How to perform rituals when going to the temple at the beginning of the year
(Baonghean.vn) - Going to the pagoda at the beginning of the year is closely associated with the spiritual life of Vietnamese people, however, not everyone knows the steps to perform the ceremony when going to the pagoda.
5 things to do when going to the temple:
Use the Buddha's name to greet monks, nuns and abbots in the temple.
When entering a temple, one should use the Buddhist name “Amitabha Buddha” instead of one’s name to greet the abbot and monks and nuns in the temple. When leaving, one should also use this phrase to say goodbye. The merit it brings is immeasurable, for both visitors and the temple.
Burn incense at the top
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| Illustration photo/Internet source |
When going to the temple, you should burn incense at the top outside, avoid burning incense inside the temple, because it can affect the Buddha statue and Dharma instruments.
Should offer vegetarian offerings
When offering incense at pagodas, you should prepare vegetarian offerings such as: incense, fresh flowers, ripe fruit, cakes, sticky rice, sweet soup... The best ripe fruit to offer on the altar are bananas, dragon fruit, grapes, grapefruit, apples, persimmons, papayas, sapodillas...
Walk around the Buddha statue
When entering the Buddhist temple, you should walk around the Buddha statue from right to left and chant "Amitabha Buddha". According to the temple's concept, if you perform this ritual, you will receive five blessings: rebirth in nirvana; virtuous future generations; clear and easy-to-hear speech; beauty; rebirth to heaven; and possibly being born into a noble family.
When performing a ceremony in front of a Buddha statue, one should be respectful and dignified, not looking sideways or vertically. If one wants to visit the temple, one should stand outside to look.
Save merit when receiving offerings at the temple
When receiving wealth from a temple, one should leave behind some merit, no matter how much or how little. One should not take it for granted that the abbot should give it. This is a sin of “moral retribution” which is the root cause of falling into hell upon death.
Steps to perform rituals when going to the temple
1. Place offerings: light incense and perform the ceremony at the altar of Duc Ong first.
2. After placing the offering at the altar of Duc Ong, place the offering on the altar of the main hall, light the incense and then perform the ceremony to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
3. After placing the main altar, go to burn incense at all the other altars in the worshiping house. When burning incense, there are 3 or 5 ceremonies. If the pagoda has a Mother Goddess or Four Palaces shrine, go there to place the ceremony, burn incense and pray according to your wishes.
4. Finally, the ceremony at the Ancestral Temple (Hau's house).
5. At the end of the ceremony, after giving thanks and ending the ceremony, you should go to the monks' house or the guest room to visit the monks and abbots and make merit as you wish.
