What are the important Buddhist rituals in Buddhism?

Among the Buddhist rituals held in temples, the water and land ceremony is the most grand, and the offering of food with a flame mouth is the most frequent. Secondly, fasting in heaven and Releases are also held frequently.

The full name of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly is "The Dharma Realm Saints' Water and Land Purdue Great Fast Meeting". According to legend, the founding of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly was that Emperor Liang Wu received revelation from a divine monk in a dream. After waking up, he received the instruction of Zen Master Baozhi and personally read Tibetan scriptures for three years before compiling this ritual text. In the fourth year of Tianjian (505), it was built in accordance with the rituals at Jinshan Temple. However, after the Zhou and Sui Dynasties, this ritual failed. In Xianhengzhong, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (670-673), Zen Master Shenying of Fahai Temple in Xijing received guidance from a stranger in a dream. After waking up, he obtained the Water and Land Rituals written by Emperor Wu of Liang from Yiji, a Wu monk in Dajue Temple. Since this place was set up permanently, it became popular. The world (see Volume 33 of "Buddha's Tongji"). However, according to the "Guanghong Mingji", Emperor Wu of Liang gave up Taoism and served Buddhism in the third year of Tianjian (504). It is impossible that he had read the Tibetan scriptures for three years before the fourth year of Tianjian. The words in the Water and Land Ritual are entirely based on Tiantai's theory. All the secret mantras in it are from the "Fu Kong Ke Suo Shen Transformation Mantra" translated by Bodhi Liuzhi in the third year of Shenlong (707). This is not only invisible to Emperor Wu of Liang, but also unknown to the gods in Xianheng. The current water and land rituals are divided into inner altar and outer altar. The inner altar performs the rituals, while the outer altar practices the "Repentance of the Emperor Liang" and recites various sutras. The so-called Liang Emperor personally wrote the rituals and the divine heroes permanently set up this fasting, may only refer to the "Repentance Method at the Compassion Dojo", while the water and land rituals were added by later generations.

The popularity of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly began in the Song Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Xining of the Song Dynasty (1068-1077), Yang Ezu of Dongchuan described the old rituals of Liang Wu and compiled them into three volumes of "Water and Land Rituals", which was popular in the world at that time. In the eighth year of Yuanyou (1093), Su Shi set up a water and land monastery for his deceased wife, the Song family, and wrote sixteen chapters on water and land, so it was called Meishan Shuilu. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Shi Hao passed by Jinshan and heard about the prosperity of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly. He specially donated 100 acres of land on the Yuepo Mountain of East Lake in Siming to pay for the construction of water and land in the four seasons. In the ninth year of Qiandao (1173), the name "Dian" was established in Yuepo Mountain, and the Shuilu Dazhai was built at the four o'clock period. Shi Hao personally wrote the sparse words and composed four volumes of "Yi Wen". At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhipan continued to write "Xinyi" in six volumes and formulated twenty-six axes. So Jinshan Yiwen called it "North Water and Land"; Zhipan's writing called it "Southern Water and Land". The fifth volume of "Ying'an Danhua Zen Master's Quotations" contains "Wang Jiyi's "Water and Land" for his younger brother Privy Council during the construction of Taiping Xingguo Temple in Kangshan, and "Beiji Hui's Water and Land" when he was in Guangxiao Temple in Pingjiang Prefecture. . Epiphyllum was born during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, which shows that Buddhist practices on land and water were very common at that time. The "Quotations of Zen Master Yuansou Duan" of the Yuan Dynasty contains "The French for the Imperial Court's Water and Land Rising Seat", which was the first year of Huangqing (1312). Volume 28 of "History of the Yuan Dynasty" says: In the third year of Emperor Yingzong's rule (1323), four temples in the capital, namely Wan'an, Qingshou, Sheng'an and Puqing, were established, Jinshan Temple on the Yangtze River, and Wansheng Youguo Temple in Wutai performed water and land Buddhist services for seven days and nights. At that time, Zen Master Yuejiang Zhengyin was the abbot of Jinshan, and his "Quotations" included the "Public Theory of the Jinshan Jianshuilu Dharma Conference of the Imperial Court", which is about this. Volume 20 of "Quotations of Zen Master Chu Shi Fanqi" shows that in the first and second years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368 and 1369), "French" was consecrated twice at the Water and Land Dharma Assembly of Jiangshan Zen Temple. This was also held under the order of Taizu of the Ming Dynasty. It can be seen that the Yuan and Ming Dynasties attached great importance to water and land Buddhist services. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhuan Hong also revised the book based on Zhipanweigui and compiled it into six volumes of "Shuilu Xiuzhai Rituals" because the Jinshan Temple manuscript was mixed up and down, and the monks at that time also had random differences. Qing Jieguan wrote nine volumes of "On the Interconnection of the Dharma Realm's Saints and Ordinary Waters and Lands in the Water and Land Dazhai" and "Dharma Wheel Precious Repentance" in ten volumes. What is currently popular is the "Water and Land Ritual Guide" compiled by Yirun compiled by Daoguang Jian of the Qing Dynasty and revised by Zhuan Hong.

