[Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Buddha Speaks of the Ullambana Sutra]
[Medicine Buddha Great Vow Ksitigarbha Great Vow]
[Thousand Monks Fast]
[6500 Blessings]
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/zEFgPmMveDqyvKTq/?mibextid=oFDknk
When I first saw the DM introduction of this year’s Chinese International Buddhist Offerings and Monks Merit Meeting,
there was the Buddha’s Ullambana Sutra in the morning,
and the Medicine Buddha’s Original Vow Merit Sutra in the afternoon;
on the 24th, I checked the site and happened to see the Medicine Buddha and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s mandala on the left and right sides.
This directly reminded me of
the Hualien Four Mindfulness Medicine Buddha Mandala Medicine Buddha Seven Buddhas,
and the Taitung City Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of Great Vow Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of Ksitigarbha Temple.
This is too coincidental!
From the Sangji Buddhist Network report:
【After a five-year absence, the 20th anniversary of the International Buddhist Conference was solemnly launched today, inviting the leaders of various Buddhist sects to attend the meeting at the Linkou Sports Center and tens of thousands of people.
The organizer of the International Buddhist Conference said that the origin of the conference is based on filial piety and gratitude. It originated from the Ullambana Sutra. Every year, on the Buddha’s Joyful Day in the lunar calendar, the monks prepare food and supplies for the monastic community and dedicate the merits to their parents and relatives, so that they can be liberated and escape from the suffering of the three separations. This is also the method that the Buddha told Maudgalyayana in the scriptures on how to save his mother who fell into the hungry ghost realm.
From this grand conference, the offerings from all directions have been continuously supported for many years, including the three major traditions of Southern, Han, and Tibetan Buddhism, and also spread to China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and other countries. By the end of 2017, the cumulative offerings to monks at home and abroad reached more than 340,000 times.
Thanks to the organizer: China International Buddhist and Monk Offering Merit Association. It gave us the opportunity to broadcast and record the event simultaneously on the Buddhist website, and share it with everyone! 😀】
The volunteer groups participating in this event are the male welcoming group and the solemn group. In addition to lining the streets to welcome and solemnize the venue,
they are also responsible for guiding the Dharma masters to their positions.
The male volunteers are the welcoming group. After guiding a Dharma master, they return to the original volunteer team and line up for the next time; allowing the volunteer groups to take turns to have the opportunity.
I have the honor of guiding Dharma masters who came from far away four times.
The organizer of the International Buddhist Conference stated that the purpose of the event is to repay parents with gratitude, which is derived from the Ullambana Sutra:
Every year on the Buddha’s Joyful Day in the lunar calendar, the Sangha will prepare food, supplies and other pious offerings, and dedicate the merits to their parents and relatives, so that they can be liberated and freed from the suffering of the three separations. This is also the method in the scriptures that the Buddha told Maudgalyayana how to save his mother who fell into the hungry ghost realm.
What I remember most vividly is:
After the reception, the conference announced to all the volunteers that we volunteers are the most filial in the family!
Remember to dedicate the merits to your ancestors of seven generations and nine generations.
Grateful for the opportunity to be the most filial in the family.
As more and more monks came, more and more volunteers came,
and the atmosphere became more and more lively,
which resulted in a solemn feast for 1,000 monks with about 6,500 monks
and more than 10,000 volunteers.
I was also impressed by the monks who left in a hurry after accepting the offerings,
whether they were individuals or groups
because they had to travel a long way.The welcoming group and solemn group lined up to send us off.
We are happy to receive the happiness and blessings of 6,500 monks.
They wish us all:
Good health, peace and happiness!
Both blessings and wisdom!
This is the great wish of Akasagarbha Bodhisattva.
Let us receive the blessing of the great wish together!
【The Buddha of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Speaks of the Ullambana Sutra】
The Buddha’s Ullambana Sutra is closely related to the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
The Ullambana Sutra records that after Maudgalyayana’s mother passed away, Maudgalyayana used his supernatural powers to observe and found that his mother had turned into a hungry ghost, hungry and thirsty. Maudgalyayana took food to her, but the food turned into a raging fire when it reached her mouth. Maudgalyayana came back and told the Buddha, who said: “Your mother had a lot of karma in her life, and you cannot change her karma by yourself. You must rely on the merits of the monks from all directions. On the 15th day of the seventh month, you should offer alms to the monks and ask them to dedicate merits to her. Only in this way can she be liberated.”
So Maudgalyayana followed the Buddha’s instructions, offered alms to the monks from all directions and made merits. With the help of the monks, his mother was immediately freed from the hungry ghost realm and was born in heaven to enjoy happiness. This custom has been passed down for thousands of years. In Chinese Buddhism, the “Yulanpen Festival” is held on the 15th day of the seventh month every year to help one’s parents and relatives from past lives.
Excerpt from “Entering the Bodhisattva’s Way of Practice”
To stop disasters and protect the country is the wish of Medicine Buddha;
The most beautiful heart I wish to make this promise to all living beings,
all living beings are no different from me!
The Medicine Buddha Sutra and the Medicine Buddha Seven Buddha Sutra are the best proof!
