March 5, 20 15 is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which is a traditional festival in China and another important festival after the Spring Festival. Lantern Festival is called Shangyuan Festival, and the fifteenth day of the first month is Shangyuan Festival. Lantern Festival also coincides with the change of Tibetan calendar. Many practitioners in Tibet are practicing good dharma this month, such as holding eight official pavilions, turning scriptures, paying homage, releasing people, offering butter lamps and so on.
There is a custom of putting lanterns on the Lantern Festival every year in our country. Why is the Lantern Festival lit? One is the story of the Emperor Wudi's temple from fainting to daytime. It is said that it was initiated by Taoism, because the fifteenth day of the first month is "the three officials fell to Japan", and the three officials have their own interests. Celestial officials are happy, local officials are good people, and water officials are good at lighting, so they are happy to light up; One said it was invented by Buddhism. So, which statement is correct?
Lantern Festival should be a patent of Buddhism. In Buddhist teachings, fire is compared to the divine power of the Buddha, and the so-called "infinite flame shines endlessly." Light has two wonderful uses: one is to break the darkness of the world; The second is to show the Buddha's light and destroy all the troubles of all beings. Therefore, in Buddhist ceremonies, lamps are regarded as one of the offerings before the Buddha. Buddhists encourage believers to light lamps, and in the classics, they repeatedly publicize "100 lamps to sue" and "the most blessed light on earth", and even encourage Buddhists to pull out meat and burn lamps to support the Buddha. Therefore, those who often go to the mountains to pray for Buddha always offer lamp oil to show their extensive cultivation of Buddha land; The Buddhist pageant needs bright lights to illuminate the king. According to Buddhist legend, the Buddha Sakyamuni appeared on February 30, 65438, that is, on the fifteenth day of the first month in Dongtu. In order to commemorate the change of Buddha, it is necessary to hold a lighting ceremony on this day. With the spread of Buddhism to the east, the wind of burning lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first month followed. Now Tibetan calls Lantern Festival "Ju 'aquba", which means offering sacrifices to Buddha on the 15th day of the first month. This is the hard evidence that the Lantern Festival originated from Buddhism.
China first performed the Lantern Festival in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is said that it was the result of the struggle between Buddhism and Taoism at that time. Emperor Han Ming came to preach in the east, and Morten Zhu Flange came to be criticized by Taoism. As a result, he tried magic with the Taoist priest in court, and it was no harm to burn the scriptures and shine. Emperor Han Ming was puzzled by Buddhism and ordered the Buddha to light a lamp on the fifteenth day of the first month to show the clarity of Buddhism. After the Buddha lamp was lit in China, it gradually started a prairie fire. Buddhists and monks actively advise people to put on lanterns. During the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Buddhist monk Naliantian Yeshe once translated a volume of "The Merit of Lighting", ready to talk about the merits of lighting. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Lantern Festival gradually became a trend. Liang Wudi believed in Buddhism, and the palace was brightly lit on the fifteenth day of the first month. In the Tang Dynasty, cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries became closer, Buddhism flourished, and Buddhists from the West widely publicized the "magic lamp", so Buddha lamps spread all over the people. Since the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival has become a legal thing and has gradually become a folk custom.
Lantern Festival and Spring Festival are linked together. During the day, it is a city, full of excitement, and at night, it is brightly lit and spectacular. Especially the exquisite and colorful lights make it the climax of entertainment activities during the Spring Festival.
China has a vast territory and a long history, so the customs about the Lantern Festival vary from place to place, each with its own characteristics, but eating Yuanxiao, enjoying lanterns and dancing dragons and lions are almost all folk customs around the Lantern Festival.
On this day, the temple will light lanterns for the Buddha and hold a blessing ceremony. People are also used to lighting lamps in temples on this day to pray for light and peace for their families. "Lamp" stands for light, and the Lantern Festival lights up the temple, which symbolizes lighting up the heart lamp to illuminate yourself and others, with far-reaching significance and boundless merits. Going to the temple to worship Buddha, burn incense and pray for blessings during the Lantern Festival is a necessary lesson for good men and women.
Speaking of the origin of the Lantern Festival, it has a deep historical origin with Buddhism.
According to legend, although Buddhism was introduced to China at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, its influence cannot be underestimated.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted Dong Zhongshu's suggestion of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" and used Confucianism to establish and standardize the social and ruling order, which played a positive role. But in the period of Emperor Han Ming, the change of social environment needed new ideas and theories to fill it. Therefore, Emperor Han Ming strongly advocated Buddhism.
His admiration and courtesy for Buddhism attracted great dissatisfaction from local sects, and local sects led by Taoism raised objections to Ming Chengzu one after another.
