21 August, 2013 (15 July of Chinese Lunar calendar), Lingyin Temple launched the Themed Ceremonies for Filial Piety and Gratitude for Yulan (Ullambana) Festival, 2013. Nearly 400 people, including all the Sangha of  Lingyin Temple, volunteers, devotees, as well as parents and families of the Venerables who participated in the themed tea party the night before, attended the launching ceremony to share the blissful moment.

Chanting Ullambana Sutra to relieve the souls of passed families and ancestors from suffering

Abbot Venerable Guangquan and Chief-Seat Venerable Jiyun leading the ceremonies

In the morning, lead by Lingyin Abbot Venerable Guangquan and Chief-seat Venerable Jiyun, all Venerables chanted the Ullampana Sutra in the Grand (Mahavira) Hall with piety and devotion, so as to retrospectively save the souls of passed families and ancestors from suffering with the karma obtained from chanting. A magnificent Ullampana Sacrificial Ceremony was also held. Incense, flowers, fruits and a variety of foods were offered as sacrifices to Sakyamuni and all Buddhas and sangha, so as to glorify the Buddha, and to relieve the souls of the families and ancestors of all believers from suffering and to help them reach the pure land.

Washing away worldly trouble with holy water

Blessing family members of believers with holy water sprinkled from poplar branches

 Worshiping the Buddha with various fruit offerings

Worshiping Buddha with a clean heart

An audience of as many as three hundred, including family members of Venerables who had participated in the Themed Tea Party the night before and Lingyin venerables stood in two lines from Mahavira Hall all the way to the Hall of Heavenly Kings. Fruits, foods, incense, candles and a series of ceremonial utensils passed from hand to hand among pious believers, and finally arrived in front of the Buddha.

Remembering paying gratitude to parents even as Buddha’s disciples

Passing on merit, virtue and Bodhicitta

Miraculously, either because of the ruler of the heaven or because of the blessing from Buddha, it suddenly drizzled before the passing of the sacrifices, as if the rain arrived to wash away the worldly trouble of these disciples of Triratna. When it came to the time to pass the sacrifice, the rain suddenly stopped, the cloud cleared, and the weather became very cool, bringing unlimited delight to all Buddha’s disciples.

Heavenly mist from the sky

Lines of worshippers to pass the sacrifice extending from Mahavira Hall to Hall of Heavenly Kings

The solemn Sacrificial Ceremony attracted numerous visitors and followers, who were so fascinated by the ceremony that they started to take pictures and videos as memento. The spectators and monks chanted together, and donated together as they wish. The Sacrificial Ceremony finished at half past ten in the morning.

Visitors and believers came to the temple to worship

During the early prayer on the same morning, the temple’s internal commencement ceremony was held. Abbot Venerable Guangquan followed the tradition and rites to invited Venerable Jiyun and others to take on posts of Temple supervisors.

Traditional appointment of Temple roles

The worshiping of Buddha and Sangha on Yulan Festival combines the charitable tradition of Buddhism and the Chinese tradition of filial piety, so that the spirit of mercy and filial piety is extended to generations of ancestors, and even to all beings in the sphere of the Buddha, making this day a joyful day to pay gratitude to parents, to worship Buddha and Sangha and to obtaining enlightenment. Such a combination is extremely important for the promotion of filial piety, the maintenance of basic social values and morality, and the construction of a harmonious, civilized society.

Worshiping Triratna with foods and utensils (1)

Worshiping Triratna with foods and utensils(2)