Bon Phchom Ben ( khmer Ancestor)
Bon Phchom Ben is the autumnal festival dedicated to the spirits of the dead.
October is the month when Cambodian people celebrate the
festival of Phchum Ben. Together with Khmer New Year in April, Phchum Ben is
the most important festival in the Khmer religious calendar. Cambodians have
faithfully observed the festival every year for as long as anyone can remember.
The word 'Ben' in Khmer means to collect; 'Ben' also means
to cup or mould cooked rice into portions. To 'Ben Baht' means to collect food
to give to monks. The word 'Phchum' means to congregate or to meet together. Regardless
how busy they may be during the fifteen days of Phchum Ben.
Cambodian people try not to miss a visit to the pagoda to
dedicate food and offerings to the dead.
The festival's final day, September 28th, is the actual day
of Phchum Ben, when people traditionally meet together at the pagoda, said the
Venerable Ly Sovy of Lang Ka pagoda.
By doing this, Cambodians show respect for their ancestors. Everyone
goes to the pagoda every year to honor this tradition, and nobody complains.
"According to [Buddhist] belief, people feel sorry for
and remember their relatives who have passed away," Ly Sovy said. "They
may be their parents, grandparents, a sister, a brother, daughter or son."
Om Sam Ol, a monk at Steung Meanchey pagoda, explained more
about the beliefs behind the festival: "During Phchum Ben, souls and
spirits come to receive offerings from their living relatives," he said.
"It is believed that some of the dead receive punishment
for their sins and burn in hell - they suffer a lot and are tortured there,"
he added. "Hell is far from people; those souls and spirits cannot see the
sun; they have no clothes to wear, no food to eat," Om Sam Ol continued.
"Phchum Ben is the period when those spirits receive offerings from their
living relatives and perhaps gain some relief. Relatives consecrate and
dedicate food and other offerings to them."
Everyone goes to the pagoda because they don't want the
spirits of dead members of their family to come to seek offerings at pagodas in
vain. It is believed that wondering spirits will go to look in seven different
pagodas and if those spirits can not find their living relatives' offering in
any of those pagodas, they will curse them, because they cannot eat food
offered by other people," the monk said.
"When the living relatives offer the food to the spirit,
the spirit will bless them with happiness", he added.
According to the monk, legend has it that Phchum Ben came
about because relatives of King Bath Pempeksa defied religious customs and ate
rice before the monks did during a religious ritual. After their death, they
became evil spirits.
He explained that later when a monk known as Kokak Sonthor
gained enlightenment and became a Buddha on earth, all those evil spirits went
to ask him "when can we eat?"
The Buddha said "you have to wait for the next Buddha
in the Kathakot Buddhist realm. In this realm, evil spirits cannot eat."
When the next monk, Kamanou, achieved enlightenment and became
a Buddha, all the evil spirits came again to ask the same question, and he gave
the same answer as the previous Buddha.
Later another monk, Kasakbour, achieved enlightenment and
became a Buddha, and the hungry evil spirits again asked him the same question.
The Buddha told them the same thing - to wait for the next Buddha.
The final Buddha, Preah Samphot - also known also as
Samanakkodom - said to the evil spirits, "Wait for your relative, King
Bath Pempeksa, to offer merits and dedication. When the dedication is made, the
food will be yours to eat."
King Pempeksa finally made an offering, but he did not
dedicate the offering to the spirits of his relatives. All the spirits that
were related to him cried that night. And when King Bath Pempeksa went to the
Valovan pagoda to visit the Buddha, he was told by the Buddha that, "All
the spirits of your relatives are crying, demanding food. The spirits should
get food in the realm of Kathakot. Although you offered food and did good deeds,
you did not dedicate the food and good deeds to them." So King Bath
Pempeksa made another dedication and offering, and this time he dedicated the
food and merits to his relatives. The evil spirits received the dedication and
were finally reborn into paradise.
"It is believed that some of the dead receive
punishment for their sins and burn in hell - they suffer a lot and are tortured
there," he added. "Hell is far from people; those souls and spirits
cannot see the sun; they have no clothes to wear, no food to eat," Om Sam
Ol continued. "Phchum Ben is the period when those spirits receive
offerings from their living relatives and perhaps gain some relief. Relatives
consecrate and dedicate food and other offerings to them."
0 comments:
Post a Comment