Febuary Kuan Yin Ceremony
Throughout the coming year, we will gather on Saturdays closest to the full moon in each month to offer the Kuan Yin Compassion & Renewal Ceremony.
Please note this change from last year, when the ceremonies were on the actual full moon. We made this shift because holding the ceremony on the weekend, at the same PT time, makes it more accessible to people who would like to attend.
Drawing from the Chinese Mahayana tradition, this practice honors the eternal vow of Bodhicitta—offering compassion, healing, and protection to all beings.
Event Description
The worshipped and the worshipper are empty and still in nature. The response and the way are intertwined inconceivably. – Kuan Yin Compassion & Renewal Ceremony
Theravada Buddhist traditions observe Uposatha days. These observance days align with the phases of the moon, particularly the full and new moons. Observance days are times to pause and recalibrate around our practice. In this spirit, we've scheduled the opportunity to deepen our practice through the observance of the Kuan Yin Compassion & Renewal Ceremony on each Saturday closest to the full moon.
This ceremony is a core part of Sacred Mountain Sangha's Dharma practices. Kuan, in Chinese, means “listen” or to contemplate, and Yin means “sound.” Kuan Yin is known as the Bodhisattva who “contemplates the sounds of the world at ease, while responding through merciful and fierce compassion to overcome obstructions".
Kuan Yin is understood in different ways and appears in different forms. Traditionally, Kuan Yin is known as a timeless being who holds a vow to remain near this realm to rescue and awaken living beings. Kuan Yin can also be seen as an archetype, a subtle presence, a protector, as gentle and fierce compassion appearing when needed to heal, awaken, and transform the hearts of living beings. Ultimately, Kuan Yin represents the timeless, knowing, present citta, heart-mind, within all.
During the ancient practice of this ceremony, we invoke the transformative power, energy, and frequency of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, saints and sages, and all supportive ancestral, elemental, and angelic forces to help dissolve obstacles in this critical time of profound planetary transformation.
The ceremony also supports our individual practice, aiding in dissolving personal, familial, and ancestral obstructions, as well as obstructive karma, throughout all realms, time, and space.
Acknowledgement
This ceremony was adapted by Kittisaro & Thanissara from the original Great Compassion Repentance Ceremony (Dabei Chan Fa Hui), inspired by the Maha Karunika Citta Dharani Sutra, as transmitted by the City of 10,000 Buddhas.
The ceremony was initially composed by Venerable Master Fa Zhi of the Tien Tai school of the Sung Dynasty. We have no exact date for when this happened, but the Sung Dynasty, which spanned from 960 to 1279, dates its origins between the 10th and 13th centuries.
We offer our profound respect and gratitude to all lineage holders of Chinese Mahayana who faithfully held and passed down the ceremony from generation to generation. We also bow to the transmission of this sacred Dharma through all lineages, reaching back to its roots in India and the ancient mists of time.
Namo Kuan Shr Yin Pu Sa. Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
Key Information
Details, text, and materials will be sent before the ceremony, and will also be posted in the Zoom chat.
Registration for this event will close one hour before the start of the event.
This offering is shared with a suggested donation range of $1-$30. No one will be turned away due to financial need.
Because this offering is practice-based, it will not be recorded.