Is the eleventh day of the eighth lunar month a Buddhist festival?

All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Christmas Day (Lunar New Year)

The first day of the first month: Maitreya Christmas

On the sixth day of the first month: Christmas Day for the Buddha.

February 8: Sakyamuni Buddha became a monk.

February 15: nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha

February 19: Guanyin Christmas.

February 2 1 day: Christmas in Pu Xian.

March 16: Christmas for Zhunti Bodhisattva

April 4th: Manjusri Bodhisattva Christmas Day

April 8: Sakyamuni Buddha Christmas Day

April 15: Buddha's auspicious day-the birth, enlightenment and nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha are celebrated together (namely Vesak Day in Southern Buddhism countries).

May 13: Galand Bodhisattva Christmas Day.

The third day of June: Guardian Wei Tuo pays tribute to the Buddha at Christmas.

June 19th: Avalokitesvara became a Buddhist monk-on this day, she became a Buddhist monk, with extraordinary merits.

July 13: the general trend is to bodhisattva Christmas.

July 24th: Dragon Tree Bodhisattva Christmas Day

July 30th: Christmas for Tibetan Bodhisattvas.

August 22nd: Lantern Buddha Christmas Day

September 19: the anniversary of Guanyin Bodhisattva becoming a monk.

September 30th: The pharmacist came to Christmas with a glazed lamp.

10.5: Father Dharma's Christmas Day.

1 1 month 17 day: Amitabha Christmas.

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month: Black Rice Taoist Day.

129 February: Christmas for Bodhisattva Huayan

【 Guanyin Zhai schedule 】

The eighth day of the first month, the seventh day of February, the ninth day of February, and the nineteenth day of February.

March 3rd March 6th March 13th April 22nd.

May 3rd May 17th June 16th June 18th.

June 19 June 23 July 13 August 16

September19th September 23rd1October 2nd1month19th.

1 1 24th of the month125th of February

Opening meeting

It means removing sages, saints, customs, nobility and inferiority, and performing financial laws equally. In the 7th century, Xuanzang was invited to attend a nude convention held in Qunnvcheng, which was held every five years in India. All the treasures were used to benefit the community. The conference lasted for 75 days, giving alms to Buddhists, Brahmins, Jains and beggars. The China Exposition Conference began in the first year of Datong (529), and Liang Wudi set up a rescue camp for the people in Zhongyun Temple as a prayer. Fortunately, Tongtai Temple set up four (four) shelters, put on the robes to clean the general assembly, take the vegetarian bed pottery by car, and personally climb the Dharma platform to open the Nirvana Sutra for the public. The emperor set up Taoist and secular fasts for 50,000 people.

Tibetan Buddhist festival

Make a big phone call

It is a ritual of Tibetan Buddhism, which means "great prayer". From the third day to the 24th day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar, monks from the three major monasteries in Lhasa and believers (up to tens of thousands) from all over Tibet, Amdo and Kangqu gathered in Jokhang Temple for various religious activities. On the fifteenth day of the first month, butter lamps and butter sculptures are displayed on Bajiao Street in Lhasa, and they are celebrated by singing and dancing. This is the so-called Lantern Festival. At the Fa Conference, a debate contest was held to select the highest level of Tibetan Buddhism-Gexi. The ceremony ended with a ghost sending ceremony.

Through a small phone call

The Tibetan calendar lasts for ten days in late February every year, and related religious activities are carried out. During the Fa Conference, monks from the three major monasteries participated in the debate in Jokhang Temple, and chose the second-class Gexi, which was named after it was smaller than the Fa Conference in Sichuan and Zhaoda.

Bath Buddha Festival

The annual Bathing Buddha Festival on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month is an important festival for Buddhists in China to commemorate the birth of the founder Sakyamuni Buddha, also known as the Buddha's Birthday Festival. According to legend, more than 2,600 years ago, when Sakyamuni was born from Mrs. Moiev's ribs, he said, "Heaven and the world are the only ones." So the earth shook, and Kowloon spat and bathed. Therefore, Buddhists of all countries and nationalities usually take a bath to commemorate the Buddha's birthday.

