On February 25, the ninth day of the first lunar month in the Bingwu Year, which marks the birthday of Śakra Devānām Indra (Lord of the Heavenly Protectors), Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou held the Bingwu Chinese New Year Buddha Offering and Heaven Worshipping Dharma Assembly. The ceremony prayed for the illuminating light of the Buddha, the blessings and protection of all heavenly beings, national prosperity, and the happiness and wellbeing of all people.
At four o’clock in the early morning, the Mahavira Hall was filled with curling incense smoke and bright lamps. In accordance with the traditional ritual of worshipping the heavens, the altar was duly arranged with the Ten Offerings: incense, flowers, lamps, ointment, fruit, tea, food, treasures, pearls, and robes, neatly presented to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Ten Directions and all holy heavenly beings.
Venerable Guangquan, Abbot of Lingyin Temple, led the monastic assembly in sincerely reciting the Ritual for Worshipping the Heavens. With pure and solemn chanting, they praised and paid homage to the heavenly beings, offering sincere prostrations and offerings. The merits from this ceremony were dedicated to all sentient beings throughout the Dharma realm. May the protective heavenly beings of the Ten Directions uphold the Buddha’s noble will:
To compassionately care for all beings and preserve the True Dharma;
To punish evil, promote goodness, and protect and stabilize the nation!
According to the Golden Light Sutra, the heavenly beings vowed before the Buddha to protect Buddhism and uphold the True Dharma at the Dharma Assembly of the Golden Light. In gratitude for the heavenly protectors’ meritorious deeds, Chinese Buddhist temples annually hold the Buddha Offering and Heaven Worshipping Dharma Assembly on the ninth day of the first lunar month, the birthday of Śakra Devānām Indra, to make offerings to the Three Jewels of the Ten Directions, the Dharma protectors and heavenly beings as well as their retinues.
