What is 生飯の偈 (Saba-no-Ge)?: Walking the Buddha Way Together with All Spirits

生飯の偈 (Saba-no-Ge): It changes seven grains of rice into a vast amount, and shares them with all spirits, both good and bad, in the ten directions.

What is 生飯の偈 (Saba-no-Ge)?: A verse chanted when collecting grains of rice for 鬼神 (spirits) at lunchtime.

Key Points: It is widely believed that the term “Saba” (the food offering for spirits) originated from the Tang dynasty Chinese pronunciation of “sanpan,” which later evolved into “saba” in Japan. This practice is derived from the “seven-by-seven” (forty-nine) food offering mentioned in 佛説救拔熖口餓鬼陀羅尼經(Sutra on the Merit of Saving Hungry spirits from Burning Mouths). While ordinary people in Japan typically perform “施餓鬼” or “施食” rituals for these spirits once a year during the Obon festival, Buddhist temples perform them daily. Kijin (spirits/deities) are categorized into evil and guardian types, and it is common for evil spirits to be transformed into guardian ones. This is because, as Buddhism spread, it did not seek to convert local religions; rather, it expanded by incorporating indigenous deities. Furthermore, Buddhism holds the philosophy that even beings with malevolent powers can be guided toward a positive path through the power of the Dharma.

I will introduce the Saba-no-Ge. The Saba-no-Ge is a Verse which people chant  at lunch when they gather rice for spirits.

Many Japanese people do not read the word “生飯” as “saba” in daily life. When I heard it for the first time, I thought of “a mackerel (saba)” or “a server.” Why do we read the kanji in this way? A common theory is that the Chinese reading was “Sanpan.” This word changed to “Saba” in Japan. There is a Japanese proverb, “サバを読む,” which means to tell a lie about numbers. It seems that this word came from the proverb(Reference: Saba by Jodo-sect-dictionary).

A person called “浄人 (Jonin) ” collects about seven grains of rice from each person. This is called “収生 (Shusan).” People place the rice on a stand called “生飯台 (Saba-dai).” At the temple where I practiced, it looked like a wooden music stand. However, it seems that some temples have a grand stone stand.

Saba-no-Ge: Why do we use seven grains of rice? It comes from 佛説救拔熖口餓鬼陀羅尼經

It takes practice and skill to put seven grains of rice on a tool called “Setsu,” which is used to wash an Oryoki bowl. New practitioners cannot do it well, so they cannot put seven grains on it. In my dojo, we taught them, “About seven grains are enough.” I wondered why it must be seven grains when I was there. (There were many other mysteries, too!)

This number, seven, comes from 佛説救拔熖口餓鬼陀羅尼經. This sutra is for giving food to so many 鬼神 (sprits). In Japanese Zen Buddhism, we chant the “Kanro-mon (甘露門)” at evening services or during お盆 (the Obon festival). The “Kanro-mon” is a ritual sutra based on the “佛説救拔熖口餓鬼陀羅尼經.” It says the following:

皆得摩伽陀國所用之斛七七斛食

佛説救拔熖口餓鬼陀羅尼經 Original

Each of these beings will receive forty-nine “斛 (koku)” of food, using the unit of measure from the Magadha Kingdom.

佛説救拔熖口餓鬼陀羅尼經 Modern Meaning

七七斛食 (Shichi-shichi-koku-jiki) means a huge amount of food. It is forty-nine “koku.” “Koku” is an old unit of measure used in ancient China. 佛説救拔熖口餓鬼陀羅尼經 says that if you offer a few grains of rice (or even one grain) with a 陀羅尼 (Dharani) and a sincere heart, each spirit will receive forty-nine “koku” of food through 加持 (empowerment) of Buddha. They will be completely satisfied. In short, when you offer seven grains of rice and chant “此食偏十方 一切鬼神共 (I share this food with all spirits throughout the ten directions.)” those seven grains change into a huge amount of food. Because of this, all spirits can share the food (Source: Amoghavajra (Trans.). 佛説救拔熖口餓鬼陀羅尼經 [Sutra on the Dharani for Rescuing the Hungry Ghosts with Flaming Mouths], Vol. 1. SAT Daizokyo Database No. 1313.).

Saba-no-Ge: An Offering to All Spirits

In Japan, many people perform a memorial service for hungry spirits called “施餓鬼 (Segaki)” or “施食 (Sejiki)” once a year during the Obon festival. They offer rice to these spirits. At temples, however, monks do this offering every single day.

“鬼” refers to the spirits of the dead or beings beyond human understanding. Originally, in ancient Chinese thought, it meant “a being with spiritual power.” “神” refers to a being with divine power or a protective presence. When Buddhism was introduced to China, these two concepts were combined and became known as “鬼神.”

In Buddhism, the term “鬼神” has a broad meaning. It refers to the spirits of the dead, indigenous Japanese deities, and protective guardians of the Buddha’s teachings originating from India. It also includes spiritual beings suffering in states of delusion or falling, such as hungry spirits and inhabitants of hell. All these different beings are collectively called “鬼神.”

Saba-no-Ge：Various Types of 鬼神 (kijin)

By adding “天” (Heavenly Beings) and “龍” (Dragons) to these six, we complete the “天龍八部/八部衆” (the Eight Legions). These beings appear in many Mahayana Buddhist sutras, including the Lotus Sutra, as benevolent protectors of the Buddha’s teachings (Source: Kumarajiva (Trans.). 妙法蓮華經卷第二 [The Lotus Sutra], Vol. 2. SAT Daizokyo Database No. 0262.).

Why did these once-feared “Evil Kijin” transform into benevolent guardian deities? There are two main reasons for this. First, as Buddhism spread, it did not seek to reject or replace indigenous local religions. Instead, it embraced and incorporated those local deities into its own framework, allowing them to coexist and eventually serve the Buddha’s teachings. Second, a core philosophy of Buddhism is the belief that even beings with dark or destructive powers can be guided toward the light and transformed into a positive force through the power of the Dharma.

The Core

• Buddhism holds the philosophy of guiding even “Evil Kijin” toward a better path.
• One transforms seven grains of rice into a vast amount to share with all Kijin throughout the ten directions.
• The “Saba-no-Ge” is a verse recited during lunch when collecting grains of rice for these Kijin.

My Experience: From the Dojo to Daily Life—My Small Offering

要点：At the dojo, birds swoop in to eat food. Now, when I offer water at my home in midsummer, insects come to drink it. In Buddhist thought, I think that Kijin (spirits) are also suffering from the heat and come to drink it just like us.

At the dojo where I trained, there was a small, wooden, music-stand-like platform behind the building used for 生飯 (saba/food offerings). The birds seemed to know about it; as soon as the person responsible for placing the food left, they would immediately swoop in to eat. Once, during a special event or memorial service, we were served bento boxes (lunch boxes). Since we ate in 食堂(jikido/the dining hall) instead of 坐禅堂 (zaendo/meditation hall) that day, we did not collect the food for the offering. The next day, we found the Saba platform broken. It seemed the birds had been angry because their daily meal was missing. In the Zendo (meditation hall), the procedure is strictly defined, so collecting the Saba is naturally part of that flow. However, because there was no such set routine in the dining hall, there was a suggestion that we should perhaps offer Saba even when eating there, rather than being bound by specific formats.

I currently live in a standard rental apartment, so I do not practice these formal offerings, as attracting animals could cause trouble for my neighbors. However, during the height of summer, I sometimes leave out water because it is simply too hot. Soon enough, wasps and butterflies come to drink. In terms of Buddhist philosophy, I like to think that the “Kijin” are coming to drink as well, suffering from the heat just like the rest of us.