The Monstrefact: Incense for the Damned

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses incense and ghosts in Eastern traditions…

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to stuff to blow your mind, a production of
my heart radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and
this is the monster fact, a short form series from
stuff to blow your mind, focusing in on mythical creatures,
ideas and monsters in time, as we discussed in the

(00:25):
stuff to blow your mind episode incense, part one. The
burning of incense is intrinsically linked in various cultures to
traditions of burnt offerings to divine beings. Likewise, the burning
of incense is also vital in the creation of sacred spaces,
and in eastern traditions this crosses over into traditions involving

(00:46):
the veneration of ancestors. Now, as guards seamen points out
in the two thousand thirteen article, why don't we see
some real money here offerings in Chinese religion, incense use
in Chinese Buddhism isn't truly an offering to spirits or gods,
but rather a formal part of a sacred rite that

(01:06):
separates the space and the proceedings from the mundane world. Still,
the Link Between Incense and rites concerning the dead has
resulted in the generation of various beliefs and traditions that
more firmly link incense with the spirits of the deceased.
For example, their traditions in both Chinese and Japanese Culture

(01:28):
regarding a particular incense than may be burned to summon
the spirits of the dead. The details of the supernatural
drama vary with the telling, but one of the oldest
accounts is that of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty,
who is said to have burned the Spirit's summoning incense
in order to see the face of his deceased consort,
Lady Lee. While the magical smoke did summon her image,

(01:51):
it only lasted as long as it took the fuel
to burn away, and when it finally was extinguished, the emperor,
it is said, died of a broken heart. In reality,
it should be noted he actually died after a serious illness,
but we won't let that stand in the way of
a good tale. But now let us turn to the

(02:12):
incense for the damned. Of course, within Chinese Buddhism we
do not have damnation of the same flavor as in
western traditions. Even the hells are but another link in
the chain of incarnations that a soul travels through before
it finds liberation, but the realm just before the hell's
or Naraka, is the realm of hungry ghosts, or PRETTA.

(02:37):
To Be Reborn as a hungry ghost is to live
one's life as a reduced shade, commanded only by a
hunger linked, through Karma, to the individual's former life, as
pointed out by Costantino Moretti in the two thousand seventeen article,
the thirty six categories of hungry ghosts described in the

(02:58):
Sutra of the foundations of mindfulness of the true law.
This sixth century translation of the text in question outlines
the various hungry ghosts in Buddhist tradition at the time
and discusses their defining hungers. Some of these ghosts were
consumed by their hunger for wind or funeral lashes or

(03:19):
blood or even living flesh, which brings us to the
SI Shang Yan, or incense eaters. Moretti describes these ghosts
as beings that dwell at crossroads or in temples. They
appear wearing garlands and hunger incessantly and only for the

(03:39):
smoke of burning incense. The KARMIC meaning of this fate,
Moretti describes, is linked to the sin in their former
life of selling low quality incense at a high price too. Believers, however,
as these sinful acts still quote, indirectly contributed to other
people's merit making, the ghosts are karmically imbued with certain powers,

(04:05):
powers that unwise men were said to seek through acts
of worship offerings of incense. However, Moretti points out, the
worship of incense eating hungry ghosts is best left to
men who quote ignore the law of karmic retribution. Tune

(04:25):
in for additional episodes of the monster fact each week.
As always, you can email us at contact. That's stuff
to blow your mind. Dot Com, stuff to blow your
mind's production of I heart radio. For more podcasts for

(04:45):
my heart radio, visit the I heart radio APP, apple
podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.