Based on the development of water and land Buddhism as mentioned above, the water and land rituals were created by the Song Dynasty. Song Zunshi's "Shi Shi Zhengming" said: "Today, many temples in Wu and Yue have separate courtyards, some of which are inscribed on water and land (middle outline), some on dendrobium food (middle outline), and some on the underworld." It is the name of the same ritual that Water, Land and Underworld are. Saicho and Ennin from Japan went to the Tang Dynasty successively to seek Dharma. Among the esoteric classics they brought back were one volume of "The Law of the Uncensored Master of the Underworld" (Saicheng) and one volume of "The Method of the Uncensored Master of the Underworld" (Ennin). Now there is the "Underworld Offering" in the "Grandma's Biography", the scale of which is roughly similar to the water and land rituals. It can be seen that the Water and Land Dharma Association was developed through the combination of the Tang Dynasty Tantric Buddhism’s Uncensored Great Fast and the Six Paths of Compassionate Repentance of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, Yang E adopted the esoteric rituals and compiled them into "Water and Land Rituals". Master Ming Lianchi (Juan Hong) thought that the wood texture of Jinshan Temple was messy, which shows that the original creation may not have been by the hands of Tongjia. Now the Jinshan Temple version has not been handed down, so there is no way to know its contents. In short, it can be concluded that the Water and Land Dharma Conference was a Buddhist ritual that flourished in the Song Dynasty.

Yoga Yankou is a Buddhist ritual based on the Dharani Sutra of Saving the Hungry Ghosts of Yankou. It is said in the sutra: The Buddha was in the city of Kapila, wearing a nun, a monk named Kalam, and preached the Dharma to the monks and bodhisattvas. At that time Ananda was living alone in a quiet place, practicing meditation. At the third watch of the night, there was a hungry ghost named Yankou. He said to Ananda: "In the next three days your life will expire and you will be reborn as a hungry ghost." Ananda was greatly frightened and rushed to the Buddha's place to explain the matter and beg for instruction. At that time, the Buddha preached about the Dharani of infinite majesty, freedom, brightness, and extraordinary power, saying that reciting it would avoid the suffering of hungry ghosts and increase happiness and longevity. When practicing this method, at all times, take a purified vessel, fill it with purified water, put a small amount of rice, some cakes, etc., and press the vessel with your right hand. Recite the Dharani seven times, then call the names of the Four Tathagatas: Many Treasures, Wonderful Color Body, Expansive Body, and Freedom from Fear, take them from a food container, drain them on the ground, and make a donation. If you wish to donate to a Brahmin, recite this Dharani twenty-seven times and throw it into the pure flowing water.

If you recite it three or seven times and offer the Three Jewels, it will become a superior offering.

