法苑珠林 62.37

62.37

Furthermore, the Avadāna-sūtra says: The Buddha and Ānanda went walking along the riverbank and saw five hundred hungry ghosts walking while singing and chanting; they also saw several hundred fine people passing by while weeping. Ānanda asked the Buddha, "Why are the ghosts singing and dancing, while the humans are weeping?" The Buddha answered Ānanda, "The sons and relatives of the hungry ghosts cultivate merit on their behalf, and they are about to attain liberation; therefore they sing and dance. The sons and relatives of the fine people only commit slaughter and have no one to cultivate merit for them; afterward, great fires will press upon them; therefore they weep."