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Ullambana
Ullambana. Festival of the pretas or ‘hungry ghosts’, traditionally celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month when offerings of food, money, and clothing are made to departed spirits. The ritual derives from the Ullambana Sūtra and the practice is said to have originated with offerings made by the Arhat Mahāmaudgalyāyana when he realized through his magical powers that his mother had been reborn as a hungry ghost. The festival has been particularly important in Chinese Buddhism from the T'ang dynasty, and was first celebrated in 538 ce.
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Ullambana." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "Ullambana." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Ullambana.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "Ullambana." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Ullambana.html |
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Ullambana
Ullambana (from Skt., avalambana, ‘hanging down’). Rituals performed to save deceased people from torments after death—such as being suspended upside down. In China, Ullambana is held on the fifteenth day of the seventh month to help hungry ghosts (preta): offerings of food and wealth (often in paper or representational form) are made to succour them. In Japan, Urabon (or more simply Bon) is held on 15 July or 15 Aug.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Ullambana." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Ullambana." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ullambana.html JOHN BOWKER. "Ullambana." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ullambana.html |
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