Before the Buddha Bath Festival, Buddhists had cleaned the temple and wiped the Buddha statues in the hall. Usually on the seventh day of April, many good men and women have gathered in the Buddhist temple to prepare for the memorial ceremony to be held the next morning. I saw the temple buildings covered with banners, incense lamps and candles, and all kinds of offerings. There is a copper basin in several cases of fragrant flowers, which contains fragrant soup made of sandalwood, rosewood, turmeric, borneol, agarwood, musk and clove. There is a bronze boy in the soup, pointing to the sky and the ground, which is the statue of Prince Sakyamuni. Before the bath, the abbot of the temple led the monks in the whole temple to chant and recite the scriptures, and then burned incense, bowed down, sang the Buddha bath, or read the Buddha of Sakyamuni, the master of Nanwu. When chanting, monks and laymen take turns to scoop soup with spoons and bathe the Buddha. After bathing the Buddha statue, bathe yourself with a little delicious soup, which means to turn over a new leaf, eliminate disasters and solve problems. If too many people attend, the monks will take the clean water from Yang Zhi's bathing Buddha to bathe the believers. The whole ceremony was solemn and full of auspicious and festive atmosphere. Regarding the method of bathing Buddha in India, Bao Siwei's translation of The Merit Sutra of Bathing Elephants is the most detailed and clear. The Buddhist scripture says, "If you want to bathe an elephant, you should use sandalwood, tamarind, Gan Song, bear, white sandalwood, turmeric, borneol, agarwood, musk and clove, so that you can get all kinds of wonderful scents. First make a square altar, apply a wonderful bed seat, and put a Buddha on it. Take a bath with all kinds of perfumes. Use all kinds of perfumes, and then rinse with water. People who take a bath should each take a little water to clean the image and put it on their heads. When the image goes up and down the water for the first time, they should say this silently:' I have bathed like this, and my wisdom and merits have gathered solemnly; The five turbid beings make people leave the dust, and I hope that the Tathagata will purify the Dharma. " "

The ritual system of bathing Buddha in China temples was hard to find before the Tang Dynasty, and the popular ritual system in the Tang Dynasty was also lost because of the difficulty of Huichang law. The existing bathing statues and rituals in the Tang Dynasty (see Volume IV, Volume IX, Part II of Continued Collection) is an idea written by Tang Huilin to reform the traditional four-volume bathing Buddha ritual system in China. Based on the ancient printing "The Statue of Sunbathing in the Monk Garden", combined with poems, ode and secret spells, it has not been popularized because of its different significance from the popular ritual system in China. In the Yuan Dynasty, the article "Buddha's Birthday" in Volume II of the Revision of Baizhang Clear Rules was clearly defined and widely implemented. The article said: "On April 8th, the treasurer ordered the setting up of a flower pavilion, and placed a statue of the Buddha's birth in the middle, which was placed in a fragrant soup basin. After the Buddha's sacrifice, the abbot took a class and wished Xiangyun:' The Buddha's birthday, the abbot of a temple ... took sincerity as the incense and sacrificed the ancient beauty of monks and nuns in our normal university to repay it with kindness. I hope that all beings in the dharma world will miss the appearance of Buddha. "It is said that ... lead all the people to the temple and stand on the side of the Buddha. The abbot worshipped incense three times ... The abbot knelt on the stove. Na Wei Bai Buddha said:' January is in the sky, and the shadow contains much water; When a Buddha is born, each sits on a flower. Bai Hao is free of three points, and the dew is four points moist. "After preaching, sing a bath Buddha." (See the section on "merits and demerits of bathing Buddha" above.) While singing repeatedly, the monks were allowed to bathe Buddha, and finally the merits and demerits of bathing Buddha were returned to the Supreme Buddha Bodhi. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, bathing Buddha generally followed the ritual system in the "Xiubaizhang Rules", but made some changes. For example, according to the regulation of "Xiubaizhang Rules", temples have the habit of frying "fragrant soup" and cooking "black rice" for the public on the day of bathing Buddha, but it gradually disappeared in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. However, despite the great influence of Xiubaizhang Qinggui, the method of bathing Buddha in some temples is different from its regulations. Generally speaking, the bathing Buddha in these temples pays more attention to the ceremony of the Dharma Association, which is divided into four steps. First of all, welcome the Buddha statue. On Buddha's birthday, the monks put on their clothes and went to the temple, standing in a row according to the order of things. After hearing the three kowtows of Qing Dynasty, six people came out to meet the Buddha statue. The second is to hold an introduction ceremony, and the second is for the deacons to hold incense trays. After the big monk stayed, the waiter accompanied him and sang "Sakyamuni Buddha is in the south without a teacher" in chorus. The Buddha statue greets into the Hall of the Great Hero from upstairs, and the great monk offers incense, displays the apparatus and bows. The people sang praises: "kowtowing to the great sleep is extremely kind and sees the suffering of all beings." The next pocket leads to the heavenly palace, the palace descends, and the snow ridge is repaired. At the top of the magpie's nest, there are three barriers, and six years of asceticism. If a person converts to Dajue Zun, he will not sink. " Second, take a bath. Bells and drums rang in the Hall of the Great Hero, and the great monk put the Buddha in a golden basin, then burned incense, exhibited and bowed down to the Buddha three or nine times. The public read Bathing the Truth, and called it "There is no fragrant cloud in the south to cover the Bodhisattva" three times, and then sang a hymn: "The Bodhisattva descended from the clouds and was born into the King suddhodana Palace. Maya gave birth to the golden boy on the right, and music played in the sky. Look around seven steps and point to the ground. Kowloon spits water and is kind, and everything is right. " Third, bless the Buddha. When the monk heard the voice of Qing, he bowed three times and said a eulogy. Everyone sang "Ode to the Buddha" and then sang "Ode to the Buddha": "There is no end to praising the Buddha, and there is no limit to success. Magnificent and majestic, feel the snow peak. The jade color between the eyebrows is bright, revealing six dark lights. Longhua Sanhui is willing to meet and play the truth. " He also sang: "There is no Buddha in heaven and earth, and the world of ten sides is unparalleled. I have seen everything in the world, and nothing is like a Buddha. " After singing, he began to walk around the Buddha, saying, "There is no South Bodhisattva, the world's third mentor, the fourth loving father, the founder of heaven and man, and the incarnation of Sakyamuni Buddha III!" "There is no Sakyamuni Buddha in the south." Fourth, return to conversion. After circling the Buddha, return to the standard and read "palindrome" first: "I wish to get rid of the troubles of three obstacles, to get wisdom and to be clean; It is generally hoped that the obstacles of sin will be eliminated and the Bodhisattva Road will be practiced forever on earth. " Then sing "Three Converts": "To convert to Buddhism, you should be willing to all beings, understand the Tao, and be supreme. To convert to Buddhism, we must wish all beings to go deep into the scriptures and have wisdom like the sea. Since you have converted to a monk, you should be willing to be willing to all beings and govern the public. Everything is fine. " The bathing Buddha's merits and demerits will be successful, and all the people will sing together: "The bathing Buddha's merits and demerits will win the line, and all the blessings will return ..."

