Before the Hong Kong Yogacara Flaming-Mouth Ritual: A Dharma Talk by Vajra Master on the Essence of Universal Deliverance

▲ Rehearsal for the Yogacara Flaming-Mouth Ritual Led by Three Vajra Masters at Dharma Drum Mountain Hong Kong Centre


“True universal deliverance is not merely about offering food to beings we cannot see. It is also about enabling those we can see to stop creating hunger, fear, and loneliness.” Invited to Hong Kong to serve as one of the three Vajra Masters for the Yogacara Flaming-Mouth Ritual in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) Hong Kong Centre on September 6, DDM Vice Abbot, Venerable Guo Chi (果器法師) took the opportunity on the ceremony’s eve to share with devotees how to understand Buddhism’s spirit of relieving suffering through the “Essentials of the Yogacara Flaming-Mouth Food Offering Ritual (瑜伽燄口施食要集)”.

Venerable Guo Chi explained that the phrase “relieving those who suffer as if suspended upside down” (救倒懸) found in the “Essentials of the Yogacara Flaming-Mouth Food Offering Ritual” expresses both the compassionate vows and aspirations made for suffering beings and a profound reminder to practitioners. It reminds us that “what we offer through food offerings is not merely food, but also respect, equality, blessings, and the power of our vows. What we seek to liberate from suffering is not only suffering beings, but also the attachments within our own minds that we are reluctant to let go of.”

True generosity cannot be measured solely by how much the giver gives. We must also ask whether the act of giving has reduced the giver’s attachment and whether the recipient has gained dignity and peace of mind. Repentance is likewise an essential part of the practice. If we merely pray for suffering beings to be liberated while refusing to change our own habitual patterns, then we have not yet truly understood Buddhism’s path of relieving suffering. “The external ritual is a skillful means; a pure mind within is the true foundation of Buddhist practice. Chanting sutras, reciting mantras, performing repentance practices, and making food offerings must ultimately lead to a transformation of body and mind,” said Venerable Guo Chi. 

Venerable Guo Chi further noted that one of Master Sheng Yen’s important teachings is to “use wisdom to handle matters, and use compassion to care for people”. Wisdom keeps us from being obscured by emotions and prejudice, while compassion prevents us from treating sentient beings with indifference or causing them harm. Wisdom without compassion can easily become harshness; compassion without wisdom can likewise lead us away from the right direction. The Flaming-Mouth food offering ritual is precisely a practice in which compassion and wisdom work together. It consists of two components. First is offering food with compassion while contemplating the law of cause and effect with wisdom. Second is relieving suffering through the power of vows while avoiding delusion through right view.

Venerable Guo Chi also encouraged devotees to make their vows together: May every food offering become not only a blessing for other beings, but also a reminder to our own minds. May every recitation go beyond sound and ritual and become pure, compassionate action. May we follow Master Sheng Yen’s teaching that “Compassion has no enemies; wisdom engenders no vexations.” May we broaden our minds and diminish our sense of self, beginning by moving away from delusion, gradually cultivating a character grounded in compassion and wisdom, and together moving toward the pure human world envisioned by the Buddha Dharma.
 
Original text in Chinese: 張曜鐘  
Photos: Dharma Drum Mountain Hong Kong Centre
Translation: Patricia Yang 
Editing: Keith Brown