Khuddaka Nikaya- Khuddakapatah Pali
Remember, this is the Buddha’s explanation sermon about the beleaguered and shaken one who lives in misery after death.
The one who was born in one of the bad realms known as ‘Ghost Pretha’ shortly after death as a result of the evils and sins committed in his previous human life is in a sorrowful abode, shaken by sorrow and mourning with misery. He arrives at four-way intersections along the way and at the door of his house, where he lived during his human life.
He enters his house and stands at the doors, hoping to catch the attention of others.
Although his relatives had plenty to eat and drink, because of the bad deeds he had done in the past, those relatives do not feel like doing meritorious deeds in his memory.
When a relative of such a deceased person donates delectable food to a celibate noble person as a gesture of gratitude to that deceased person, those nobles share the merits in this manner.
“May it be good for your deceased relatives,
May those relatives be good and happy”, and so forth.
Those deceased relatives also come and gather there and acknowledge with great joy the offerings of many foods and drinks offered by the living relatives to the virtuous nobles.
Just as that deceased relative who gain a huge benefit by acknowledging with great joy the offerings, the act of the donor who gives alms out of compassion as a gratitude will not be in vain.
There are no ways of earning a living in that Pretha world, such as ploughing, cattle rearing, trading, gold-silver-money transactions, etc.
Therefore, the person who is in that ‘Pretha‘ realm, relies on the alms offered to a Noble in memory of that deceased person by friends and relatives who are still alive.
Just as the dry ground becomes wet and alive when the rainwater falls from the sky onto the ground, the dead who are helpless to do anything on their own receive the necessities for their life through the alms offered to the nobles by the friends and relatives in memory of the dead.
Just as small tributaries flowing from various directions – from streams – from rivers fill the great ocean, almsgivings of food and drinks that are conducted by living relatives from time to time remembering the deceased ones to pay gratitude is the great help to the deceased person who is in that ‘Pretha’ realm.
The relatives and friends of those who have died should donate food and drink, remembering the deceased as “I was helped like this” or “I was aided like this,” and so on.
Crying, grieving, screaming, lamenting, etc., such useless actions performed by relatives will not benefit the deceased relative who is in misery.
Offering well-prepared alms to the virtue-minded ‘Sanggha’ in memory of the deceased brings great comfort to the deceased relative for a long time.
The merits accumulated through the inspiration of pities and charities, such as well-prepared alms with virtuous minds and offered to the ‘Sanggha’, bring you as well with countless blessings.
Aaryasathya 