On September 6, 2025, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, the Canadian Buddhist Association · Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden was filled with chanting and ceremonial music, resonating with bells and drums. Masters, elders, disciples, guests, and devotees from across Canada gathered in the Mahāvīra Hall to participate in the annual Ullambana Festival — a solemn Dharma assembly dedicated to filial piety and gratitude. This sacred occasion is not only the “Buddha’s Joyful Day,” an important Buddhist festival, but also a profound reminder to honor our parents and cultivate compassion.
Click ☝️ to watch the video: 2025 Ullambana Festival
Filial Piety & Gratitude Sangha Offering Ceremony at Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden (Canada)
Monastics Gather before the Mahāvīra Hall · Ullambana Festival at Canadian Wutai Shan
What is the Ullambana Festival?
The Ullambana Festival originates from the Buddhist scripture The Ullambana Sūtra. According to the sutra, Venerable Maudgalyāyana (Mogallana), one of the Buddha’s ten great disciples, saw through his clairvoyance that his late mother had fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts, suffering greatly from hunger and thirst. Saddened, he sought guidance from the Buddha. The Buddha instructed him: on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, at the conclusion of the summer retreat, he should make offerings of a hundred delicacies to the Sangha of the ten directions. Through the merit and virtue of the Sangha’s cultivation, his mother would be liberated.
Dharma Teaching by Venerable Dayi · Ullambana Filial Piety Dharma Assembly
Masters from Home and Abroad · United in the Ullambana Filial Piety Dharma Assembly
From that time onward, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month was established as the Ullambana Festival. This day embodies the spirit of filial piety and gratitude, and later generations came to honor it as the “Buddhist Thanksgiving.” On this day, making offerings to the Sangha and performing acts of generosity not only liberates the departed but also reminds the living to cherish parental love, cultivate gratitude, and accumulate blessings and wisdom.
Chanting by Monastics from Near and Far · Ullambana Filial Piety Dharma Assembly
Ten Representatives Make Offerings with Reverence · Ullambana Festival at Canadian Wutai Shan
Offering Flowers to the Buddha · Monastics Chant Dedication of Merit
Ten Representatives Offer Lamps, Symbolizing Wisdom’s Light, Dispelling Ignorance, Perfecting Blessings and Wisdom
Ten Representatives Offer Incense, Symbolizing the True Fragrance of Morality and Concentration, Purifying Body and Mind, Honoring the Triple Gem of the Ten Directions
The Ten Offerings · A Solemn Ceremony
At 10:00 a.m., the grand Ten Offerings Ceremony commenced inside the Mahāvīra Hall. Ten lay representatives, in solemn procession, carried offerings of incense, flowers, lamps, ointments, fruits, tea, food, jewels, pearls, and robes. Each item symbolizes virtues such as morality, concentration, wisdom, compassion, and the fruition of practice.
When the cantor intoned “Present the Offerings,” the resounding sound of the great bell echoed throughout the hall. Representatives respectfully placed their offerings before the Buddha. Fragrant incense curled skyward, flowers blossomed in brilliance, lamps glowed with wisdom’s light, and sweet fruits symbolized the fruition of Dharma. The chanting of Buddha’s name filled the space, merging with the fragrance of incense, bringing joy and reverence to all present.
Devotees Present Offerings before the Buddha · Ullambana Festival at Canadian Wutai Shan
Assembly Joins in Chanting · Ullambana Festival of Filial Piety and Gratitude
Dharma Assembly for Blessings · Filial Piety and Gratitude
Following the offerings, the assembly of monks led the congregation in sutra chanting and prayers. The essence of Ullambana lies in filial piety: to repay the kindness of parents, to make offerings to the Sangha, and to dedicate the merit to ancestors and all beings.
As chanting reverberated inside and outside the hall, the sounds of wooden fish and sutras blended into a solemn harmony. Many participants silently made vows—praying for the health and peace of their parents, harmony within their families, and the liberation of departed loved ones.
Monastics Chant in Formation · A Solemn and Dignified Dharma Assembly
Monastics Offer Incense and Chant Together · Ullambana Festival of Filial Piety and Gratitude
Monastics Offer Incense and Receive Offerings · Ullambana Festival of Filial Piety and Gratitude
Monastics United in Prayer
Monastics Gather before the Buddha in Chanting · Ullambana Festival
Assembly Gathers in the Mahāvīra Hall · Collective Practice at the Ullambana Festival
Group Photo before the Mahāvīra Hall · Ullambana Festival Concludes Perfectly
Assembly Follows the Monastics to Shan Cai Hall · Dedication of Merit and Offering the Midday Meal
Sangha Offering & Midday Meal at Shan Cai Hall
After the Dharma service, the assembly gathered for a commemorative photo before the Mahāvīra Hall, hands joined in reverence. They then followed the monks in procession to Shan Cai Hall, where a grand Sangha-offering lunch was held. Rows of abundant vegetarian dishes were presented with devotion, as devotees expressed gratitude by offering sustenance and monetary donations to the monastic community. Such offerings are not only material but also spiritual acts of gratitude and merit-making.
Senior Masters of Various Monasteries · Sangha Offering Lunch at Shan Cai Hall
Devotees Present Offering Envelopes · Monastics Receive Offerings at Shan Cai Hall
Sangha Midday Meal at Shan Cai Hall · All Share the Joy of Dharma
Dharma Flourishing in Canada
Canadian Wutai Shan, founded through the vision and dedication of eminent masters over many years, was formally opened to the public in 2024 under the guidance of Venerable Dayi. It has since become a vital center for the flourishing of Dharma in North America.
The Ullambana Festival of 2025 continued a two-thousand-year Buddhist tradition, uniting people of diverse cultural and faith backgrounds to experience the compassion and wisdom of the Dharma. More than a religious celebration, it serves as a bridge for harmony in society and as a platform to promote the universal value of filial piety.
Easycan Inc. (Easy Media) Journalists Shengji Lin & Haoyang
Writing / Photography / Videography / Editing