The Medicine Buddha Sutra: “When disasters occur, such as epidemics among the people, invasions by other countries, rebellion in one’s own country, strange changes in the stars, eclipses of the sun and the moon, untimely wind and rain, and no rain at the wrong time, the Kshatriyas and the crowned kings should have compassion for all sentient beings, forgive all their bonds, and make offerings to the World Honored Medicine Buddha Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata according to the method of offerings mentioned above. With this good root and the power of the original vow of the Tathagata, his country will be safe, the wind and rain will be in season, and the crops will mature. All sentient beings will be free of disease and happy. In his country, there will be no violent and evil Yakshas and other gods who will annoy sentient beings. All evil aspects will disappear. And the Kshatriyas, the crowned kings, etc. will all gain in lifespan, color, strength, and freedom from illness. ‘
The “diseases and epidemics” mentioned in the sutra refer to infectious diseases such as SARS and the new coronavirus, “invasion by other countries” refers to the threat of invasion and annexation by powerful countries, “rebellion in one’s own country” refers to the military coup launched by domestic rebels, and “strange changes in the stars” refers to the disaster stars and evil stars that affect the earth’s magnetic field and trigger the common karma disasters of all living beings.
Thank you to all the people who recited the Medicine Buddha Sutra together and vowed to protect the country and stop disasters!
At this time, I happened to be assisting the red card next to the Medicine Buddha Mandala.
May all your pure wishes come true. 🌠
May all your wishes come true.
【Prayer】
With the merits of offering to monks from all directions, I wish to make the world peaceful and the people happy,
and enable sentient beings with affinity to develop bodhicitta, plant a wide field of merit,
accumulate good deeds to eliminate disasters, resolve misfortunes and obstacles, and eliminate adverse karma together,
make the great vow of Medicine Buddha:
Medicine Buddha Sutra: “In the Sutra: Because of the power of the original vow of the Tathagata, the country will be safe. The wind and rain will be in season and the crops will be ripe. All sentient beings will be free from disease and happy!”
“May all suffering beings no longer suffer, those who are afraid no longer fear, and those who are sad no longer feel sad. With the power of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas,
all Pratyekabuddhas and Arhats, we will protect them all.”
【Finally, thanks】
Thank you to Teacher Wu for teaching the Sutra of the Original Vows and Merits of the Seven Buddhas of Medicine.
Although I have not joined any large Buddhist group,
I still have the opportunity to participate in the support of the Thousand Monks’ Fast.
Thanks to the chairman for sharing:
“Thank you all, Amitabha!
To complete this Dharma Assembly, at least four things are needed: the monks, the audience, the tools and the money. No matter which one you participate in, it is like a drop of water flowing into the ocean, and this drop of water participates in all the uses of the ocean.”
“Thank you to the elders, nuns and masters of the mountains at home and abroad for their kindness and offerings. Thank you to all the Dharma protectors and volunteer cadres for jointly achieving this Dharma Assembly of respecting monks and teachings!”
Origin of gratitude:
Thank you Senior Brother Liu and Senior Brother Xie
I met Senior Brother Taidong at Hualien Medicine Master 49th Light in March,
Senior Brother Taidong invited me to participate in the China International Buddhist Offering and Monk Fasting Conference,
He said this year is the 20th year,
this is the China International Buddhist Offering and Monk Fasting Merit Conference,
and it was our first meeting, Senior Brother……………………
threw two hardcover introduction books as thick as papers about the China International Buddhist Offering and Monk Fasting Merit Conference, and said to refer to it for research…
Thank you, Chairman Wang, who
did not know me,
regardless of my youth,
was willing to explain 2HR in detail at the coffee shop in Jiaoxi, Yilan,
and demonstrated on the spot how to invite a monk to attend the feast.
Thank you, my friends and group members, about 42 people, formed a group to recruit new volunteers for the Linkou Monk Festival to join the volunteer support for the Thousand Monks Festival!
Thank you, my friends who have been volunteers in Taroko for decades, for helping me find good partners to join the volunteer group to support the Thousand Monks Festival,
and the senior from Taroko National Park who came from Hualien to New Taipei the night before to support the Thousand Monks Festival!
Thank you, Taroko from Hualien, who also has a deep connection with Theravada Buddhism.
Thanks to the sister in the group who participated in the monks’ feast when she was young,
I am so happy!
Thanks to the sister for her kind heart to provide thangkas, I am so grateful.
Thanks to the very kind sister Xu for participating in the offering group,
she should have come to rehearse the day before the conference, and she must be very busy during the conference.
Thanks to my other half for taking care of the solemn group at the venue.
Thanks to all the volunteer groups of the Thousand Monks’ Feast to make this holy meeting possible,
In addition to the welcoming group and the solemn group who were only busy for half a day,
there were also the offering group and the vegetarian offering group,
who were really admirable
and the scene was like a space superman flying all over the venue; there was also the ranking group, etc.
Thanks to everyone for planting the field of blessings together
Thank you for practicing the six perfections of giving in the event,
let’s achieve success together and quickly fulfill our wishes!
In all the worlds of the ten directions, all the teachers of the three times, I will pay homage to them all with my pure body, speech and mind.
The power of Samantabhadra’s vows and divine power will appear before all Tathagatas, and I will reappear in the form of dust-dust bodies, and pay homage to each and every dust-dust Buddha.
May all your wishes come true.
With the merits of offering to the monks from all directions, those who wish to see this may happily dedicate them to all sentient beings in the ten Dharma realms.