Yulan Bowl Sutra Commentary (佛說盂蘭盆經疏)

Sutra of the Ullambana Offering, Part One

Written by the Shramana Zongmi of Chongguo

It begins in the formless chaos, fills all between heaven and earth, connects gods and humans, and runs through both noble and humble. Confucianism and Buddhism alike honor it: this is the Way of Filial Piety. Responding to the sincere devotion of filial children, rescuing parents from suffering and hardship, and repaying the boundless grace of heaven—this is the teaching of the Ullambana Sutra.

Zongmi, burdened with guilt and sin, lost his parents in his early years. Ever treading the sorrow of frost and snow, forever grieving like a tree in the wind, I thought that building tombs and making offerings for a lifetime, though expressing filial devotion, could not help the spirits on their path. So I searched the teachings of sages and earnestly sought methods for delivering the departed. In this way, I found this Dharma-door—truly a wondrous practice.

Every year, on the day when the monks end their summer retreat, I have made offerings of the four necessities to the Three Jewels. Following this practice for many years, I have also explained its teachings. But this method was still unknown to many. Now, having returned to my hometown, I have opened and taught it according to tradition. Monastics and laypeople, elders and young, filled with both sorrow and joy, have embraced and practiced it. With one voice and one mind, they asked me to compose a new commentary.

With my heart rooted in the pines and cypresses of the grave, how could I ignore my own village folk? Thus, I have agreed to their request, revealing the essential path.

I bow to the Lord of the Three Realms, The greatly filial Śākyamuni, the Honored One. Over countless eons, He repaid the kindness of parents, Accumulating causes to attain perfect enlightenment. To forever grant beings His blessings, In response to requests, He taught this sutra, So that those who turn from grace, May all repay boundless kindness. What I now praise and recount, May all sages bless in silence. For myself and others, living and departed, May they leave suffering, and dwell in lasting peace and joy.

To explain this sutra, we first divide it into four parts: First, the reasons for its teaching; second, the scriptural collection and vehicle it belongs to; third, clarification of its core purpose; fourth, the main explanation of the text. The first part is further divided into four: First, to fulfill past causes; second, to respond to present requests; third, to illuminate the path of filial piety; fourth, to reveal the supreme field of merit.

First, the reason why the teachings arose(4) is as follows:

In the beginning, to repay past causes: Prince Siddhartha, who did not succeed to the throne, abandoned his family and left his kingdom. His original purpose was to cultivate practice, attain the Way, and repay the kindness of his parents. However, a bodhisattva's intention is not focused solely on oneself. Therefore, he established the Ullambana Dharma assembly to bring blessings to both his own parents and others. The original intent behind the emergence of this sutra is exactly this.

**2. Responding to the Current Request**

The story begins with Mahamaudgalyayana, who, out of deep filial devotion, wished to save his parents and repay their kindness in raising him. After leaving home to practice the way, he became foremost in spiritual powers. With these powers, he saw that his deceased mother had fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts. Unable to save her himself, he approached the Buddha for guidance. The Buddha taught him the Ullambana offering, which rescued his mother from her suffering. Because of his love for his own parents, his compassion then extended to all beings. For the sake of both monastic and lay disciples, he asked the Buddha to preserve this teaching. In answer to Maudgalyayana's request, the Buddha expounded this sutra—this is the reason and background for the sutra's teaching.

### Part Three: Illuminating the Way of Filial Piety

This is divided into two parts: one, a general explanation of filial piety as the foundation of both Confucianism and Buddhism; two, a specific comparison of their differences and similarities in practicing it.

**1. General Explanation: Filial Piety as the Foundation**

**Confucianism:** Filial piety is its root. From the emperor down to commoners, in every family and state, ancestral temples are established. Although the "Five Filial Duties" differ in application, their source is the same. The opening chapter of the *Classic of Filial Piety* declares it the "utmost virtue and essential Way." Morality takes it as its substance, and teachings arise from it. How can any noble person fail to attend to this foundation? It is the "constant principle of Heaven and the unvarying duty of Earth," so people must follow it. Even when discussing the breakdown of rites and music, the text ultimately condemns wearing fine clothes and eating fine rice after a parent's death. How great is filial piety! The virtue of the sages adds nothing to filial piety.

