Why Hangry Ghost?
The hungry ghost is a being—not quite ghost, not quite human—who roams the Earth with insatiable desire and an incessant hunger for more. Sometimes depicted with long, open necks and protruding bellies that never get full, some all skin and bones with tiny mouths that cannot nourish themselves no matter how much they eat, the hungry ghost appears in some form throughout most all Eastern traditions, from Hinduism to Tibetan Buddhism, and even in Christianity disguised as the Grigori. Their reckless desire is often associated with rage for their unfulfilled longings and their demand for more.
It’s said that hungry ghosts live the way they do as punishment for past desires, addictions, and longings. I’ve always loved this story, but see the hungry ghosts in a much different light. Perhaps, as someone who’s struggled with alcoholism and addiction (a plight often associated with these creatures), it’s because I understand the truth behind such desires. The emptiness. The misunderstanding. The damnation that comes from behaving in such an animalistic way, a way that feels beyond your control.
I know, and it is said of the hungry ghosts’ yearnings, that the plea is actually for the unseen, the spiritual, the mystical. God. I’ve found this to be true for my own gluttonous pursuits—and I have found God in lots of places.
I love them, these bbs with their reckless, insatiable nature.
I am them.
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Hey Sis
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This column seeks to access the luminal space between the specific and the universal—that place we all meet when we’re willing to really see one another. The place that breeds deep, unbending compassion.
Through essay (or who knows), I’ll attempt to answer the questions that come my way. Follow along, or ask a question yourself.
