English Translation

Maudgalyāyana, upon acquiring the six divine powers for the first time, wished to repay his debt of gratitude to his late mother and was reborn among the hungry ghosts to see her place of rebirth. Crying in grief, Maudgalyāyana put food in a bowl, took it to where his mother was, and gave it to her. However, when his mother received it and tried to eat it, it burst into flames before it could enter her mouth. Maudgalyāyana, in his sadness, journeyed to the Buddha's presence and humbly asked for a method that ought to rescue his mother.

These passages recount the tale of Maudgalyāyana and his mother based on the Ullambana Sutra, which is said to have originated the service depicted in the previous passage.

Maudgalyāyana (目連, mokuren), one of the ten principal disciples of the Buddha, is depicted on the left offering food to his mother who was reincarnated as a hungry ghost as karmic retribution. Maudgalyāyana was said to have attained enlightenment shortly after ordaining as a monk under the Buddha. In the tale, he uses his newfound divine powers to visit his mother in the hungry ghost realm and attempts to rescue her from suffering through the help of the Buddha's guidance.

This demonstration of filial piety led to the creation of services and rituals in many Buddhist cultures in which people honour the ghosts of their ancestors.

English Translation

The Buddha answered and said, “If thou obtain food and drink and offer it to the monks observing Pavarana, then take the remainder and give it to your mother, she should be able to have some too.” Maudgalyāyana did according to the Buddha’s honourable teachings, and when he took the drink and offered it to his mother, she was able to eat to her heart’s content without it turning into flames.

Unable to rescue his mother through his own powers, the Buddha explains to Maudgalyāyana that he cannot rescue his mother unless he selflessly offers food and drink to monks on Pavarana, a holy day observed at the end of Vassa, and the merit of that deed can be dedicated to her and allow her to eat.

Vassa, or the Japanese equivalent 夏安居 geango, is a three-month period which Buddhist monks dedicate to intensive practice in one location, such as a monastery. It is concluded with Pavarana, or the Japanese equivalent 自恣 jishi, on the 15ᵗʰ day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, in which monks must atone for any offenses they may have committed during Vassa before the community of monks.

Part of the story may have been omitted from the written text, as the illustration also depicts Maudgalyāyana's mother refusing to share the food with other hungry ghosts. This was also possibly shown to emphasise her greed and contrast against traditional Buddhist values such as selflessness.