Ksitigarbha Dharma Assembly at Hua Zang Si
August 20 : The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Dharma Assembly was held on August 20th at Hua Zang Si in San Francisco, CA. Ksitigarbha was the enlightened monk who vowed to go to Hell and work there to liberate hell beings. He vowed he would not become a Buddha until all of the hells are empty. This ceremony, held every year on Ksitagarbha’s birthday is the time when Buddhists go to their temples to pray for deceased family members and friends and ask for special blessings for themselves and others. They also make offerings to their temples to have the rinpoches, monks, and nuns perform certain rituals that will help those suffering in lower migrations (as hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, or unfortunate humans) be raised to a higher level of consciousness and gain liberation or enlightenment. This year the ceremony was conducted in both Tibetan and Chinese and held in the Sakyamuni Buddha Hall and the Garden to accommodate all the attendees.