**Buddhism:** Filial piety is also its root. All Buddhas have two bodies: a true body and a manifested body. Śākyamuni’s manifested body taught provisional teachings tailored to beings' capacities; Vairocana’s true body taught the ultimate, real teachings. "Teachings" here refers to the sutras and vinaya (precepts). Sutras explain wisdom and principle; vinaya explains moral conduct. Though morality has ten thousand practices, filial piety is their guiding principle. Therefore, when our Buddha Vairocana first attained enlightenment, he taught the great *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* and the Bodhisattva precepts. The sutra says, "At that time, Śākyamuni Buddha, having just sat under the Bodhi tree and attained unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment, first established the Bodhisattva Prātimokṣa (codes of conduct): being filial and respectful to one's parents, teachers, and the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha)." That filial piety is the Way to enlightenment; "filial piety" is called "precepts," and also called "restraint." The *Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra* also says, "Wonderful are our parents! They conceived and raised us, enduring great suffering. For ten full months, they carried us in their wombs. After birth, they cared for us, moving us from wet to dry, cleaning our impurities, nursing and protecting us. For this reason, we should repay their kindness, respectfully serve and support them."

**2. Specific Comparison: Differences and Similarities in Practice**

**Differences:** These are shown in two areas: care during life and remembrance after death.

- **Care during life:** Confucianism teaches to protect one's body and hair (given by parents) and gain fame to honor them. Thus, the filial son Zengzi stayed indoors in spring, careful of his parents' gift, and once opened his quilt to show he had not injured his body. Buddhism teaches shaving the head, wearing the monastic robe, and using the Dharma to benefit one's present-life parents. Thus, you have the story of Udayana, who through the Buddha's guidance communicated with his father, and of Prince Sudāna (in a past life), whose filial piety turned his evil father's heart. Both paths are different in form, but both return to filial piety.

- **Remembrance after death:** This has three differences: 1. **Mourning rituals:** Confucians use inner and outer coffins, choose a grave site, and bury the body, preserving its form. Buddhists chant, pray, and perform offerings to transfer merit to the departed consciousness. 2. **Memorial days:** Confucians practice inner purification and calm, imagining the parent's voice and appearance. Buddhists make offerings and give Dharma talks, generating merit for the parent's karmic journey. 3. **Lifelong practices:** Confucians kill animals for seasonal sacrifices (spring, summer, autumn, winter). Buddhists practice "releasing life" on three key days, offer alms, and hold the Ullambana (Hungry Ghost) Festival.

Why? Because the true, ultimate teaching had not yet reached the Zhou Dynasty, Confucius and the Duke of Zhou could only focus people's minds on ritual propriety. Now that we know the true teaching, we should not cling to the provisional. The greatest blessings come from giving life, which is the fundamental cause of Brahma and Indra's heavenly status and mirrors the great virtue of Heaven and Earth. To kill one being to sacrifice to another—how is this close to a compassionate heart? If this is acceptable, what is not? Though people claim it brings blessings, it actually creates enmity. Pursuing empty fame, one incurs calamity in the spiritual realm.

**Question:** If one's parents are reborn in another realm of existence, one could change from animal sacrifice to pure offerings (like food for monks). But if, say, they fall into the hungry ghost realm and truly need offerings, would they not receive them?

**Answer:** The offering-millet and panicked millet are not truly fragrant; simple herbs can be presented. You should know that a simple, sincere sacrifice (life-offering) surpasses the killing of an ox in a grand sacrifice. Moreover, ghosts and spirits have different ranks and capacities; not all of them can receive offerings.

**Similarities:** These are also two: similarities during life and after death, and similarities regarding the karmic consequences (reward and punishment).

**Similarities during life and after death:** The *Classic of Filial Piety*, in its chapter on "The Conduct of a Filial Son," lists five points. These can be applied to both Confucian and Buddhist practice:

1. **Respect at home:** Confucians distinguish humans from animals through this respect; Buddhists worship by prostrating with the body, speech, and mind. 2. **Joy in service:** Confucians speak with gentle tones, maintain a happy expression, keep parents warm in winter and cool in summer, and attend to them morning and night (like Huang Xiang fanning his father's pillow in summer and warming his bed in winter). Buddhists share offerings, giving their own robe and bowl, or even cutting their own flesh to feed a starving parent, as in the Bodhisattva's past life story. 3. **Anxiety in illness:** Confucians drink the medicine themselves first to test it (like Emperor Wen), or remove their hat and belt to show vigil (like King Wu). Buddhists offer their own flesh as medicine for their parents (like Prince Mahāsattva) or carry their sick parent on their shoulders (like eminent monks). 4. **Grief in mourning:** Confucians are speechless with grief like King Wu Ding, or weep tears of blood like Zigao. Buddhists grieve loudly like Maudgalyāyana (who saw his mother in the hungry ghost realm), or lift their parent's coffin themselves, as the Buddha did for his father. 5. **Reverence in sacrifice:** Confucians offer seasonal foods like bamboo shoots. Buddhists offer food to monks, dedicating the merit to their parents.

