This is part 2 of the translation for the 7th lunar month ZHONG YUAN FESTIVAL. 汉人于中元节放河灯，道士建醮祈祷，乃是汉族传统民俗，佛教与道教对这个节日的意义各有不同的解释，道教强调孝道；佛教则着重于为那些从阴间放出来的无主孤魂做“普渡”。 Han (Chinese) people release floating river lanterns during Zhong Yuan Festival, while Taoist priest build “jiao”for prayer rituals, these are traditional customary practices of the Han (Chinese) people. Buddhism and Taoism have different explanations for the same festival. The emphasis in Taoism is filial piety, while the emphasis in Buddhism is on praying for the wandering spirits that have been released from hell. 道家全年的盛会分三次（合称为“三元”），认为“三元”就是天官、地官及水官“三官”的别称，正月十五日、七月十五日以及十月十五日各为三官大帝的诞辰。根据五杂俎的记载：“道经以正月十五日为上元，七月十五日为中元，十月十五日为下元。”正月十五日称为“上元”，主要是举行赐福的仪式；七月十五日称为“中元”。用以赦免亡魂的罪（中元法事是为亡魂赦罪，但是绝对不能完全解除罪孽，只是减轻了一些，希望他们早日安息。）；十月十五日称为“下元”，则是为有过失的人解除厄运。道教《太上三官经》云：“天官赐福，地官赦罪，水官解厄”，“一切众生皆是天、地、水官统摄”。中元节时，道教宫观如地安门火神庙、西便门外白云观为了祈祷“风调雨顺、国泰民安”照例举办“祈福吉祥道场”。因为惧厉的心理，民众于日常生活中复合儒、佛、道三教，成为农历七月十五日的中元节，民间则称农历七月为“鬼月”。 There are 3 grand festivals in Taoism, combined and named as San Yuan ( 3 Yuans). San Yuan is the other term for San Guan ( 3 Officials) of Heaven, Earth and Water realms; with the dates of 1st lunar month 15th day, 7th lunar month 15th day and 100th lunar 15th day being celebrated as the birthday of the Emperor of the San Guan. According to the ancient collection of scrolls “Wu Za Zu”it was recorded: In Taoist classics, 1st lunar month 15th day is known as Shang Yuan (upper Yuan), 7th lunar month 15th day is known as Zhong Yuan (middle Yuan) and 20th lunar month 15th days is known as Xia Yuan (lower Yuan).” The 1st month 15th day is named as Shang Yuan, is mainly for holding rituals to bestow blessings; 7th month 15th day is named as Zhong Yuan, and used for pardoning the misdeeds of the deceased spirits (for pardoning only but not to completely remove or nullify the sins; to reduce the load hoping for them to rest in peace sooner). 10th month 15th day is known as Xia Yuan , and is meant for relieving the misfortunes of people with misdeeds . The Taoist classic “Tai Shang San Guan Jing” says; “Heavenly Officials bestow blessings, Earthly Officials pardon mistakes, Water Officials relieve the misfortunes”. “All beings are unified by the Heaven, Earth and Water Officials”. During the Zhong Yuan Festival, Taoist temples like the Di An Men Fire Deity Temple, the White Cloud Temple by the Xi Bian Men West Gate, both conduct prayers for the good weather, peace and prosperity at specially set up prayer grounds. Because of the psychology of fear, common people in their daily lives mixed Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism together, forming the lunar 7th month 15th day’s Zhong Yuan Festival . The 7th lunar month is also known as the Ghost Month. 佛教传入后，佛教徒根据印度一种佛教仪式追荐祖先，佛教也在这一天，举行超渡法会，称为“屋兰玛纳”（印度话ULLAMBANA）也就是“盂兰盆会”。盂兰盆的意义是倒悬，人生的痛苦有如倒挂在树头上的蝙蝠，悬挂着、苦不堪言。为了使众生免于倒悬之苦，便需要诵经，布施食物给孤魂野鬼。此举正好和中国的鬼月祭拜不谋而合，因而中元节和盂兰盆会便同时流传下来。[2] 有关中元节的传说很多，道教最主要的为修行记中说“七月中元日，地官降下，定人间善恶，道士于是夜诵经，饿节囚徒亦得解脱。”阎罗王于每年农历七月初一，打开鬼门关，放出一批无人奉祀的孤魂野鬼到阳间来享受人们的供祭。七月的最后一天，重关鬼门之前，这批孤魂野鬼又得返回阴间。 