There are ghost stories in many religions, even though ghost stories and some religions can be an uneasy fit. This is especially true if we’re defining “ghost” as the disembodied soul of a dead person that wanders the earth and sometimes appears to the living. That sort of ghost has come to be a frequent character in western popular culture, and there are similar creatures in other cultures. Note that the word ghost has Germanic origins and entered the English language from the Anglo-Saxon gest, roughly meaning “soul,” “spirit,” or “supernatural being.” The word wasn’t associated with hauntings or apparitions of the dead until about the 14th century. So if you’ve wondered why one part of the Christian Trinity is sometimes called the Holy Ghost, that’s why.
The teachings of Christianity and Islam do not support belief in ghosts. Christianity generally explains “ghost” sightings as demonic apparitions, not souls of the deceased. But while Islam doesn’t support ghosts, it does have other sorts of unearthly beings that may interact with and appear to humans. These include jinns — also spelled djinn or anglicized as “geenie” — who are holdovers from pre-Islamic folk beliefs. Jinns are complicated creatures that are not necessarily evil, or good. There are several different types of jinns. The most famous jinn is Iblis, who was cast out of Paradise when he refused to bow to Adam after the Creation. Iblis became a leader of demons and is, as I understand it, the Muslim version of Satan. But whatever jinns are, they aren’t exactly ghosts.
Judaism seems a bit more conflicted about ghosts. It’s clear that Judaism forbids having anything to do with ghosts. Deuteronomy 18:10 proclaims “Among you there shall not be found anyone who attempts to communicate with the dead.” But does that mean there are dead who can be communicated with? It’s my understanding that the majority of rabbis would explain the prohibition in Deuteronomy to be about not falling back on pagan superstitions and placing trust in something other than God. But I understand that there have been rabbis who taught that communicating with the dead is possible, but Jews should not do it anyway. There also is a nicely creepy ghost story in 1 Samuel 28. King Saul, at war with the Philistines, has a medium — the Witch of Endor — conjure the ghost of the deceased King Samuel to get Samuel’s advice. And the ghost of Samuel does indeed appear, but what he tells Saul is not reassuring. And Saul was defeated by the Philistines. Does this mean Hebrew scriptures endorse ghosts? Not so fast; some rabbis have argued the Witch of Endor conjured a ruse apparition to take away Saul’s will to fight. See also What Is the Jewish View on Ghosts and Of Golems and Ghosts: The Supernatural in Jewish Tradition.
Ghosts of Religion Around the World
Halloween has roots in an ancient Celtic pagan belief that at one time of year the ghosts of the dead and other spirits could roam among the living. This was Samhain (pronounced SOW-in) in Irish Gaelic. During Samhain people would burn bonfires and wear disguises to frighten and confuse malevolent fairies and ghouls. This observation evolved and came to the U.S. with Irish immigrants to become Halloween as we know it today.
There is a similar tradition in east Asia. A “ghost month,” usually in August, is observed in China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea, when the restless ghosts come unseen to visit. Instead of frightening them off, however, the living placate the ghosts with entertainments, feasts (enjoyed by the living, anyway), parades, and gifts of (fake) money and luxury goods burned in bonfires. At the end of ghost month, floating candles are released on rivers and lakes to guide the ghosts back to their otherworldly home. This festival is associated with Buddhism, and the ghosts are explained as “hungry ghosts,” or pretas, beings from Buddhist scriptures who are desperately famished and thirsty but cannot eat or drink. I’ll explain the hungry ghosts more in a bit.
The Mexican Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, has roots in the ancient religions of Central America. The Aztec, Maya, and Purépecha religions all have teachings about the journeys of souls after death. Some types of ghosts were known to return on specific days, usually for malevolent purposes. The souls of women who died in childbirth were believed to haunt crossroads on specific days to try to steal children, for example. Today’s Día de Muertos incorporates pre-Columbian and Catholic beliefs. In the Mexican state of Michoacán, which touches the Pacific Coast, the descendants of the Purépechas observe a Night of the Dead — Noche de Muertos — that ends with the release of hundreds of floating candles on bodies of water, as is done in east Asia. Small world.
Ghosts, Hungry and Otherwise, of India
Hinduism has a rich ghost tradition. I understand that ghosts are often the essence of those who died unnatural deaths — by homicide, for example — or who did not receive the proper death rituals. There is a nice article on last rites for the deceased in Hinduism by Desh Kapoor here at Patheos. This will give you a sense of how traces or impressions of a person may be left behind, and as I understand it these can become ghosts. The most common Sanskrit terms for ghosts are preta and bhuta. Very generally, pretas are those who have died in distress or with unfulfilled desires. Bhutas are those who failed to receive the proper rituals. Beyond that, there are no doubt sectarian and regional variations. While pretas usually are invisible, bhutas are said to be able to shape shift and appear as animals or humans. But if they take human form their feet are on backward. Many creepy ghost stories begin with someone meeting an interesting stranger. But then this person gradually realizes the stranger’s feet point the wrong way. Bhutas also try to avoid touching the earth, dress in white, and have raspy voices. Be warned.
The term preta, which means “departed one,” was carried over to Buddhism from Hinduism. The term “hungry ghost” comes from the Chinese name for pretas, which is ègui, or “starving ghost.” It’s not clear to me how much Hindu pretas resemble Buddhist pretas. Since I’m more familiar with Buddhist pretas, I’ll discuss them now.
About Hungry Ghosts
Early Buddhism created an elaborate cosmology of as many as thirty-one “realms” or planes of existence. Buddhist teachings generally only focus on six of these, the Six Realms of Samsara. Samsara is the beginningless and endless cycle of birth and death. Rebirth is said to take place only within the Six Realms. Note that in Buddhism, rebirth is not the transmigration of an autonomous, individual soul into a new body. It’s more like the effects of one life causing another one, like waves causing new waves. But for now I’d rather not wade any further into doctrine. Let’s just talk about the ghosts.
One of the Six Realms is the realm of hungry ghosts. Beings are reborn as hungry ghosts because of greed, envy and jealousy. In Buddhist art they came to be pictured with huge, empty bellies and tiny mouths. If they do manage to take in food or water, it turns into blood or pus in their mouths. Note also that Buddhists can disagree on what is metaphorical and what is literal. I’ve found that as metaphors the dwellers of the Six Realms, including hungry ghosts, can be powerful metaphors for real personality types. Hungry ghosts can be understood as people in the grip of addictions, for example. And I’ve read commentaries by Buddhist masters of centuries ago that also clearly were interpreting the Realms metaphorically. One of my Zen teachers, the late Jion Susan Postal, used to tell us that we can wander through several Realms in a day. However, I’ve heard stories of modern-day Buddhist clergy who insist the Realms are real, physical places.
Some schools of Buddhism have developed ceremonies, such as the Gate of Sweet Nectar, to “feed” the hungry ghosts and offer them comfort. How this ceremony is understood can vary.
More Ghosts of Religion
There are more ghosts in more parts of the world, of course. I understand that in many African cultures people believe they are being guided by the spirits of their ancestors. Ghosts loom large among the indigenous people of North America. Belief in ghosts appears to be common in human cultures around the world and through time. And this is true even when the formal doctrines of the dominant religion discourage belief in ghosts. I know many Christians who believe in ghosts, for example.
Psychologists have offered explanations for why people believe in ghosts. Ghost belief is related to stress, they say. That makes no sense to me, but whatever.
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