On June 6, 2020 (the fifteenth day of the second fourth month in 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, starting from the sixteenth day of the fourth month to the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the Chinese calendar. Such a practice is called the Vassa, also known as the three-month Monastic Summer Retreat, or the Buddhist Rains Retreat during the monsoon rains. During the Vassa, the Lingyin Sangha will recite and chant the mahā-vaipulya-buddhâvataṃsaka-sūtra (Huayan Jing, or Huayan Sutra) every day for the benefits of both the living and the dead. They will 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.
