Ullambana Dharma Ceremony for Filial Piety and Gratitude

——Co-hosted by Dharma Drum Mountain Los Angeles and San Francisco Centers

The seventh lunar month is a time to honor our ancestors and express gratitude and filial devotion. On August 29–30, Dharma Drum Mountain Los Angeles and San Francisco Centers will jointly hold the Zhongyuan Ksitigarbha Dharma Ceremony for Repaying Gratitude and the Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance Ceremony. With gratitude and joy, we welcome this month of filial piety and extend compassion to all sentient beings.

【Purification and setting of the Altar】Saturday, August 29, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
【Ksitigarbha Dharma Ceremony】Saturday, August 29, 1:30–5:00 p.m.

• Ksitigarbha is renowned for his great vows and profound filial devotion, safeguarding the world and illuminating the darkness. Through reciting and upholding the sutra, we dedicate the merits so that we ourselves and others may find peace and well-being. May there be peace in the world, and may all beings in the unseen realms find their way home, guided by the light.

【Compassion Samadhi Water Repentance Ceremony】Sunday, August 30, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

• Repentance is the sincere and wholehearted acknowledgment of our faults — letting go of pretenses and excuses and facing our imperfections and mistakes with openness. It is not about becoming trapped in guilt or self-blame, but about resolving and restoring the mind. Just as muddy water gradually settles and clears, our restlessness and unease can likewise slowly subside, allowing the dust of worldly afflictions to be cleansed away and the mind’s original clarity and serenity to emerge once again.

【Venue】DDM Los Angeles Center. 4530 N. Peck Rd., El Monte, CA 91732

During the Dharma Ceremony, opportunities are available to serve as merit sponsors, make offerings before the Buddha, and offer meals to the Sangha. To support the various meritorious activities and submit online prayer offerings, please register directly through the  DDM Los Angeles Center website

【Further Details】

• The Dharma Ceremony will not be livestreamed.
• If you have registered to make an offering but are unable to attend the Dharma Ceremony at the Los Angeles Center, our volunteers can help bring your offering back to the San Francisco Center. Please pick it up from the reception desk during regular opening hours within 10 days after the Dharma Ceremony.

【Register as a Merit Sponsor for the Water Repentance Dharma Ceremony】Please visit  Water Repentance Merit Sponsor Registration（DDM San Francisco Bay Area Center）

or please email the DDM San Francisco Bay Area Center volunteer, Su-Mei Tsai via ddmbasf@ddmbasf.org, who can coordinate merit sponsors for this Dharma Ceremony.