Pray to ancestors (Cheng Beng)

In today's talk, venerable sayadaw gives a talk in regards to the traditional Chinese culture of Cheng Beng (pray to ancestors).
Buddhists in performing this tradition should performing it with understanding. Sayadaw says that our ancestors should be respected for their sacrifices to us when they are alive. Our ancestors are our lineage of culture and tradition that needs to be kept and cherish. Therefore, Cheng Beng is the time to remind us on our duty towards our ancestors.
In Buddhism, death is the beginning of birth for one who is still in the cycle of samsara. Sayadaw mentioned that we as living relatives can only do one thing for our departed relatives that is transferring of merits. The transference of merits can only be done after one has performed a meritorious deeds (akusala kamma). Once in a Dhamma talk, it is mentioned that only dana (of alms-giving) merits can be transfered.
Merits can only be transferred to the petas (hungry ghosts). Sayadaw says that there are 12 types of hungry ghost in Buddhism and only one type of hungry ghost can benefit from merits transfered by their relatives.
Today, Venerable Sayadaw also talked about how one can be reborn as hungry ghosts. One can be reborn as a hungry ghost if one has strong attachment to things in their previous life. Sometime a hungry ghost remain a ghost due to this strong attachment.
Since not every one can benefit from tranference of merits, performing this akusala deed is not a waste as we must understand that we have many relatives in our past lives that may enjoy the benefit when we do transferring of merits.
The Bukit Mertajam Buddhist Meditation Centre will be conducting a dana ceremony tomorrow at 11.00 am and may the performance of dana by the devotees resulted in good merits that can be shared to all the hungry ghosts. May all beings be well and happy and may all beings escape from this wheel of samsara and attain Nibbana.
SADHU, SADHU, SADHU