On this day, monks will hold sacrifices to the Buddha and ancestors before breakfast or noon. Good men and women are willing to come to the temple to burn incense and make wishes on this day, or to worship Buddha and recite scriptures, or to give money and things, or to fast for the public, or to burn good luck, recommend death, or to listen to a master's lecture, or to invite monks to do Buddhist services. Outside the temple, various economic, trade and cultural activities are also colorful. Because such activities before and after the Buddha bath festival often last for many days, many people attend, even year after year, and traditional temple fairs have been formed in many temples.

Meng Lan Basin Festival (Japan)

Vishnu Festival on July 15th of the lunar calendar is one of the two major Buddhist festivals in China, also known as "Monk's Self-indulgence Day" and "Buddha's Happy Day", and it is a festival for Buddhists to hold sacrifices to the Buddha and the ceremony of death before reincarnation. ?

According to the precepts, monks and nuns must settle down in summer from April 15th to July 15th of the lunar calendar every year, that is, during the growth and reproduction of this animal and plant, one can avoid harming insects and ants, and the other can concentrate on chanting or meditation. On July 15th, a person must criticize himself or introduce his spiritual experience, which is called "monks indulge themselves". After three months of special study, the monks' achievements will be greatly improved, which will make all buddhas happy, so this day is called "Buddha Happy Day".

