Great Ullambana Ceremony at Lingyin Temple in Taiwan

Following the example of filial piety of Arahant Muc Kien Lien, reminding Buddhists to remember their parents, repaying their gratitude to the Master and Patriarch, on Aug. 21st, 2022, at Lingyin Pagoda (Taipei, Taiwan) solemnly held the Great Ullambana ceremony. On occasion of the rain retreat ending and wishing a religious age of Monks, Nuns, Buddhists bought gifts, sincerely offered dharma robe, and alms giving to the Sangha.

Hearts sob in the filial piety season

Fragrant flowers bloom in Ullambana season

How beautiful Ullambana festival is,

Help humanity find their way back to enlightenment.

The ceremony took place solemnly with the presence of more than 20 Venerable Monks and Nuns and more than 80 Buddhists everywhere gathered at the pagoda to support and attend the great ceremony.

In the morning, the mass celebrated reciting the Sutra of Four Grace Repayment for Father and Mother, made offerings to the Buddha, and set up a ceremony to pray for the spirits, ancestors, and the souls who had died during the Covid pandemic.

At noon, the mass made offerings to the Sangha and Buddhists to the temple to attend the ceremony. On behalf of the Venerables, Monks, Junior Thich Van Thong, praised and thanked the Buddhists for their sincere dedication; the mass made the dedication vows to all sentient beings in the dharma realm to enjoy the same benefits.

In the afternoon, the Great Ceremony officially was celebrated, all members of the welcome team solemnly bowed and invited the monks and nuns to the main hall in the sacred atmosphere at a Vietnamese temple in a foreign land.

The Organizers invited Junior Thich Quang Thong to read the Meaning of Rose flower pinning; Junior Thich Nhuan Phap gave the teachings to encourage Buddhists. The attendee 's tears were silently shed when listening to the words of the masters sharing, because of the livelihood that the expatriates cannot be with taking care of parents, wandering about foreign countries is so hard and lonely. Currently, they are back under the roof of their hometown temple, giving each other sincere and passionate feelings to encourage, comfort, and share together. This helps everyone's heart less sad when staying in a foreign land.

At the end of the ceremony, everyone together offered candles to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, prayed for their parents in their homeland to always be safe and healthy, prayed for their deceased parents, and commemorated the departed spirits; those who died during the pandemic were relying on the Three Jewels, relying on the Buddha power of being born in the land of bliss.

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