Blessing Light
When Shakyamuni Buddha was alive, King Aqi prepared a hundred grease to light lamps for the Buddha. There was a poor old mother who rejoiced when she saw that the king was making a great offering. She had the heart to offer to the Buddha but had no food, so she begged for two cents to buy an oil lamp to offer to the Buddha. And vowed: “If I attain the Tao like a Buddha in the next life.” The oil lamp shines brightly when the sun sets.
Later, after dawn, the Buddha asked the Venerable Gandharan to turn off the lights, but all the lights went out, and only the old mother’s oil lamp was extinguished. His Holiness then used his divine power to extinguish the lamp, and the lamp remained bright and unextinguished. The Buddha then said, “This lamp is the light merit of the future Buddha, and it cannot be extinguished by the power of the gods. Because this woman has been offering to the Buddha for many generations, educating sentient beings, when the merit is completed, she will be a Buddha in the future, and she will say: Sumeru light is like coming.
Lighting the lamp of light has the meaning of breaking the darkness and welcoming the light. It has the meaning of illuminating the road ahead and the future bright. It has the meaning of eliminating karma and increasing Buddha’s affiliation. Light the lamp and pray that in the coming year, the Buddha and Bodhisattva will be blessed with light, and when disaster comes, it can be changed from heavy to light, big to small, and to have noble people to help, everything will go smoothly, and the result will be as expected.
Lighting is done once a year (Lunar Year) and can be registered at any time of the year. It will be updated once a year at the beginning of the Lunar New Year.
For those who sign up to light the lamp, the Purple Lotus Temple will print out their names one by one and put the name slip into the light lamp with the statue of Buddha and Bodhisattva.
During the daily morning and evening practice, mantra and chanting of the Purple Lotus Monastery, Rinpoche and his teachers would make a special dedication to all the people who installed the light lamps in the monastery, praying for the resolution of disasters and good luck.
In addition, if there is a large or small puja in the temple, the Illuminati will continue to bless and illuminate the seated person, so that they can receive the blessings of tantric karma, blessings, gains, and love, which is an incredible merit.
Signing up for blessing light at a temple usually requires a certain amount of donation. Monasteries will generally use this sponsorship to maintain the monastery’s operation, spread the Dharma, and benefit sentient beings.
Traditionally, Purple Lotus Temple has not required sponsorship. However, from the perspective of spiritual practice, we hope that individuals will give alms according to their abilities and intentions so they will be satisfied.