The birthday of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva falls on September 14 (the 30th day of the seventh lunar month) this year. At 6:00 pm, Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou held a Three Mahāsattvas Yoga Flaming Mouth Rite at the Hall of Medicine Buddha, marking a successful close of the Ksitigarbha Dharma Assembly in 2023.
As recorded in the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Purvapranidhana Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha earnestly entrusted Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva with the compassionate salvation of all sentient beings in the Three Realms, which are like a burning house, likening him to a guide who, together with the Ksitigarbha Dharma doors and the Ksitigarbha Sutra, lead all beings out of sufferings in perilous journeys. Lingyin Temple held the Ksitigarbha Dharma Assembly from September 3 to 14 (from the 19th day to the 30th day of the seventh lunar month), reciting the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Purvapranidhana Sutra for the benefits of both humans and heavenly beings. On the last day of this event, a Yoga Flaming Mouth Rite was conducted to offer food to the hungry ghosts, praying for national peace and favorable weather conditions. The dedication of merits to past and future parents and loved ones would help to eradicate karmic obstacles and increase blessings and wisdom. May all attain enlightenment and reach the Pure Land.
