On May 20, 2019 (the sixteenth day of the fourth month of the Chinese calendar), it was customary for the Sangha of Lingyin Temple to traditionally perform the Vassa ceremony at the Mahavira Hall.

According to the Buddhist tradition, Buddhist monks should choose a fixed site to earnestly practice Buddhism for three months. Such a practice is called the Vassa, also known as the three-month Monastic Summer Retreat, or Rains Retreat during the monsoon rains. During the Vassa, the Lingyin Sangha would recite and chant the mahā-vaipulya-buddhâvataṃsaka-sūtra (Chinese pinyin: Huayan Jing) every day for the benefits of both the living and the dead. They would pray for longevity and auspicious blessings for the living and relief from the Buddhist wheel of life and rebirth in the western pure land for the dead.