Special Topics
Grand Hall
The Grand Hall offers Dharma services of the largest scale at Dharma Drum Mountain Water and Land Dharma Service. Its rituals include Emperor Liang Repentance Service (梁皇寶懺), Offering Ceremony to Buddhas and Celestial Guardians, Yogic Rite of Food Bestowal to Flaming-Mouths and Dharma talks on the Sutra of Yoga Flaming Mouth Dharma Service and food bestowal service.
Emperor Liang Repentance Service
Emperor Liang's Repentance Service (梁皇寶懺), originally named as Dharma Hall of Compassion Repentance Ritual (慈悲道場懺法), is a ritual of repentance, eliminating calamities, and delivering the deceased.
According to legend, the Emperor Liang instituted the ritual for delivering his deceased wife, Empress Chi, who was reborn as a python after her death. He invited eminent monks to hold Dharma assemblies to practice repentance rituals for her. With the powerful merits of this ritual, she was then reborn as a heavenly being.
The repentance chants have been passed down through generations thereafter as the most voluminous repentance text. It consists of the compilation of texts and also 1,275 Buddha's names from Mahayana sutras and sastras.
In fact, Emperor Liang's Repentance Services teaches that all beings can attain perfect enlightenment through the practice of sincere repentance, taking the three refuges, making aspirations, and transferring merits.
According to legend, the Emperor Liang instituted the ritual for delivering his deceased wife, Empress Chi, who was reborn as a python after her death. He invited eminent monks to hold Dharma assemblies to practice repentance rituals for her. With the powerful merits of this ritual, she was then reborn as a heavenly being.
The repentance chants have been passed down through generations thereafter as the most voluminous repentance text. It consists of the compilation of texts and also 1,275 Buddha's names from Mahayana sutras and sastras.
In fact, Emperor Liang's Repentance Services teaches that all beings can attain perfect enlightenment through the practice of sincere repentance, taking the three refuges, making aspirations, and transferring merits.
Food Offering Ritual to Celestial Deities
Food Offering Ritual to Celestial Deities is a ritual designed in particular for expressing gratitude to celestial guardians or beings for their protection during the Dharma assembly as well as making the aspiration to attain the ultimate Buddhahood together with all beings. This is done through the act of paying respect and making offerings to the Three Jewels.
In the very early morning of the sixth day of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, the ceremony in the Grand Hall starts with the respectful Golden Light Repentance & Ritual of Offering (金光明懺齋天法儀) , followed by the chanting of the Emptiness Chapter of Golden Light Sutra (金光明經-空品), and making offerings of fragrant flowers and culinary delights to celestial beings.
In the very early morning of the sixth day of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, the ceremony in the Grand Hall starts with the respectful Golden Light Repentance & Ritual of Offering (金光明懺齋天法儀) , followed by the chanting of the Emptiness Chapter of Golden Light Sutra (金光明經-空品), and making offerings of fragrant flowers and culinary delights to celestial beings.
Yogic Rite of Food Bestowal to Flaming-Mouths
Yoga Flaming Mouth Ceremony
The Yoga Flaming Mouth Ceremony is another special Dharma service in the Grand Hall. It is often conducted at night, with its main aim being to deliver hungry ghosts.
"Flaming Mouth" is another name for hungry ghosts. According to Buddhist teachings, if one is extremely stingy and miserly, refusing to give away even a single hair, as in the Chinese sayings, and is always taking advantage of others, they will be reborn as a hungry ghost, who has substantial appetite yet an esophagus as tiny as a needle. It is difficult for them to consume any food even if there is a food supply available. Therefore, they suffer a lot from the burning of the fire of hunger, and with these flames coming out of their mouths.
The Yoga Flaming Mouth Ceremony aims to liberate these beings in the hungry ghost realm from severe sufferings and provide them with Buddhist teachings of compassion and wisdom so that they can be reborn in more fortunate realms of existence.
Offering Ritual to All Buddhas
The Offering Ritual to All Buddhas is another repentance ritual which includes verses praising the Buddhas, recitation of Buddha's names, repentance, making aspirations through prostrations, taking refuge in the Three Jewels, and transferring merits.
The ritual could be altered according to different purposes. For example, to eliminate misfortune and to pray for longevity, the name of Medicine Buddha is recited, whereas the name of Amitabha Buddha is recited for the purpose of delivering the deceased, with the aspiration that they could be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha.