Group Practice:
Dharma Services and Retreats
We organize group practices throughout the year in Dharma services and meditation retreats to provide opportunities for lay disciples and the Buddhist community to practice the Dharma together. We hope that these practice opportunities will enable Buddhist disciples to develop a sense of peace in mental wellness and growth in the nurturing and in strength on the path of Bodhi enlightenment. For Dharma services, there are three categories: Regular Dharma Services, Special Dharma Services, and Annual Major Dharma Services. For meditation retreats, there are two types: Eight-Precept meditation retreats and Foqi meditation retreats.
Sutra Recitation
Diamond Sutra
The Buddha's Last Teachings
Pharmacist Sutra
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
The Chapter on the Universal Gate of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
Chapter on the Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva
Repentance Ceremony
The Great Compassion Repentance Ceremony
The Jeweled Repentance of Great Compassion: This Repentance, composed by Master Zhili of Tiantai School, was based on the 84-phrase Great Compassion Dharani, the essence of Sutra of the Great Compassionate Heart of Avalokitesvara’s Dharani. This Repentance was translated into Chinese by Bhagavadharma. Performing repentance rites is not merely a means of hoping to lessen the negative effects of wrongdoings, but is a reminder for us to follow in our practice with Avalokitesvara as our role model, to having compassion and making vows to benefit all sentient beings.
This Repentance service is one of the most frequently and popularly observed ceremonies in the Chinese Buddhist tradition. Following the Lunar calendar, we observe this Repentance twice every month, on the first and the fifteenth day of each month.
The 1st & the 15th of every Lunar month:
The Jeweled Repentance of Great Compassion
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Weekly Sunday Dharma Service
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
1st Sunday of every month:
The Pure Land Jeweled Repentance**
2nd Sunday of every month:
Sutra Recitation*
3rd Sunday of every month:
The 88-Buddha Jeweled Repentance**
4th Sunday of every month:
Sutra Recitation*
5th Sunday of every month:
Recitation on Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra, the “Universal Gate Chapter attributed to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva”
*For Sutra Recitations, we observe the following in alternating order:
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Vajracchedika-prajna-paramita Sutra (The Diamond Sutra)
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Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Purvapranidhana Sutra (The Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra)
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The Practice and Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Sutra (Avatamsaka Sutra, Chapter 40, “On Entering into the Inconceivable of Emancipation by the Practice and Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva”)
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Bhaisajyaguru-vaidurya-prabha-raja Purvapranidhana Sutra (The Vows of Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light Sutra)
**For Repentance ceremonies, we may also observe the following occasionally:
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The Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance
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Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Repentance
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The Medicine Buddha Jewel Repentance