With the introduction of Buddhism, Buddhists followed an Indian Buddhist rite of ancestor blessing, and on this day, carry out a Buddhist puja (prayer chanting) called Ullambana. The meaning of Ullambana is to “hang upside down”, the bad times in life are just like the bats hanging upside down on a tree, symbolizing suffering. In order to relieve all beings from this “upside down” pain, need to recite prayers and offer food to the wandering and lonely spirits. Coincidentally this coincided with the Chinese ghost month and hence Zhong Yuan Festival and Ullambana spread together through history. There are many different stories about Zhong Yuan Festival, the main Taoist record states; “The 7th month Zhong Yuan Festival, the Earthly Officials descend to pass judgment on the good and evil of human kind, and hence the Taoist priest recite prayers overnight, so that the guilty can find liberation. The King of Hell, Yama opens the gate of hell on the first day of the 7th month, to release lonely wandering spirits who have no descendants to venerate them, so that they can enjoy the offerings the human realm offer to them. On the last day of the 7th month, before the gate of hell is closed again, these spirits have to return. 佛教盂兰盆节起源于“目莲救母”的故事，出自《大藏经》（由印度传入的佛理）。目莲救母的故事：佛陀弟子中，神通第一的目犍莲尊者，惦念过世的母亲，他用神通看到其母因在世时的贪念业报，死后堕落在的恶鬼道，过着吃不饱的生活。目犍莲于是用他的神力化成食物，送给他的母亲，但其母不改贪念，见到食物到来，深怕其他恶鬼抢食，贪念一起食物到她口中立即化成火炭，无法下咽。目犍莲虽有神通，身为人子，却救不了其母，十分痛苦，请教佛陀如何是好。佛陀说：“七月十五日是结夏安居修行的最后一日，法善充满，在这一天，盆罗百味，供奉僧众，功德无量，可以凭此慈悲心，救渡其亡母。目莲遵佛旨意，于七月十五用盂兰盆盛珍果素斋供奉其母，其母亲终得食物。”这便是台湾普渡拜“好兄弟”的由来。[3] Ullambana Festival originates from the story of Mu Lian saving his mother, from the Tripitaka (Buddhist Indian origins) . The story of Mu Lian is as follows. Among the disciples of the Buddha, the most gifted in supernatural skills is venerable Mu Jian Lian , who was missing his late mother. Using his supernatural skills, he could see that because of his mother’s past greed when she was alive, after death she ended up in the realm of the angry spirits, forever hungry. Using his supernatural skills, he transformed some food for his mother. However his mother has not given up on greed, and when she saw the food arrived, she was deeply fearful that the other angry spirits will snatch the food away. The moment the thought of greed arose in her, the food in her mouth turned into ashes. Mu Jian Lian felt very sad, that even though he had the supernatural skills, he could not save his own mother. And so he turned to the Buddha for advice. The Buddha said, “7th month 15th day is the last day of the summer retreat, there is full of religious benevolence. On this day, there are hundreds of offerings to the sangha (monk community) with unlimited merits. You can use this compassion to save your late mother. Venerable Mu Lian followed the Buddha’s advice, and on the 7th month 15th day using Ullambana’s fruits and vegetarian food to offer to his late mother, and his mother finally received the food. This is origins of Taiwan’s festival of the “good brothers”(ghost month).
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 16:45:41 +0000
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