Maudgalyayana

Together with Sariputra, Maudgalyayana was once a disciple of Sanjaya, but both of them later took refuge in the Buddha. He practiced diligently and became one of the Buddha’s ten principal disciples. He was foremost in supernatural powers, which he utilized to guide sentient beings. He asked for the Buddha’s advice on how to save his mother from the hungry ghost realm. The Buddha instructed him to make offerings to the Sangha on the last day of the rainy season retreat, making use of the accumulated virtues to rescue suffering beings. This was the origin of the Ullambana service. In his old age he was attacked by followers of other beliefs and entered nirvana before the Buddha. He accepted his fate because he knew that supernatural powers cannot overcome karmic effects.