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ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
edited August 2010 in Buddhism Basics
I was curious to hear personal opinions on ghosts from people. Also, what is the buddhist take on ghosts? I have read very little about it in one of the dalai lama's books where he briefly touched upon it.

Comments

  • shenpennangwashenpennangwa
    edited August 2010
    ThailandTom wrote: »
    I was curious to hear personal opinions on ghosts from people. Also, what is the buddhist take on ghosts? I have read very little about it in one of the dalai lama's books where he briefly touched upon it.
    If there are ghosts, we should be nice to them.
  • ChrysalidChrysalid Veteran
    edited August 2010
    ThailandTom wrote: »
    I was curious to hear personal opinions on ghosts from people. Also, what is the buddhist take on ghosts? I have read very little about it in one of the dalai lama's books where he briefly touched upon it.
    Personally I don't see any reason for "life" to continue after death, so I don't believe in ghosts as spirits. I still get the chills in haunted houses though :p. There may be other explanations for them, electromagnetic fields messing around with our brains for example.
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran
    edited August 2010
    There are plenty about, In many different forms. Some nice, some not so nice. All objects of compassion. :)
  • unconsciousdesignerunconsciousdesigner
    edited August 2010
    I dont believe in ghosts as of this moment, however...if there is such a thing, I think it would be a compassionate thing to send them on their way to wherever good place they can go. I would hate to have to wander the earth haunting folks.
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    edited August 2010
    I believe in re birth personally, I use to believe that we just die and that is that. I personally view consciousness a continuum and something that cannot be fabricated from matter. I was interested to find out more about the ghost realms and things that may be in the scriptures. I myself have not actually read much of the scriptures, this may seem ridiculous and it probably is :p
  • SherabDorjeSherabDorje
    edited August 2010
    shenpen nangwa wrote: »
    If there are ghosts, we should be nice to them.

    That gave me a LOL.

    I think it's possible, especially in view of the depiction of the hungry ghost realm in the wheel of life- but there may be no usefulness to daily practice except as objects of compassion. Best not to mess with the bad ones.

    I used to be a hospital nurse and occasionally sensed presences. I interpreted one as the angel of death- it was dark and cold and behind me to the right as I worked with a patient that things were not going well for. The other two or three I interpreted as nice angels of death as they were present in the rooms of people for who death was expected shortly and was being allowed to happen.
  • pegembarapegembara Veteran
    edited August 2010
    They are called petas.

    The Petavatthu contains 51 poems, each explaining how unwholesome deeds led to the rebirth of a being into the miserable realm of the "hungry ghosts" (peta).

    http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/pv/

    See also
    Tirokutta Sutta (Khp 7)
    Janussoni Sutta (AN 10.177)

    Making Offerings to Departed Relatives
    http://sasanarakkha.org/dhamma/2003/04/cheng-beng.shtml
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