The introduction of this method was originally translated by Shishananda, Empress Wu of the Tang Dynasty, into a volume of "Dharani Mantra to Save Hungry Ghosts" and a volume of "Amrita Dharani Mantra". Mianran is a different translation of Yankou. The name of the mantra mentioned in his "Dharani Mantra to Save the Hungry Ghost" is the "eating mantra". The mantra spoken in the "Amrita Dharani Mantra" is called the Amrita Mantra. It means taking a cup of water, chanting the curse ten times, and scattering it in the air, it will become nectar. Later, Tripitaka Bukong translated the Dharani Sutra of Saving the Hungry Ghosts of Balyankou, which was the same version as that translated by Shishananda. Fu Kong also translated "The Yoga Collection to Save Ananda Rani's Rituals Sutra", "The Yoga Collection to Save Ananda Rani's Rituals from the Flame's Mouth to Give Food and Teach Ananda the Reason" (that is, the first half of the "Rituals Sutra" originated from the separate line), "The Giving Practice Sutra" "Food and Water Laws for Hungry Ghosts". There is also a translation of "The Great Dharani Sutra of Giving Sweet Nectar to Hungry Ghosts" by Tang Batu Mu'a that has been passed down in Japan. The order of practice in Bu Kong's translation of "Yoga Collection to Save Anandharani Ritual Sutra" is: 1. The mantra to destroy hell, 2. The mantra to summon hungry ghosts, 3. The mantra to summon sins, 4. The mantra to destroy sins, and 5. , Mantra of fixing karma, 6. Mantra of repentance, 7. Mantra of giving nectar, 8. Mantra of opening the throat, 9. 7. Mantra of Tathagata’s name, 10. Mantra of generating bodhicitta, 11. Mantra of Samadhi precepts, 12. Mantra of giving food, 10 3. The Mantra of the Sea of ??Milk, 14. the Mantra of Universal Offering, and 15. the Mantra of Giving. Since then, giving food to hungry ghosts has become a daily ritual for practitioners of tantric dharma. The Japanese who came to the Tang Dynasty to seek Dharma brought back rituals related to feeding hungry ghosts. Kukai's "Secret Treasures" once explained the meaning of the Five Tathagatas in the method of giving alms to hungry ghosts. An Ran's "Secret Records of the Eight Families" contains "The Method of Giving to Hungry Ghosts", which lists eight parts of each family's future path. However, in China, due to the chaos of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, along with the loss of esoteric Buddhism, the method of giving food was also lost.

Masters in the Song Dynasty did not know enough about the method of giving food. In Zunshi's "Jinyuan Ji", there are the rectification of Shi Shi's name, the method of Shi Shi, and the article on Shi Shi. Various chapters on the visualization of giving food. Its method is not an esoteric ritual, but simply takes the mantras from the sutras and adds Taiwanese visualizations. The rectification of his name for almsgiving says: "Nowadays, many temples in Wu and Yue have separate courtyards, some of which are inscribed on water and land (middle outline), some inscribed on dendrobium (middle outline), and some inscribed on the underworld." Dendrobium refers to giving food with a flame mouth. Ming Dao is the Ming Dao Uncovered Fast in the Tang Dynasty, and it is also a type of esoteric practice. Water and Land is a ritual that emerged in the Song Dynasty. These three were confused and indistinguishable at that time. Zong Xiao has a volume called "Shi Shi Zong Lun", which first records the second translation of "The Sutra of Saving Hungry Ghosts", and then records the "Nirvana Sutra" about the fate of Buddha's transformation into ghosts and gods in the wilderness, "The Law of Bi Na Na Miscellaneous Matters" about the mother fate of Buddha's transformation into devils and "Bao". In the Yun Sutra, there are articles about bhikkhus begging for food and giving to ghosts and animals. The second collection contains articles from various schools on almsgiving and water and land fasting meetings. Among them is Renyue's "Instructions for Giving Food", which also believes that giving to ghosts and gods in the wilderness, and giving to ghosts and their mothers to save hungry ghosts in Bayankou are both giving food. The same is said in the "Lisheng Chapter" in Volume 4 of "Shimen Zhengtong". It can be seen that various schools in the Song Dynasty tried to restore Yankou Shishi but failed.

Due to the entry of Tibetan lamas into the Han Dynasty in the Yuan Dynasty, Esoteric Buddhism also revived. There is a volume in the Tibetan scriptures called "Yoga Ji Yao Yan Mou Food Giving Ceremony", which has no annotation or translator. Judging from the characters used in the transliteration of the true words, it should be translated by the Yuan people. The second section is the same as the Bu Kong translation of "Saving Ananda Rani Yankou Ritual Sutra". It is preceded by the addition of the Three Returns, the Great Wheel Mingwang Mantra, the Dharma Wheel Bodhisattva Mantra, the Thirty-Five Buddhas, Samantabhadra Samantabhadra's Vows, and the Enlightenment Offering. , give food to the Three Jewels, enter Guanyin concentration, and then break through hell. Then there are the Zeng Zun Sheng Mantra, the Six Interesting Stanzas, the Dedicated Devotion Stanza, the Auspicious Stanza, the Hundred-Character Vajrasattva Vajrasattva, the Ten Categories of Solitary Soul Essays, and the Three Refuges. Since then, the method of yogic feeding has been revived.