It is reported that in the 14th year of Han Yongping, 690 people, including Taoist Chu, protested that Emperor Wu believed in foreign Buddhism and expressed their willingness to compare the authenticity by burning scriptures. Ming Di ordered the two religions to set up a test of burning scriptures on 1 month 15. As a result, most Taoist scriptures were burned, while Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist relics "rose in the air with five-color light, hovering like a cover, covering the sun, rain and treasure, and making people happy."
In order to carry forward Buddhism, Emperor Han Ming ordered "burning lamps to show Buddha" in the palace temple on the 15th night of the first month. All lanterns are decorated to show reverence for Buddhism. Since then, every household has been decorated with colorful lanterns every year, and tourists watching lanterns are crowded, making it one of the most lively and distinctive annual festivals.
According to Buddhism, lighting lanterns for Buddha in the New Year means shining the future. In the new year, most people want a bright start in the future, so they come to the temple to pray and pray. Pray for Buddha and Bodhisattva to bless the peace and smoothness of the new year; Especially when the whole family is reunited in the Spring Festival, it is really a harmonious and joyful atmosphere to regard the lighting of temple fairs as a Spring Festival activity in which the whole family participates. The so-called one person offers lanterns to the Buddha, and one person benefits; One gives the Buddha a lamp and one benefits; Everyone gives the Buddha a lamp, and everyone is blessed; Every household should offer lanterns to the Buddha for blessing. I hope the light will stay on. As long as there are bright lights, the compassion of the buddhas and bodhisattvas will naturally shine everywhere.
The advantage of offering a lamp: one shines like a lamp. Both of them were born in the same place, and the naked eye is not bad. All three are in the eye of heaven. The four are based on the law of good and evil, and they get good wisdom. Five big shovels to eliminate. Six Zhi Ming. The seven men crossed the world, often not in the dark. Eight have great blessings. Nine people live for life. Ten people can quickly prove nirvana. Also, in "Respect for Good and Evil", ten merits of offering lanterns are also recorded: "First, the naked eye is clean; Second, get a clean eye; Third, stay away from the three poisons; Fourth, obtain good laws; Fifth, acquire wisdom and wisdom; Sixth, stay away from stupidity; Seven, don't fall into hell, hungry ghosts, animals; Eight, noble and comfortable; Nine, heaven; Ten, Buddha fruit fast card. 」
In addition to the ten merits mentioned in the above two classics, the lantern festival can also gain three kinds of pure hearts in this world: to support the Tathagata, to know that the body is not strong, and to take care of the body; Knowing wealth and suffering and thinking hard is the first childlike heart. Who is the Buddha's supreme Fukuda, who is the highest Fukuda, who can get the best support, who will do the support, not afraid of falling into hell, not afraid of animals, not afraid of hungry ghosts. This good root has always been the cause of being a man, kindness and goodness. Obtaining wisdom, stability, happiness and even the fruit of bodhi is the second pure heart. Among the Buddhas, gifts have been given up, blessings have been made, and greed has been given up, except; There is no sorrow in giving, but the heart grows. This is the third kind of pure heart.
As the saying goes: "If there are sentient beings in the stupa temple, those who practice light will get four kinds of coke methods. How to achieve four things, one is sexy, the other is rich, the third is kindness and the fourth is wisdom. In other words, those who light a lamp to offer sacrifices to the Buddha can gain solemn appearance, abundant wealth, good roots and great wisdom. Lighting a lamp to worship Buddha in a temple also means practicing. Lighting a lamp is in a solemn Dojo, which makes all beings admire; Lighting a lamp not only symbolizes light and wisdom, but also can get rid of all kinds of dark troubles. How solemn it is to light a lamp, kneel in front of the Buddha, express bodhicitta and pray for the achievement of the Buddha! In history, there have also been stories of burning lamps for Buddha, burning fingers for Buddha, winning the emperor's house, and giving money to the future generations. According to the Sutra of the Holy Maitreya, whoever provides thousands of beautiful flowers, builds towers or statues, when they show their way to Maitreya, they are born as their families, and when they hear about the Buddha, they turn to Falun Gong first. Even if you only provide a lamp, a flower, or the merits of supporting others, you can see Maitreya Buddha in the future and even achieve Buddha fruit.
But the reason why Buddhism encourages people to light lanterns, besides praying for blessings, is mainly that people can light their hearts by lighting Buddha lanterns; Send bodhi heart, make bodhi wish, stimulate the glory of self-nature, and accumulate resources for realizing Buddha for yourself. This is the real disaster relief and luck.
At the beginning of the new year, let's light a bright lamp in front of the Buddha-pray that the wisdom lamp of Buddhism can drive away all ignorance and darkness in the world, so that every living being can get light, wisdom, peace and happiness! Pray that each of us can offer a bright lamp in front of the Buddha, light up the "self-wisdom lamp" in our hearts, practice in a different way in the new year, increase our happiness and wisdom, shine on him and illuminate a bright and beautiful future!