So how did this day become the Orchid Festival again? This has to start with the Buddhist explanation of the Orchid Classic translated by Zhu Fahu in the Western Jin Dynasty. According to Buddhist scriptures, the venerable Mulian, who is famous for her divine power, saw her dead mother born in Hungry Ghost Road in meditation. Although he tried his best, he couldn't relieve his mother's hunger, so he cried to the Buddha. The Buddha said the way of liberation: July 15th is the day when monks settle down in summer and practice successfully. On that day, you will set up a grand worship basin, feed all kinds of food to ten monks and save your mother with the help of ten monks. His mother really got rid of the torture of the hungry ghost. When Mu Menglian asked the Buddha if future disciples could also help save their parents through the pot, the Buddha said: From now on, all Buddhist disciples who practice filial piety can prepare all kinds of meals on July 15th, the day when monks are free and Buddha is happy, so that the present parents can increase their happiness, prolong their lives and get rid of evil ways. The eyeworm basin here is a transliteration of Sanskrit, which literally translates as "saving upside down", meaning saving the suffering of the undead; Pot is a Chinese word, which refers to a vessel for monks to hold food. As soon as it was translated, it was immediately loved by China people who respected their ancestors and emphasized filial piety. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Liang Wudi founded Orchid Club for the first time in the Han Dynasty. For example, Yi Chu said in "Six Poems and Forty-five Poems": "Hongming said: Send pots to Pusi on July 15th every year, and send them by car every day, followed by Manglietia." Because of Liang Wudi's vigorous advocacy, people from all walks of life have followed suit. Since then, the emperor and ordinary people are keen on this Buddhist activity, and constantly enrich its content, thus forming a festival with China characteristics, which might as well be called "Filial Piety Festival". For example, in the Tang Dynasty, bonsai was extremely luxurious and often decorated with golden lights. At that time, temples in Chang 'an made flower wax, vases and fake flower fruit trees. July 15, every wonderful game. Traditionally, the offerings were placed in front of the temple, accompanied by musical ceremonies, and the people of the whole city happily visited the temple fair, which was very spectacular; After entering the Song Dynasty, bonsai will gradually change from offering pots to ghosts and setting fire to the dead, and from filial piety to offering sacrifices to ghosts. Monks in temples will collect money and rice from donors every day to recommend their ways to die. Later generations even set off river lanterns and burned boats, which gradually became a folk custom. In the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, this custom was still very popular, and the orchid club became one of the important activities of the temple every year. For example, Yuan Ming's book "Living Regulations of Ji 'an Temple" said: "On July 15th, personnel were released. This evening, we will start to build a bonsai to help you relax and reward you. It is also necessary to prepare the classic bibliography in advance for the public to read at will. There will be an altar to open the manna gate, so please follow it. Ming Youhong once argued in Wu Zheng Ji: "It is wrong for the world to worship ghosts and gods on July 15th. The origin of the orchid basin is Manglietia, which means that on July 15th, monks relieve the heat for free. At the age of 90, people who take part in the study gain a lot of knowledge. On this day, they are blessed a hundred times and do not give food to ghosts and gods. Food is given from Ananda, not limited to July 15th. The tool used is to exhaust the national welcome, not the blue flowerpot. Build one with Fengxian sage to help hungry ghosts. You can mix strictly! "It can be seen that there are differences between the versions before and after the Ming Dynasty, and the content and form of the ceremony are also somewhat different. In this regard, Yirun in the Qing Dynasty wanted to have the best of both worlds, saying that he would offer orchid pots every day and respect the three treasures; Feeding at night, crossing ghosts and gods. However, due to various reasons, the summer residence system has not been fully and effectively implemented in China, and it is rare for monks to engage in arbitrary activities. With the decline of the quality and status of monks, the form of bonsai will naturally change from worshipping monks to offering sacrifices to ghosts.

At present, very few monasteries have begun to restore and implement the old system of living in summer, and some monasteries have resumed the Dharma meeting to preach Buddhist scriptures on the Arahara Festival. As for the masses of believers, they are always willing to break fast for the masses on this day, and according to local customs, they will either make vows or release them, or invite three people to convert to the Five Commandments, listen to the master's lectures, or invite monks to play Buddha and let the torch pass.

Laba Festival

Long ago, China people had the custom of eating Laba porridge and celebrating Laba Festival on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, which was formed by Buddhists in China to commemorate the enlightenment of Sakyamuni Buddha. According to legend, in order to seek the true meaning of life and the liberation of life and death, Sakyamuni resolutely abandoned the throne and became a monk. He stayed in the snow-capped mountains for six years, and often every wheat and hemp was eclipsed. Later, he found that asceticism was not the way out, so he gave up asceticism and went down the mountain. At this time, a shepherdess saw that he was weak and cooked chyle to raise him. Sakyamuni recovered from this and stayed under the bodhi tree for seven days. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, he saw the stars at night and became a Buddha. According to this legend, Buddhist temples in the Han Dynasty are commemorated in various forms every year on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. For example, the second volume of Baizhang Qinggui records that "on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, when our teacher, Great Monk Nigumei, became a monk, he led the monks and ordered them to prepare incense, lamps, candles, tea and fruits to apply for support." Among them, cooking porridge for Buddha has become a common meaning. Buddhism believes that eating porridge has many benefits, so temples generally have the habit of eating porridge in the morning. As for cooking Laba porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, it is even more particular. Usually eight kinds of things, such as lotus seeds, red dates, coix seed, beans, ginkgo, millet and white sugar peanuts, are used to cook porridge, which is called "eight-treasure porridge". Porridge is not only cooked well, but also cooked a lot to meet the needs of good men and women who come to the temple to attend the memorial ceremony. Some believers come specifically for "porridge", thinking that the porridge offered by Laba to the Buddha is particularly auspicious, not only for their own consumption, but also for their families sometimes. In this way, year after year, the tradition of making Laba porridge in temples is widely circulated among the people.

It is worth mentioning that Southern Buddhism countries generally believe that the birth, enlightenment and nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha are all on the full moon in May, and grand commemorative activities such as bathing Buddha are held on this day. Therefore, eating Laba porridge on Laba Festival can be said to be a holiday custom formed in China.