In the Ming Dynasty, due to the different inheritances of various schools, they each used their own ideas to improve it, which resulted in chaos. As far as we know, the Ming Dynasty practice includes the "Yoga Flame Mouth Food Ritual". Later, Zen Master Tianji deleted the complexity and became the "Yoga Practice Collection and Food Altar Ceremony". The world's abbreviation is "Tianji Yankou". Tiantai Spiritual Exercises is an annotation for it, and it is called "Practice Sugaji to Give Food to the Altar and Respond to the Door" in two volumes. Among them, only the text about summoning lonely souls is different. Lianchi Zhuanhong also slightly participated in the "Tianji Altar Rituals", which was called "The Rituals of the Food Altar for Building the Yoga Collection", and the abbreviation of "The Rituals of the Allocation of Food in the Yoga Collection", and annotated it, which was named "Supplementary Notes on the Allocation of Food" 》. In the 32nd year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1693), Baohuashan Shi Deji slightly edited and edited it because of Zhu Hong's original version, and it was called "Yoga Yankou Shishi Collection", which is known as "Huashan Yankou" in the world. In the 6th year of Qianlong's reign (1741), Baohuashan Shi Deji Fu Ju also wrote "Yoga Food Giving Rituals". In addition, in the 14th year of Kangxi's reign (1675), Shiji Siam wrote "Yoga Yankou Annotations Compilation and Essential Rituals". The postscript of "The Collection of Practicing Yoga and the Rituals of Giving Food" published in the 22nd year of Kangxi's reign says: "There is no one family to be taught by, so the scriptures in circulation are very different. They are all different from each other, and they don't know what to follow." "It's popular in Buddhist temples in the Qing Dynasty" Flame Mouth", mostly two types: "Tianji" and "Huashan".

Fast day is a later ritual. When Master Zhizhe of the Tiantai Sect formulated the "Golden Guangming Repentance Method" based on the "Golden Guangming Sutra", the solemn dojo was to set up the Great Argument Heaven, the Great Merit Heaven and the seats of the Four Heavenly Kings according to the "Golden Guangming Sutra". In the confession, according to the scriptures, eleven heavenly beings are invited, including Brahma, Sakyamuni, the Four Protectors of the World, Vajra Secret Traces, General Sanzhi, Great Argument, Great Merit, and the Mother of Ghosts. In the Song Dynasty, when the Golden Light Repentance was established and offerings to the heavens were made, they were added arbitrarily based on the scriptures. The arrangement of the seats of the heavens also caused controversy. Shen Huan wrote "Biography of Zhutian" in the middle of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty (1131-1162), and Xingting also wrote "Biography of Zhutian" in the ninth year of Qiandao (1143). Assume that the heavenly offerings range from twelve days, sixteen days, twenty days, twenty-four days, and thirty-three days.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the Jin Guangming Repentance Method was used to create a section called "Offering to Heaven", which was used as an annual pilgrimage to the Buddha in temples.

Volume 10 of "Luyuan Shigui" written by Yuan Shengwu said: "On the first day of the first lunar month, the prayer rules of each temple are different. They practice Guangming and Guanyin confession methods, or recite scriptures, or just teach mantras." It also says: "On the first day of the first lunar month, the prayer rules are different. , On the Lantern Festival, many temples and halls practice repentance, or offer it to the heavens. ""Xu Shi Ji Gu Lue" says that during the Yuan Dynasty, Master Huiguang of the Tiantai Sect led everyone to practice the Golden Light Repentance on New Year's Day every year. The origin of the rise of Zhaitian. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, lawyer Hongzan wrote a separate "Zhaitian Keyi" based on the simple "Golden Light Repentance Method", which is still in use in all temples today.

The custom of releasing animals in Han China did not originate from Buddhism. "Liezi Shuofu Pian" says: "Releasing animals on the right day is a sign of kindness." It can be seen that releasing animals on festivals has been a practice since ancient times. Moreover, "Shuofu Pian" said: "The guest said: 'The people know that the king wants to release them, so they compete to catch them. There are many dead, and the king wants to live them. If you don't ban the people, don't catch them, catch and release them, grace. The faults do not make up for each other. 'Jianzi said: 'Good! ' It can be seen that there are not only people who release birds, but also people who fish for them.

