Chinese Folk Religion has a very heavy Buddhist influence. Concepts like rebirth, hungry ghosts and hells came from Buddhism. But unfortunately, Chinese Folk Religion has got the wrong idea about hungry ghosts (called petas in Buddhism).

In Buddhist cosmology, hungry ghosts are placed just slightly lower than humans and higher than animals. Hells are placed even lower than animals. And in Buddhism, there is no such thing as hell beings getting out from hells unless their evil karmic forces are exhausted, which led them to be reborn in higher realms, such as as animals, ghosts, humans and even as devas. In other words, in Buddhism, hell beings <> ghosts.

One thing interesting about ghosts in Buddhism is that they may inhabit hells, the human realm and right up to the heavens but they are mostly found in abandoned places and deserts. In a Buddhist commentary, King Yama of hell is considered as a vimanapeta (being with a mixed state) which sometimes can enjoy celestial comforts and sometimes getting punished for his bad karma.

Chinese depiction of hells also have a heavy influence of the Chinese imperial administration.

That is why I said that the Chinese Folk Religion's depiction of hell has a very heavy influence of the Imperial Chinese administration system.

Looks like syncretism is not just the combining of different, often contradictory beliefs, while blending practices of various schools of thought, it can also absorb secular ideas.

If that is the way to enlightenment, the Buddha would have originally taught that instead of the Noble Eightfold Path, but he didn't.

Cultivation of the supernormal knowledges (abhinnas) is not a requirement to achieve enlightenment. But, in order to achieve enlightenment, one has to reach the 4th Jhana. But because in order to practice the abhinnas one must reach the 4th Jhana, the cultivation of the supernomal powers is probably considered as an optional activity or a side effect in the quest towards enlightenment.

If one's objective of meditating is to achieve supernormal powers, then it would be difficult to achieve enlightenment. The Buddha said that the indulgence in the supernormal powers can distract from the ultimate goal.

According to Theravada Buddhism, the oldest school of Buddhism, prayers are useless. The many sutras that appeared five hundred to one thousand years after the Buddha's death are counterfeit teachings.

"Long life is welcome, agreeable, pleasant, & hard to obtain in the world."Beauty..Happiness..Status..Rebirth in heaven is welcome, agreeable, pleasant, & hard to obtain. Now, I tell you, these five things are not to be obtained by reason of prayers or wishes. If they were to be obtained by reason of prayers or wishes, who here would lack them? It's not fitting for the disciple of the noble ones who desires happiness..beauty..status..rebirth in heaven..to pray for it or to delight in doing so. Instead, the disciple of the noble ones who desires long life...beauty..happiness..status..rebirth in heaven.. should follow the path of practice leading to long life..beauty..happiness.. status..rebirth in heaven. In so doing, he will attain long life, beauty..happiness..status..rebirth in heaven. "

Ittha Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya 5.43)