Mujianlian (Maudgalyayana) was one of Buddha Shakyamuni’s 10 great disciples. He was known as the disciple with the best supernatural powers. He was initially a caring son before he followed the Buddha to practice. After cultivating his mystical powers, he saw his mother suffering in hell through his divine eye. He wanted to rescue her, but it was useless, no matter how much he tried.
The deceased mother fell into the hungry ghost realm
This story is recorded in the Buddha’s Ullambana Sutra. Ullambana talks about “saving beings from hanging upside down,” which describes the suffering of the creatures in the hungry ghost realm of hell or being tortured in hell.
When Mujianlian’s mother was alive, she wasted a lot of food, was selfish and greedy, abused livestock, treated people harshly, and was irascible and evil-hearted. The worst thing was that she dared to slander the Dharma and was very disrespectful to Buddha and Buddhist monks. Because of her character, she fell into the hungry ghost realm after death to pay for the sins she had committed in her previous life.
There, the mother was deprived of food and drink and reduced to skin and bones. Mujianlian was a compassionate son. Seeing his mother suffering, he used his divine powers to conjure a rice bowl and sent it to her. When the woman saw this, she quickly caught it with both hands. Flames came from her lips when the food reached her mouth, and the rice immediately turned into charcoal.
No matter how anxious she felt, she could not eat the food. When the charcoal fell to the ground, it turned back into food. Although Mujianlian was eager to save his mother, he felt helpless and sad! He possessed great divine powers, but could not rescue the woman, who had committed too many sins.
Asking Buddha for help
Mujianlian went to ask Buddha Shakyamuni how to save his mother from hell. The Buddha told him that her sins were too severe for the woman to be recovered by the strength of one person alone. It would require the combined efforts of monks of all directions in their cultivation and meritorious virtues. The Buddha added that the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month was the right time.
The fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month is when ancient Indian monks and nuns finish their three-month retreat and practice (indoor meditation from spring to summer) every year. On this day, the monks gathered together to repent, cultivate virtue, and realize the truth, and the power to move heaven and earth was stronger. The Buddha instructed Mujianlian to prepare five kinds of fruits, one hundred delicious dishes, clothes, and utensils, put them in a basin, and offer them to the monks before the Buddha. With the power of the monks’ blessings, his mother could escape from the hungry ghost realm.
Mujianlian followed the Buddha’s instructions and offered vegetarian food to the monks on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. With the Buddha’s permission, and through his good thoughts and filial piety, he could gather the monks’ positive energy and save his mother from the sea of suffering.
Good deeds are rewarded, and evil deeds are punished
Through this story, gods and Buddhas warn mankind that good deeds will be rewarded and evil actions punished. One must pay for one’s sins. Even someone with supernatural powers like Mujianlian could not save his parents without paying a price. Only when the sinners suffer and turn to good can they hope to escape from the pain.
Some people may be confused. Didn’t the ancients say that if one person attains enlightenment, all his family members will be saved? Why could Mujianlian, who had become a Venerable, not save his mother? At least, he would have brought blessings to his parents, right?
The reason was that his mother was disrespectful to God and Buddha, and extremely rude to the monks. Therefore, the virtue and power Mujianlian had cultivated were not enough to atone for his parents’ sins. He could only support the monks in the ten directions on behalf of his mother and express his great respect for the Buddha and the monks. Only then could his parents be saved by receiving their blessings and forgiveness.
Of course, this was only possible because the son himself had become a virtuous monk, and the Buddha gave him this opportunity. This can be regarded as a manifestation of one person’s enlightenment. It was the most incredible mercy shown by the Buddha. It is impossible to be saved by simply erasing someone’s sins without them paying any price.
Epilogue
The value and significance of this story are to encourage people to do good deeds and respect gods and Buddhas. This is the compassionate teaching of gods and Buddhas to prevent mankind’s moral degeneration from leading to destruction.
Translated by Chua BC and edited by Laura Cozzolino
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