Buddhism advocates releasing lives. First of all, the 20th precept against releasing lives in the Brahma Net Sutra says: "If a disciple of the Buddha practices releasing lives out of compassion," it also says: "Therefore, if you practice releasing lives regularly, you will have more lives." "The Dharma of Rebirth and Permanence." "The Golden Light Sutra: The Son of Elder Liu Shui" says: The Buddha once saved ten thousand fishes for the son of Elder Liu Shui. Volume 5 of the "Miscellaneous Treasure Sutra" says: A novice who saves ants from floods will be rewarded with a long life. The large-scale release of wild animals in Han Dynasty began with Master Zhizhe of Tiantai. At that time, there were people living near the sea at the foot of Tiantai Mountain who built the 63rd place in Huliang as a release pond. In the second year of Qianyuan (759) of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty, he ordered the establishment of eighty-one free life ponds in the world. Yan Zhenqing wrote the Monument of the World Freeing Life Pond. In the first year of Tianxi (1016) of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, he ordered the Tianxia Release Pond to be rebuilt. In the third year of Tianxi's reign (1018), he was released from the West Lake in Hangzhou. In the third year of Tiansheng's reign (1025), Zhili set Nanhu as the life-release pool and held a life-release meeting on the Buddha's birthday. Zunshi's "Jinyuanji" contains "The Life-Freeing Tzu Chi Dharma", and Zhili's "Simingjiao Xinglu" contains the "Life-Freeing Wen". These are both life-releasing rituals. The commonly used "Release Ritual" is also compiled based on the general outline of "Golden Light Sutra·Liushui Elder Zipin".

The Bon Society is a Chinese-speaking Buddhist area. According to the "Buddha Speaks of the Bon Sutra", it is a Buddhist ceremony held on July 15th every year to save all generations of clan members. The sutra says: With his celestial eyes, Maudgalyana saw that his dead mother was reborn in the realm of hungry ghosts, suffering and unable to be rescued, so he rushed to the White Buddha. The Buddha expounded the method of relief for those whose parents in the seventh generation and those who are now in trouble, when the monks took refuge on the 15th day of the seventh month. Gather various kinds of food and put them in a Ullium basin to offer to the self-reliant monks in the ten directions. In the seventh life, parents are freed from the suffering of hungry ghosts, reborn as humans and in heaven, and enjoy happiness. This is the origin of the Bon Festival. This sutra was translated by Zhu Fahu in the Western Jin Dynasty (but the Tripitaka Collection is considered lost to translation). The full text is more than 800 words. It is also translated in the same version and in different translations as the "Buddha Speaks of Repaying Enlightenment and the Pen Sutra" which was lost in translation in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. , also known as "Reporter Xiang Merit Sutra". The text is shorter, about 300 words. In addition, there is a volume of five pages of the Pure Land Ullambana Sutra in Volume 18 of the "Kaiyuan Buddhism Records" and "Detailed Records of Doubts". This sutra has been lost. Volume 62 of "Fa Yuan Zhu Lin" quotes its text, which is called "Big Basin Pure Land Sutra". It says that the sixteen kings heard the Buddha speak about Maudgalyana's rescue of his mother from suffering, and each made various treasure basins to hold food and drink, and offered them to the Buddha. and monk affairs.

There are many annotations on the Ullambana Sutra translated by Zhu Fahu. The existing ones include Tang Huijing's "The Ullambana Sutra Narrative" in one volume, Tang Zongmi's "The Ullambana Sutra Shuhu" in one volume, Song Yuanzhao's "The Ubon Sutra Shuxin Ji" in two volumes, and Song Puguan's "The Ubon Sutra Shu Hui Gu Tong". Two volumes of "Jin Ji", two volumes of Song Yurong's "The Bon Sutra Shu Chao Heng Chao", one volume of Song Rixin's "The Bon Sutra Shu Chao Yu Yi", one volume of Mingzhixu's "New Shu Chao of the Bon Sutra", Qing Lingyao There is one volume of "The Ullambana Sutra in a few parts", and one volume of "The Ullambana Sutra in a few parts" written by Qi Yuanqi in the Qing Dynasty.

