July 12th and the Hungry Spirits on Disco Demolition Night in Chicago

On July 12th, 1271, the Daishonin writes a letter to a most loyal follower about hungry spirits.  IN his letter, the Daishonin exposes how hungry spirits are divided into thirty-six kinds, among which the most popular are the Caldron-Shaped hungry spirits with no eyes or mouth.  They got this way because in the world of the living they robbed people of their food.  This might not have been the actual action of stealing food out of someone's pantry, but stealing food from their livelihood by doing such evil things as not paying them a fair wage for their labor -- think about that you profit grabbing capitalist at the top wanting to keep us down.   

Another interesting Hungry Spirit, is the Law Devouring hungry spirits.  They are those who renounce the world and spread religion.  They think that if they preach the Law people will respect them, and because of their ambition for fame and profit, they spend their entire present lifetime striving to be thought of as better than others.  They use religious teachings to satisfy their own desires. 

There are many examples, but the bottom line is don't be a greedy, self absorbed, asshole; instead, be a loving, giving, kind person.  It's easier than you think.

Other points to ponder in referencing Hungry Spirits on a July 12th:

In 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne, Protestant forces defeat the Roman Catholic army. This battle for power would go on for years until the two would realize they have more in common than apart when compared to Muslims and Buddhist, and so they joined hands as Christians Against the World -- especially in the USA after the 80's.  How wonderful it will be in another 400 years when we realize all religions have more in common than apart and come together as humans.  One can only dream for now.

In 1843 on a hot July 12th night in the USA, the leader of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith, approves the practice of polygamy as a result of a divine revelation.  Hmmmm, not sure what to say here, but to each their own, hungry spirit or not.

Perhaps the greatest example of the force of Hungry Spirits in a group, happened on this day in 1979 when there was an anti-disco promotion at a baseball game in Chicago.  The wealthy owners wanting to increase profits (most Hungry Spirit stories begin this way), wanted to fill the seats of a baseball stadium for a losing team and so dubbed a baseball game "Disco Demolition Night."  

Deeply discounted tickets to Comiskey Park would be given to people who brought along a disco record to be destroyed.  Of course, it turned out to be a Hungry Spirit conference with more people turning out than expected, and they started throwing firecrackers and empty bottles onto the field.  They also threw the vinyl disco albums that had not been collected at the gate.  

The night climaxed with a popular dics jockey, Steve Dahl, driving onto the field in a jeep before announcing, "This is now officially the world's largest anti-disco rally!...  Now listen, we took all the disco records you brought tonight, we got 'em in a giant box, and we're gonna blow 'em up reeeeeeal goooood."

With that, a massive blast sent fiery shards of vinyl 200 feet in the air.  The crown roared and thousands of people rushed the field.  Anything that wasn't destroyed by the explosion, the mob finished, stealing bases, pulling down batting cages, and dancing manically around the burning remnants of disco anthems.  

"Holy Cow!" the famed sports announcer Harry Caray called out to the crowd over the loudspeaker, asking them to take their seats.  When the plea received nothing but a taunting response, the ballpark launched into the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."  Then the riot police came in and the mob dispersed.  The Sox forfeited the game to the Detroit Tigers.  Go Tigers!

~~ Eso Terry