Chan Meditation Center Holds Ullambana Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance Service to Express Gratitude and Repay Kindness

Chan Meditation Center of Dharma Drum Mountain in New York held the “Ullambana Gratitude and Repayment of Kindness—Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance Service” over two consecutive days, September 5–6, Eastern Time. Venerable Guo Jieh (果界法師), who traveled from Taiwan, presided over the service and led participants in sincere group practice. On the day before the service, Venerable Guo Jieh also led the purification ceremony and the Buddhist ritual for formally enshrining memorial tablets for the deceased and longevity and blessings prayer tablets for the living. 

A total of 60 devotees participated on the first day. Even during break periods, participants remained peacefully seated in their places, diligently reciting the Buddha’s name and maintaining their practice. The atmosphere was one of exceptional calm, concentration, and devotion. Among the participants were devotees who had traveled all the way from Florida to New York specifically to attend the repentance ceremony. They remained filled with Dharma joy throughout the entire practice, demonstrating profound sincerity in seeking the Dharma and engaging in repentance.

With her warm, humorous, and wisdom-filled teachings, Venerable Guo Jieh guided the assembly into a deeper understanding of the fundamental spirit of the Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance Service. She also shared practical ways to apply the Buddha’s teachings in daily life to resolve resentment and interpersonal conflicts. Venerable Guo Jieh explained the origins of the Water Repentance. During the Western Han dynasty, Yuan Ang (袁盎) and Chao Cuo (晁錯) developed an antagonistic relationship because of their differing political views regarding the reduction of the power of the feudal princes. When the emperor came to believe that Chao Cuo’s policies had caused the “Rebellion of the Seven States”, he accepted Yuan Ang’s advice and had Chao Cuo executed by being cut in two at the waist in a marketplace. According to the traditional account, this became the basis of a karmic grievance that continued between the two across lifetimes.

Venerable Guo Jieh shared the story of two practitioners who had once been very close. In one lifetime, a seemingly insignificant incident occurred when one of them took some sewing needles and thread without telling the other. This minor matter eventually became the cause of the two meeting as enemies and engaging in armed conflict in a subsequent lifetime. Venerable Guo Jieh explained that in everyday life, a careless remark, repeatedly criticizing another person’s faults, or a misunderstanding that is never clearly explained, can cause resentment to accumulate like a snowball rolling downhill, growing larger and larger.

According to Venerable Guo Jieh, resolving such grievances must begin with oneself through repentance. Repentance is not merely something expressed verbally; it requires a sincere acknowledgment deep within one’s heart, together with a vow to “not repeat the same mistake.” When this vow takes root in one’s mind, one naturally becomes more vigilant when encountering similar situations in the future, thus preventing the same mistake from recurring. Venerable Guo Jieh encouraged everyone to “hold back three parts of what is about to be spoken.” Before doing or saying anything, we should put ourselves in others’ shoes and leave one another room for growth and reconciliation. Not actively creating negative karmic ties with others, she said, is the most grounded form of silent illumination practice.

As the ceremony came to a successful conclusion, Chan Meditation Center also called on the community to pay attention to the severe flooding that has recently affected Nepal. The Center sincerely invited everyone to support the “Nepal Flood Relief Fundraising Campaign” initiated by Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association. The fundraising campaign will be carried out in two phases. The first phase will provide emergency humanitarian relief, while the second phase will support the reconstruction of local temples and homes affected by the disaster. Chan Meditation Center offers its prayers for the injured to recover soon, for relief efforts in the affected areas to proceed smoothly, and for all beings suffering from the disaster to regain peace, safety, and well-being.


◎ Original text in Chinese: Chan Meditation Center
◎ Photos: 劉桂如
◎ Translation: Patricia Yang 
◎ Editing: Keith Brown
◎ Uploaded on September 9, 2026