The reason for these differences in practice is that before the supreme teaching (Buddhism) arrived, it was difficult to teach the doctrine of karmic retribution (cause and effect across lifetimes). So, rituals of sacrifice were first established, directing people to respectfully serve spiritual beings. These "spiritual beings" are actually the consciousness-nature of one's parents, proving their continuing existence. Since the body perishes but the spirit does not, how can we value the body and neglect the spirit? The rest is as explained.

**Similarity regarding karmic consequences (reward and punishment):**

- **Punishment:** In Confucianism, violating the five filial duties leads to the "Five Punishments" (physical mutilation or execution), and even imperial amnesty does not excuse such offenses. In Buddhism, such acts constitute one of the "Seven Inversions" (unfilial acts like killing a parent or teacher), and are listed as the "Seven Obstructions" (hindrances to receiving the precepts), guaranteeing rebirth in the Avīci Hell. - **Reward:** In Confucianism, the filial are honored by imperial decree and receive Heaven's reward. In Buddhism, they are honored for their pure precepts and conduct, which become the cause for rebirth in the Pure Land.

**Thus ends the general exposition on the Way of Filial Piety.**

Fourth, [the scripture] reveals the supreme field of merit. It is like people in the world who, wishing to have their granaries filled year after year with abundant grain, must take seeds of grain or millet, plow the field with an ox, and plant them. If they do not plant, the supply will be exhausted. So it is in the Dharma: take a compassionate, reverent, and filial heart as the seed; take clothing, food, wealth, and even your own life as the plow and ox; and take the poor, the sick, the Three Jewels, and your parents as the field. For a Buddhist disciple who wishes to attain, within the storehouse consciousness, the adornment of a hundred blessings, life after life without end, they must put forth a compassionate, reverent, and filial mind. Using clothing, food, wealth, and even their own life, they should give to and respectfully support the poor, the sick, the Three Jewels, and their parents. This is called planting blessings. If they do not plant, they will be poor and without blessings or wisdom, entering the perilous path of samsara. This field for planting blessings is called a field of merit, just as a field for planting grain is called a grain field. Now, seeds can be fine or new, dry or scorched; fields can be fertile or lean, firm or poor. A compassionate, reverent, and filial heart can be earnest or distracted. Poverty can be deep or shallow, sickness can be light or severe. Buddhas can be true or manifest; their manifestations can dwell in the world or enter nirvana. The Dharma can be great or small; its teachings can be expedient or ultimate. Monks may observe the precepts or violate them. Parents can be in this life or across seven lifetimes. Each corresponds to a fertile or lean field—this is clearly seen. Now the Ullambana offering assembly possesses these three types of fertile fields, so it is called supreme. On the Buddha’s joyous day, making offerings to the self-purifying, pure-precept-holding great virtuous ones: this is the field of reverence supreme. Repaying the kindness of parents: this is the field of gratitude supreme. Parents are in the midst of suffering and difficulty: this is the field of compassion supreme. To reveal this supreme field, this sutra is taught.

2. Classification by Scripture and Vehicle

This section explains how the text is classified by scripture and vehicle. "Scripture" refers to the Three Baskets, and "Vehicle" refers to the Five Vehicles.

The Three Baskets are:

1. **Sutra** (Skt. *Sūtra*), which means "scripture that accords with principles." "Accords with" means it follows both the ultimate truth and the capacity of beings. "Scripture," according to the *Treatise on the Buddha's Enlightenment*, means "to string together and to hold," as it strings together all things that should be known and holds beings through guidance. This teaching, among the Three Trainings, corresponds to the training in meditative absorption.

2. **Vinaya** (Skt. *Vinaya*), which means "to discipline and subdue." "Discipline" means to train the three actions (body, speech, mind), while "subdue" means to control and eliminate wrongdoing. This teaching corresponds to the training in ethical conduct.

3. **Abhidharma** (Skt. *Abhidharma*), which means "higher teachings on reality." "Reality" refers to nirvāṇa and the Four Noble Truths. "Higher" means to approach and contemplate directly. That which approaches reality is excellent wisdom. This teaching corresponds to the training in wisdom.

Sutras are teachings of guidance, meant to inspire and transform. Vinaya is a teaching of regulation, for restraining actions. Abhidharma is analysis, which investigates and explains the meaning of sutras and vinaya.

The present *Ullambana Sutra*, based on its name and title, falls under the category of guidance and belongs to the Sutra Basket. Based on its meaning and intent, it also falls under the category of regulation and belongs to the Vinaya Basket.

