Ghosts in China & India
In Chinese tradition, the ghost of someone who drowned, died alone, died in battle, or died
again without being buried would appear to be an ordinary person, seen only in night in the
light of fire. The spirit of an ancestor who wants to tell a story or give a warning appears in a
dream. Ghosts were considered real by the Chinese philosopher Mo Ti (l. 470-391 BCE) who
argued for the acceptance of the story of the spirit of Minister Tu Po returning from the afterlife
and killing Xuan, King of Zhou. He thought that when people talk about how a machine works
that people don't know, or how some people behave or talk in countries they have never been
to, people should accept what they are saying. saying if their story seems to be trustworthy and
they themselves. , as reliable witnesses. Following this idea, then one should accept what is said
about spirits and if those who talk about them can be trusted in what they say about other
things in life, one can check for oneself him. As ancient historical records, as well as
contemporary narratives, contain references to ghosts, they should be accepted as true in the
same way that historical and contemporary accounts are accepted. even if you have never seen
a ghost yourself. . .
The Chinese belief in spirits is strongly influenced by their ancestor worship practices and the
belief that the deceased continues to have a powerful influence on people's lives. As in the
other traditions mentioned, the spirits of the dead can benefit the living as long as there is no
abuse of the funeral or burial ceremony. it is the dead who have not received permission from
heaven to return to evil. The Ghost Festival, which is about honoring and appeasing the dead,
still continues on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the year. Known as the "ghost
moon", this period is believed to be when the veil between the living and the dead is thin and
the dead can easily cross over (similar to the Celtic concept of Samhain and the Mesoamerican
festival of known as Day). of the Dead). During the Ghost Festival, people leave food and gifts
for the dead to appease them and honor them in the hope that they will stay in their own realm
and not trouble the living. . The Chinese see the afterlife as a journey in which the soul must
cross a bridge over the abyss where it is judged. If the soul is deemed worthy, it will continue,
stop at the pavilion to look at the land of the living, and drink a cup of wine called Mengpo Soup
that made people forget their previous life. completely. The spiritual culture of China is
changing at this time and what is happening next to the soul; like some work the soul goes to
heaven, while like others it is reincarnated. If a soul is considered unworthy to cross the bridge
to the afterlife, it falls into hell where it lives. In any case, it is not expected that the soul will
return to the land of the living and, if it does, it is not the ancestors who appear in dreams with
warnings or advice , apparently some kind of evil force is involved.
