As the Qingming Festival arrives, spring mountains shimmer with verdant grace. In reverence for the lofty conduct of successive patriarchs and in profound gratitude for the Dharma’s nurturing grace, on the morning of April 4th, Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou organized a solemn pilgrimage by lay devotees to the Tomb of Master Lianchi of Yunqi—commemorating the enduring virtues of ancient patriarchs and inspiring future practitioners toward diligent cultivation.
Guided by venerable masters from Fajing Temple (Zhongtianzhu) and the Hangzhou Buddhist Academy, the lay devotees formed orderly ranks and stood solemnly before the tomb. With utmost devotion, they chanted Mahayana sutras and offered hymns and ritual offerings. Each syllable chanted, each coil of incense rising, became an offering of boundless gratitude and reverent remembrance to the patriarchs and virtuous masters. The merits thus generated were wholly dedicated to the ever-glowing radiance of the Buddha’s teaching, the enduring presence of the True Dharma, world peace, and the well-being of all beings.
Every year at Qingming, the Buddhist community in Hangzhou observes this time-honoured tradition: monastics and lay followers gather to sweep and venerate the stupas of patriarchs. This act honours the profound merits of those who, during their lifetimes, expounded the Dharma, sustained the Buddha’s wisdom, and shouldered the sacred responsibility of the Tathāgata’s lineage. It also exhorts all disciples to uphold the ancestral teachings, diligently practice the Threefold Training, benefit sentient beings, and embody the Bodhisattva ideal—self-benefit and benefit-of-others—in every aspect of daily life.
