Another significant teaching took place during this same encounter between the Buddha and King Bimbisara. It later became an important foundation for the Buddhist practice of transferring or sharing merits to beings in the realm of the Hungry Ghosts (Preta). To better understand this, I will divide Chapter 71 into several parts.

Continuing from the earlier narrative: On the night after King Bimbisara had offered generous alms to the Buddha and the Sangha, his palace was suddenly filled with eerie wails and cries. The sounds were unsettling and sorrowful, stirring great fear among those present. Shocked and distressed, the king immediately sought counsel from the Buddha the next morning. Having just made such meritorious offerings, he wondered why he should now be confronted with these troubling, seemingly supernatural disturbances.

The first point to understand is that even after performing great acts of merit, our lives do not necessarily change for the better right away. Many of us offer a small donation or perform a kind deed and then quietly hope for immediate blessings in return. Yet karma does not function so directly or instantly. Imagine ourselves in King Bimbisara’s shoes. You donated properties and land, and experience haunting at night. Would you loose faith in Buddha immediately?

Our present circumstances are shaped by countless actions from the past. These actions overlap and interact in complex ways. Because of this, the results of any single wholesome act may take time to ripen, and they may only manifest when certain conditions come together. Therefore, we should remind ourselves not to cling to the idea of immediate reward. Instead, let our good deeds stand on their own, done with sincerity and without expectation.

The Buddha explained that the sorrowful cries came from King Bimbisara’s former relatives who had been reborn in the realm of the Hungry Ghosts. They posed no threat to him, and the King need not be afraid. The Buddha further revealed that these beings had gathered in the palace during the King’s grand offering. They had hoped to receive a share of the merits generated by his act of generosity. When no merit was transferred to them, their longing and disappointment manifested as the wailing heard throughout the night.

The second point to understand is that even though Sakka, the King of the Devas, was present during the grand offering, along with the Buddha and his arahant disciples, the pretas were also there. One might wonder: if such powerful divine beings were gathered, why didn’t they simply drive the hungry ghosts away?

In Buddhism, compassion extends to all beings without exception. Pretas are not seen as evil intruders, but as suffering beings who have fallen into that state because of unwholesome actions or mistaken views in previous lives. In the vast Buddhist cosmology, ghosts are simply another form of existence.

Likewise, the role of the gods is not to destroy or suppress these beings. Their presence at the scene reflects harmony rather than conflict. During the offering, Buddha, arahants, devas, humans, ghosts, animals, even the smallest insects all coexisted in the same space without hostility. This gathering itself demonstrates a central ideal of Buddhism: a peace rooted in understanding, compassion, and the recognition of shared existence across all realms of life.

Okay. That’s all for part one. Think about it.

May all be well and happy.