The Laba Festival (a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the eighth day of the La Month, the twelfth month of the Chinese lunar calendar) falls on January 24th this year. It is also the enlightenment day of the Buddha. Lingyin Temple, following the Buddhist tradition, organized sutra lectures followed by an offering and prayer ceremony in respect of this date.

At 8:30 am, the Lingyin Sangha invited the monastery supervisor Master Zhiguang to give a Dharma lecture to the general public. He expounded on the importance of the practice of ＂The Noble Eightfold Path＂ in the modern society in his lecture entitled ＂The Righteousness of Buddhism＂. The offering and prayer ceremony, held after the sutra lectures, was presided over by the two monastery supervisors Master Yiguang and Master Zhiguang. The participants made offerings to show their great gratitude to The Three Jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha) and prayed for more Dharma light shed on the world, forever turning of the Dharma wheel, harmonious peace for all sentient beings.
 

At the ceremony

Master Zhiguang giving a Dharma lecture

Attentive participants

The offering and prayer ceremony