Buddhism FAQ10 Ghosts

=Buddhism FAQ=

(Frequently Asked Questions About Buddhism)

10. What Buddhism says about ghosts?
There is a separate section dedicated to the ghosts(or departed). It is called Peta Vatthu or 'Stories of Ghosts'. The ghosts are considered those departed ones who did not do good deeds (or lived only mundane/worldly lives). As a result they are not illuminated beings, living dark lives, having no divine merit which gives divine illumination(called punya). They are supposed to stay near their descendants

There is considered a law in Buddhism that if any person gives donations to others(creatures, animals or humans) in the name of dead ancestors and assigns the merit(punya) of the good act(karma) to those ancestors then the merit(punya) of the act surely goes to the ancestors with which they feel energized, satisfied & become happy and so they bless their descendants and the descendants become free of troubles & live happy lives.

See : Petavatthu(Ghost Stories)