SOLEMN OFFERING CEREMONY FOR THE SANGHA - CAM LỘ GIÁC ĐẠO GREAT PRECEPT-TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY
On the morning of September 5, 2022, at Chùa Minh Thành in Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province, the ceremony solemnly reenacted the ancient tradition of the Buddha's almsgiving and the Offering Ceremony to the Sangha. On behalf of the Buddhist devotees attending the offering ceremony, TT. Thích Giác Nguyên, abbot of Chùa Minh Thành, Gia Lai, delivered the words of offering.
On the morning of September 5, 2022 (the 10th day of the 8th lunar month, Year of the Tiger), at Chùa Minh Thành, Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province, the ceremony solemnly reenacted the ancient tradition of the Buddha's almsgiving and the Offering Ceremony to the Sangha.
Making offerings to the newly ordained monastics at the Great Precept-Transmission Assembly is akin to offering the very first meal to the Buddha himself — the merit gained is greater, and the benefits far surpass those of ordinary food offerings. As stated in the sutra "The Two Meals of Greatest Merit Offered to the Buddha", which quotes the Buddha's own teaching: "The first meal, of supreme merit, was offered by the laywoman Sujātā in the forest of austerities; the last meal was that offered by the layman Cunda in the mango grove at the town of Pāvā. Both meals bear the same merit, the same excellent result, equal to one another.".
The Offering Ceremony to the Sangha for the Cam Lồ Giác Đạo Great Precept-Transmission Assembly, PL.2566 – 2022 CE, was organized by the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Gia Lai Province, beginning on September 5, 2022 (the 10th day of the 8th lunar month, Year of the Tiger).
The atmosphere of the great offering ceremony was profoundly solemn and filled with merit.
The ceremony of the Buddha's ancient almsgiving tradition was solemnly held along a route nearly 3 kilometers long, with the venerable monks and nuns of Gia Lai Province, together with nearly 250 ordinands, walking in single file one after another, stretching across the entire street.
By sowing affinity with the Triple Gem, one receives the protection of the Triple Gem and the guidance of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha in many forms, growing in wholesome virtue and staying far from the path of wrongdoing. The journey of Diệu Tướng Am could never have unfolded smoothly nor reached fulfillment without the guidance and support of the venerable monks and nuns. We respectfully wish the Venerable Sangha:
BODY AND MIND AT PEACE,
BOUNDLESS COMPASSION TO GUIDE ALL BEINGS,
AND THE PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT FULLY ACCOMPLISHED!
On behalf of the Buddhist devotees attending the offering ceremony, TT. Thích Giác Nguyên, abbot of Chùa Minh Thành, Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province, delivered the words of offering.
We respectfully invite you to look back at some images of the solemn Offering Ceremony to the Sangha, held under the witness of the Venerable Sangha of the Sangha Council for Compassion (HĐCM) and the Executive Council (HĐTS) of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.
