviated. It is a force which must produce its own consequence.
Page vii - The belief that after d^ath the departed spirits roam about enjoying the friyts of their good*and bad deeds here upon earth, is one of the central ideas of the Buddhist faith, and a treatise dealing with spirits and the spirit-world...
Page 82 - This book is due on the last date stamped below, or ^^^^^^m the date to which renewed. V IPBooks are subject to immediate recall. — — * JUL 6 1986 SEC.C1B. MAY 2 6 7 «&«W
Page 73 - Ankura, that even gifts without measure of .untold wealth to ordinary denizens of the 'earth, can never produce the same effect as the gift of a small- thing to a venerable ->. follower ''of the Buddhistic persuasion. The external apnearance of the petas also...
Page 74 - Petas. the Devas generally have a preponderance of' good and meritorious deeds in their favour, though they are tainted, at least in the lower ranks, with some stain of evil w&ich they^have got to work out.
Page 74 - Vimanapetas are the more fortunate ones among the petas, those wl\p have some good to their account but not unmixed with some evil which subjects them to suffering and torture. Below them is the great mass of petas and petis that suffer intolerable miseries...
Page 70 - Buddhist lay devoteeVto upasakas and upasikas, exhorting them to perform • meritorious deeds, while on earth, in order to save themselves from personal miseries hereaftetr.