There are two interpretations of the title of the Ullambana Sutra: one is that Ullana is a Sanskrit sound, which means hanging upside down; the Ullambana Sutra is a Chinese language, which refers to a vessel for holding food for monks. For example, Tang Huijing (Praise to the Ullambana Sutra) said: "The famous dining incense pottery is in the basin, and it is dedicated to the Buddha and the monks to relieve the suffering of hanging upside down, so it is called the basin." Tang Zongmi "Shu" says: "Ullan is the name of the Western Regions "The cloud hangs upside down; the basin is the sound of the Eastern Xia Dynasty, and it is a rescue tool." If you follow the custom, it should be called a rescue hanging device. Shu) all use this saying. The second theory is that the three characters "Obon" are all Sanskrit transliterations. Volume 34 of Huilin's "Sound and Meaning of All Sutras" says: "Ullambana, this statement is wrong. The correct statement is that the bird blue Po Na, this translation says: hang upside down. According to the law of the West, as for the day when the monks committed suicide, it is said that the deceased is guilty. The family has lost its heirs, and there is no one to offer sacrifices to them, so they suffer the suffering of being hung upside down in the ghost world. The Buddha ordered them to offer offerings to the Buddha and the monks in the Three Jewels Fields to help them die and save them from the suffering of hanging upside down and hungry. The orchid basin is a container for storing food. This statement is wrong." (According to the previous paragraph of the scripture, there is no such thing as placing food in the basin). Song Yurong's "The Ullambana Sutra Shu Xiaoheng Chao" says: "The title of the sutra is Sanskrit Buddha Ushe Ulam Po Na Menzuo Russell and Lian, Huayan: The Awakened One Speaks of the Sutra of Saving the Upturned Sutra." "The Ullambana Sutra." The translators of the Great Song Dynasty said that these are all misinterpretations of the Sanskrit language. "Wu Lan Po Qing" means "filial piety", "offering righteousness", "benevolence", and "peng yi". The old saying is: "pen". Zona. New cloud: Menzuolo, Yiyun: Menzuo, Huayan means to save the weapon, and the name is to save the hanging device. This is the explanation obtained by Yu Rong after discussing with the translator of the Translation Institute at that time.

As for the ceremony held based on the "Ullambana Sutra", it was founded by Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty. Volume 37 of "The Records of the Buddha" says: In the fourth year of Datong (538), the emperor was lucky enough to set up the Ullambana Temple in Tongtai Temple. Yichu's "Shi Shi Liu Tie" 45 says: "Hong Ming" says: Liang Wu would send basins to the temple to make offerings every day on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month.

" Since then, it has become a custom, and emperors and the masses of all dynasties have all held it to repay their ancestors' virtues. The "Temple Sacrifice Chapter" in Volume 62 of "Fa Yuan Zhu Lin" written by Daoshi of the Tang Dynasty says: "National major temples, such as Chang'an Ximing and Ci'en Temples, etc. ,...Every year, pots are sent to offer various miscellaneous items and pots to musicians, etc., and officials are also sent to the pots, and there are many who come. He also said: "There are donors outside offering pots, offerings, and other miscellaneous things." "It can be seen that the customs in the Tang Dynasty attached great importance to the Bon Festival. After that, it was held even more grandly. Volume 51 of "Buddha's Records" says: "(Tang Dynasty) Emperor Daizong (Li Yu) ordered the establishment of the Bon Festival and set up the Bon Festival. The throne of the seven temples welcomes the thoroughfare" (see also Volume 41, Article 768). "Dezong (Li Shi) was lucky enough to set up a Ullambana basin for worship in Anguo Temple" (see also Volume 41) There is a similar record in Volume 9 of "Shishi Tongjian" in the 15th year of Zhenyuan (799), and it is also recorded in "Inner Daochang" in Song Zanning's "History of Monks of the Song Dynasty". It is said that "Ullambana basins were made and decorated with gold and green." However, in the past, the basins were sent to temples for worship, but now they were held in official offices, and the folk ceremony became more and more solemn. Volume 4 of Japanese Ennin's "Records of a Pilgrimage to the Tang Dynasty to Seek Dharma", a note from the fourth year of Huichang (844) says: "(Chang'an) the temples in the city made offerings on July 15th, and made wax wax, vases, artificial flowers and fruit trees, etc. to compete with each other." . As a rule, offerings are laid in front of the Buddhist temple. Qingcheng visited the temple to celebrate the occasion, it was a grand gathering. This year the temples are offering more paving and offerings than usual. Not only lay people and common people competed to make offerings, but monks also used their own wealth to make basins for Buddha and monks. For example, Zongmi's "Preface to the Ullambana Sutra" says: "Every year, monks spend their days doing four things to make offerings to three deities. Zong Miyi has been worshiping and cultivating it for many years. ”

