There are gifts that we can give to others even if we do not have material wealth to share, such as the gift of kind eyes that look upon others with loving concern, free from judgement and ill-will. Kind eyes do not just see what is happening but move us to respond to the suffering of others with deep compassion.
The Buddhist observance of Obon is inspired by the story of the Buddha’s compassionate teaching to his disciple Mahamaudgalyayana. An enlightened disciple of the Buddha by the name of Mahamaudgalyana had a special ability to see the workings of cause and effect beyond the boundaries of birth and death. On one occasion he used this power to search for his mother throughout the six realms of existence*. At that time, he saw that his mother had fallen into the realm of the hungry ghosts, a state of suffering from unsatisfied desire.
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