Back in August, we hosted one of our biggest annual events at the Mahayana Temple Retreat, the Emperor Liang Repentance or Liang Huang Bao Chan in Chinese. Buddhist practitioners traveled from near and far to gather with us for this 8-day ceremony. Together, we chanted sutras and made offerings to generate merit for loved ones, deceased souls, and one another.
The story of the Emperor Liang Repentance tells of an emperor liberating his late empress, who had been reborn as a snake due to bad karma from her wrathful human life. Following in Emperor Liang’s footsteps, Buddhist practitioners attending this event will read the Emperor Liang Repentance Text and make offerings to buddhas and bodhisattvas. Common offerings include flowers and fruits because they represent the concept of cause and effect called karma (yin guo in Chinese). Plants must flower first (representing cause, or yin) then bear fruit (representing effect, or guo). To learn even more about the backstory and significance of this ceremony, you can read our detailed event description.
Many hardworking, meritorious volunteers arrived in advance to help prepare the temple for the large occasion. Their supportive contributions ranged from planning meals and cooking food to tidying the Grand Buddha Hall and arranging dormitory spaces for monastics and other overnight guests. We immensely appreciate the efforts of all who made this event possible.
Throughout the 8 days, monks diligently led services beginning as early as 6am and continuing for hours at a time. The monks and practitioners in attendance assembled in the Grand Buddha Hall to chant the repentance text. At times, monks also led practitioners outside to other temples around the retreat: the Avalokiteshvara Hall (Kwan Yin Dian) and the Ksitigarbha Hall (Di Zang Dian). There, the monks continued reciting the sutra as practitioners took turns kneeling in prayer in front of each bodhisattva figure.
We are grateful for another successful Emperor Liang Repentance this year, and we give thanks to all who participated in chanting sutras, making offerings, and contributing donations. Those who may have missed this event can view our livestreams on the Mahayana Temple YouTube channel and look forward to upcoming gatherings listed on our events page. Furthermore, those interested in supporting the temple can donate to our reconstruction efforts via our PayPal or Venmo.