The Five Vehicles are:

1. **Human Vehicle**: The Three Refuges and Five Precepts carry beings across the three lower realms into human existence, like a small boat crossing a stream.

2. **Heaven Vehicle**: Superior good actions (ten wholesome deeds) and the four meditative absorptions and eight concentrations carry beings across the four continents and up to the heavenly realms, like a small boat crossing a river.

3. **Śrāvaka Vehicle** (Hearers): The Four Noble Truths.

4. **Pratyekabuddha Vehicle** (Solitary Realizers): The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination.

Both the Śrāvaka and Pratyekabuddha Vehicles carry beings across the three realms to the nirvāṇas with and without remainder, becoming Arhats or Pratyekabuddhas, like a large ship crossing a great river.

5. **Bodhisattva Vehicle**: The practices of compassion, wisdom, and the Six Perfections carry beings completely beyond the three realms and the vehicles of Hearers and Solitary Realizers, to the far shore of supreme enlightenment and great nirvāṇa, like crossing an ocean on a great vessel.

This sutra is classified under the Human and Heaven Vehicles and belongs to the Lesser Vehicle Basket.

**3. Clarifying the Core Purpose**

This sutra takes **filial devotion through offerings** and **relieving suffering to repay kindness** as its central theme. We can analyze this in two parts: first, by explaining the practice itself, and second, by matching it to sets of categories.

**Part One: Explaining the Practice**

Maudgalyayana, driven by pure filial devotion and a desire to repay his mother’s kindness, realized his own power was insufficient. So he first left home to become a monk. Upon achieving the six spiritual powers, he immediately surveyed the Three Realms and saw his deceased mother reborn as a hungry ghost. Even when he offered her fragrant rice, it turned into blazing fire. In his sorrow, he cried out to the Buddha. The Buddha then taught the method of the Ullambana offering. This practice rescues beings from the dark paths of existence, frees them from a kalpa of suffering, and prevents one from betraying the kindness of one’s parents, fully repaying the hardships of their nurturing. A careful study of the sutra reveals these four key points.

**Part Two: Matching to Sets of Categories**

There are four sets of four categories.

**1. "Filial Devotion" Itself (Four Categories):** * **Filial but not Devoted:** For example, merely providing the finest material support (like the "three sacrifices"). * **Devoted but not Filial:** For example, immediately giving an ill person a food their illness forbids, or not advising them against doing something wrong. * **Both Filial and Devoted:** For example, concealing a parent's faults without rebelling, advising them gently up to three times while remaining agreeable, observing their will, and not changing their ways for three years after their death. * **Neither Filial nor Devoted:** For example, burying one's father in a river, a practice of ignorant customs that harms the body.

**2. "Filial Devotion" and "Making Offerings" (Four Categories):** * **Filial devotion without offerings:** Examples like Dong An and Wang Xiang, who showed filial piety through acts but not by setting up offerings. * **Offerings without filial devotion:** Performing rituals or sponsoring a vegetarian feast only for one's own personal merit or benefit. * **Both filial devotion and offerings:** This is the Ullambana Ceremony itself. * **Neither filial devotion nor offerings:** Those who are both rebellious and miserly.

**3. "Filial Devotion" and "Relieving Suffering" (Four Categories):** * **Filial devotion that doesn't relieve suffering:** The example of Dong Yong, whose filial piety did not directly rescue his parent from suffering. * **Relieving suffering without filial devotion:** Rescuing strangers from pain or hardship. * **Both filial devotion and relieving suffering:** The Ullambana Ceremony. * **Neither filial devotion nor relieving suffering:** People who are rebellious and petty.

**4. "Filial Devotion" and "Repaying Kindness" (Four Categories):** * **Filial devotion that doesn't repay kindness:** Caring for one's body (a gift from parents), not putting oneself in danger, and speaking appropriately—these are good but not in the form of repayment. * **Repaying kindness without filial devotion:** Turning the wheel to repay someone for a single meal (a temporary kindness), or a practitioner repaying a donor's support through cultivation. These repay a specific kindness, but are not filial devotion toward parents. * **Both filial devotion and repaying kindness:** The Ullambana Ceremony. * **Neither filial devotion nor repaying kindness:** Those who are ungrateful and rebellious.

**Cultivation and Its Results**

By cultivating this single practice of the Ullambana offering, one perfectly integrates all four aspects. The merit and virtue gained from this is incalculable. This is truly because the object (one's parents and the assembly of monks) is so supreme, and the mind of filial piety and sincerity is so powerful, that it penetrates the profound and spiritual truth of reality.