Buddha's Birthday, celebrated on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month, is one of the most important and meaningful holidays for Buddhists. It is an occasion for Buddhists worldwide to commemorate the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, and to reflect on the values of compassion, wisdom, and peace that he taught.
In 2026, the Buddha's Birthday week will take place from May 24th to May 31st, corresponding to the 8th to 15th days of the 4th lunar month. The main celebration will be on Sunday, May 31st. The fact that the main celebration falls on a weekend makes it convenient for families and Buddhists to participate in religious activities and perform rituals at home or at temples.
Besides attending mass ceremonies at the temple, many Buddhists also prepare offerings at home with sincere devotion. On Buddha's Birthday, in addition to preparing incense, flowers, offerings, and a meticulously arranged offering tray, reciting prayers according to proper rituals is also considered an important part of the ceremony.
Depending on the family's circumstances, the offering tray can be prepared simply or elaborately. However, essential offerings usually include fresh flowers, tea, fruit, and incense. These items symbolize the reverence and respect that Buddhists offer to the Buddha.
Besides the offerings for Buddha's birthday, the prayer for this occasion is of great interest to many. The prayer for Buddha's birthday on the 15th day of the fourth lunar month doesn't need to be long, but it should express sincerity, reverence, and wishes for peace and happiness for oneself, family, and all sentient beings.
Buddha's Birthday celebration in Dak Lak . (Photo: VOV)
Below are two prayers for the Buddha's Birthday celebration: one for offering prayers to ancestors at home and another for offering prayers at a temple.
Prayer for offering to Buddha at home on Buddha's birthday
Namo Buddha Shakyamuni
His love has awakened us from the darkness and suffering of every path.
The love that He has awakened in us is essential to keeping the world from turning into a sea of fire, war, and hatred.
Reverently bowing to the Buddha, the time has come for the light of the Dharma to be used solemnly to dispel the darkness of false views that envelop humanity. The time has come for the bell of compassion to be listened to with heartfelt devotion, so that all hearts may beat in unison with love, building human kindness so that the world may forever be filled with happiness.
Reverend Buddha, the power you have awakened in us is truly effective and enduring in a world filled with so much violence and conflict. From your great compassion, you emerged as a messenger of peace, bringing a message of love to life through reconciliation. Your inner strength has helped us overcome all challenges and achieve self-mastery. Your teachings are so practical and useful, having been valuable for 2570 years and will remain valuable forever.
Reverently bowing to the Buddha, on this auspicious occasion of your birth, we respectfully offer these pure and pure asafoetida flowers as a tribute to the supremely enlightened one. The Teacher of Gods and Humans is the most precious gift we offer to the world with sincere and heartfelt prayers. May life always be peaceful and happy, and may people meet each other with complete and perfect love.
May the fragrant incense smoke form clouds of five colors, rising to all ten directions, offering homage to the countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. May it unite with the holy sages and monks in the Dharma realm, forming a radiant lotus platform. May I be a companion on the path to enlightenment. May all sentient beings abandon the realm of oblivion, follow the path of precepts, concentration, and practice, and return to awakened awareness.
Namo Amitabha Buddha.
Prayer to ancestors during the Buddha's Birthday ceremony at home.
I bow to the nine directions of Heaven, the ten directions of the Buddhas, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions. I respectfully bow to the Heavenly Emperor, the Earth Goddess, and all the revered deities.
I respectfully bow before the local tutelary deity, the local earth deity, the household kitchen god, and all other revered deities.
I respectfully bow before my ancestors, my deceased father and mother, and all departed spirits (if my parents are still alive, replace them with my paternal and maternal ancestors).
We, your humble devotees, are... residing at...
Today is the full moon of the fourth month of the year Bính Ngọ 2026. We, your humble devotees, with the grace of heaven and earth, the revered deities, and our ancestors, sincerely prepare offerings of incense, flowers, tea, and fruit, and light a stick of incense before the altar.
We respectfully invite: the local tutelary deity, the great kings, the local earth god, the household kitchen god, the five directions, the dragon vein, and the god of wealth.
We humbly beseech you to descend before the altar, witness our sincerity, and accept our offerings. We respectfully invite our ancestors, both paternal and maternal, and all the spirits of our family lineage... to have mercy on your descendants, to manifest yourselves, witness our devotion, and accept our offerings.
We, your humble devotees, respectfully invite the former and current owners of this house to come before the altar, partake in the offerings, and bless our family with good health, peace, prosperity, success in business, and family harmony.
With humble hearts and sincere devotion, we respectfully bow before the altar and humbly ask for your protection and blessings.
Each drop of fragrant water is gently poured over the statue of the newborn Buddha, symbolizing the cleansing of the soul, the abandonment of greed, anger, and delusion, and the nurturing of compassion and goodness. (Photo: Dac Huy)
Prayer for the Buddha's Birthday ceremony at the temple.
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Homage to the Buddha Shakyamuni!
Homage to the Buddha Shakyamuni!
Homage to the Buddha Shakyamuni!
We sincerely repent of all the sins we have committed from beginningless time until today (3 times)
O Venerable Buddha! Your compassion has awakened us from all the darkness and suffering.
The love that you have awakened in us is essential to keeping the world from turning into a sea of war and hatred.
Reverently bowing to the Buddha! The time has come for the light of the Dharma to be used solemnly to dispel the darkness of false views that envelop humanity. The time has come for the bell of compassion to be listened to with heartfelt devotion so that all hearts may beat in unison with love, building human kindness so that the world may forever be filled with happiness.
Reverend Buddha! The strength you have awakened in us is truly effective and enduring in a world filled with so much turmoil and suffering. From your great compassion, you appear as a messenger of peace, bringing a message of love to life through the path of reconciliation. Your inner strength has helped us overcome all challenges and become self-reliant. Your teachings are practical, useful, and have been valuable for thousands of years, and will remain valuable forever.
Reverently bowing to the Buddha! On the occasion of the Buddha's Birthday in 2026, we respectfully pick pure and pure asafoetida flowers to offer to the supremely enlightened one, the Teacher of Gods and Humans, as the most precious gift we offer to the world with sincere and heartfelt prayers: May life always be peaceful and happy. May people meet each other with complete and perfect love.
May the fragrant incense smoke, forming clouds of five colors, rise throughout the ten directions, offering homage to the countless Buddhas, the countless Bodhisattvas, and the holy sages and monks, encompassing the entire Dharma realm, forming a radiant lotus platform. May I be your companion on the path to enlightenment, and may all sentient beings abandon the realm of oblivion, follow the path of morality, concentration, and wisdom, and return to awakened awareness.
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Namo Amitabha Buddha!
Homage to the Buddha Shakyamuni!
Homage to the Buddha Shakyamuni!
Homage to the Buddha Shakyamuni!
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/van-khan-cung-le-phat-dan-2026-ar1020654.html
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