In the Song Dynasty, this custom continued unchanged. However, the magnificence and solemnity of the Ullambana offering and the significance of worshiping Buddhas and monks were reduced and replaced by the act of recommending death. In the Northern Song Dynasty, such as the Song Dynasty Meng Yuanlao The article "Hungry Ghost Festival" in Volume 8 of "Tokyo Menghua Lu" says: "Print and sell "Zunsheng" and "Mulian Sutra". He also cut bamboo poles into three legs, three or five feet high. The shape of the lamp nest is woven on it, which is called the Bon Basin. Hang clothes. If the money is above, burn it. Since the Chinese Valentine's Day, Gou Si Musicians have been reciting the Mulian Sutra to save their mother until the 15th. The number of viewers doubled. "Lu You's "Notes of Laoxue'an": Volume 7 also says: "In mid-July, it is customary to enjoy vegetarian dishes while looking at the sun. Weave bamboo into the shape of a basin, store paper money, and support it with a piece of bamboo. ...called the Bon Basin. "Song Gaocheng's "Shi Yuan" once scolded him for missing the cloud: "According to the Ullana Sutra, it says: 'Mulian's mother died and was born among hungry ghosts. 'The Buddha said: 'With the help of the monks of the ten directions, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, a hundred flavors and five fruits will be placed in a basin to offer to the great virtues of the ten directions. "The descendants are widely decorated with flowers, and even cut wood and bamboo, which is extremely skillful." Nowadays, people use bamboo as a round frame, add its head to cut leaves and store miscellaneous food. The portrait of Chen Mulian saving his mother was brought to the place of worship. What a loss. "However, there is no mention of burning pots and hanging paper in "Shijiyuan". It seems to be a custom in the early Song Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, for example, Volume 4 of Wu Zimu's "Mengliang Lu" in the Song Dynasty says: "On the 15th of July... the monk temple On this day, the Bon Bon Society was built, and the benefactor Qian Mi was recommended to die. "

Since then, the Bon Festival has become one of the important events in the temple every year. Yuan Dehui re-edited the "Baizhang Qinggui" Volume 7 "Jie Lazhang·Month Notes" says: "July In the early ten days of the month, the priest went out to all the dormitories of the Menglan Pen Meeting to read the sutra chanting sheets, and brought in all the money to make food and offerings. On the 13th, the Surangama Conference was dispersed. Released on the twelfth day. In the evening, there was an Obon gathering, where scriptures were read and food was served. "The Yuan-Ming version of "Huanzhuan Qinggui" says: "On July 15th, personnel affairs will be released. This night, we started building the Ullambana Shenghui to provide relief and repay the hard work. This association must also pre-issue sutras for the public to freely read. There will be an altar with a nectar door opened here, please follow it. "This shows that the main content of the Bon Festival is to satirize scriptures and offer food. This ritual has been popular until the Ming Dynasty. Ming Dynasty's "Zhengyi Collection" once clarified: "The world uses the fifteenth day of the seventh month to pray to ghosts and gods. The food is the gathering of Meng Lan Pen’s Great Fast, which is a mistake. Moulian originates from the orchid basin. It means that on the 15th day of the seventh month, the monks will practice Xia for self-indulgence. Those who have learned a lot and achieved enlightenment in their ninth decade will make offerings on this day, and their blessings will be a hundred times greater. They are not giving food to ghosts and gods. Giving food originates from Ananda, and is not limited to the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The utensil used is Dendrobium from Mojie, not an orchid basin. One of them is dedicated to sages and saints, and the other is to help hungry ghosts. How can evil be mixed up? "Qing Yirun once wanted to have the best of both worlds, saying that he offered orchid basins in the day to respect the Three Treasures; he gave dendrobium food at night to ward off ghosts and gods. Volume 8 of Yirun's "Baizhang Qinggui Zhengyi Ji" details the "Summary of Orchid Basin Ritual" The complete volume can be found in the "Lan Pen Hui Compilation", which includes rituals such as circling the pure altar, offering sacrifices to the orchid basin, and the rituals and meals of the monks. It also contains twenty-one provisions of the Lan Pen Hui. However, the temples do not follow them. Many people still regard recommending the dead to save ghosts as the main activity of the Bon Society.