Maudgalyayana was one of the “Ten Great Disciples” of Buddha Shakyamuni. He is the first supernatural being. When he attained Arahantship, he used his heavenly eyes to see his mother, Mrs. Thanh De, falling into Avici prison, suffering the terrible punishment of hunger and suffering. He used his supernatural powers to bring a bowl of rice to his mother to use. But as soon as she picked it up, the rice bowl suddenly caught fire and she couldn’t eat it, so she regretted her sin. Maudgalyayana returned to ask Buddha for help on how to save his mother. Seeing Maud Lien’s filial piety, the Buddha was moved with compassion and taught him to perform the Vu Lan Bon ceremony, so that thanks to the dedication of the merits of the Holy Monks combined with her remorse and the Buddha’s power to protect him, Venerable Maud Lien saved his mother from Avici prison.
Oracle Commentary 1975
Maudgalyāyana (Pali: Moggallāna), also known as Mahāmaudgalyāyana or by his birth name Kolita, was one of the Buddha‘s closest disciples. Described as a contemporary of disciples such as Subhuti, Śāriputra (Pali: Sāriputta), and Mahākāśyapa (Pali: Mahākassapa), he is considered the second of the Buddha’s two foremost male disciples, together with Śāriputra. Traditional accounts relate that Maudgalyāyana and Śāriputra become spiritual wanderers in their youth. After having searched for spiritual truth for a while, they come into contact with the Buddhist teaching through verses that have become widely known in the Buddhist world. Eventually they meet the Buddha himself and ordain as monks under him. Maudgalyāyana attains enlightenment shortly after that. Wikipedia
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