What do you need to prepare before going to a temple or pagoda at the beginning of the year?

Going to the temple at the beginning of the year is a spiritual activity associated with Buddhism and has become a good custom maintained in many families. However, not everyone fully understands the correct order of going to the temple.

At the beginning of the year, should you go to the temple or pagoda first?

The choice of going to a temple or pagoda first in the first days of the new year will depend on the beliefs and habits of each individual or family. Both temples and pagodas are sacred places where people show their respect and pray for good things for themselves and their families.

Some people believe that one should go to the pagoda first to pray for peace and health, then go to the temple to pray for wealth and fame. However, there is no rule about this order. Going to the pagoda or temple first is considered important, as long as it comes from the heart and respects the place of worship.

What do you need to prepare for the New Year's holiday?

Prepare offerings to go to the temple

When offering incense at pagodas, you can only prepare vegetarian offerings: incense, fresh flowers, ripe fruits, cakes, sticky rice, sweet soup... You cannot prepare meat offerings such as three animals (buffalo, goat, pig), meat, chicken, ham, sausage...

The preparation of savory offerings is only acceptable if the temple area worships Saints and Mother Goddesses and is only offered there. It is absolutely forbidden to place savory offerings in the Buddha Hall (main hall), which is the main place of worship of the temple.

Only vegetarian offerings are allowed on the altar of the main hall. Non-vegetarian offerings (usually just chicken, ham, sausage, wine, betel and areca nuts...) are also often placed on the altar or shrine (if built separately) of Duc Ong - the god who oversees all the work of the temple.

Do not buy votive paper or hell money to offer to Buddha at the temple. If you do buy this offering, you should place it on the altar of the gods, the Holy Mother or the altar of the Lord.

Paper money or votive offerings should not be placed on the altar of Buddha or Bodhisattva, and real money should not be placed on the altar of the main hall. Donated money and gold should be placed in the donation box at the temple.

Fresh flowers for Buddha offerings are lotus, lily, peony, star flower, chrysanthemum... should not use mixed flowers, wild flowers...

How to display offerings on the altar

The main house is the altar of the Three Jewels to worship Buddha. When placing offerings on this altar to worship Buddha, it must include 5 items: incense - candles - flowers - fruit - water.

In case you cannot prepare all of these, it is okay, make offerings to the Buddhas with a sincere heart. Absolutely do not put money, gold, including real money, on the altar of the Three Jewels.

Other altars in the temple usually include the Mother altar, the Lord altar, the Saint altar, the spirit altar, etc. Each altar is arranged differently, and there is usually a sign placed in front of each altar, so you can observe it before praying.

You can light 3 incense sticks, but they are usually not allowed to be lit inside the temple for safety reasons, so you just light them all in the big incense burner placed in front of the temple door, then go to each altar to pray.

It is not too important to burn a lot of incense or a little incense, sometimes even one stick is fine. Just pay attention that the altar of the Three Jewels to worship Buddha is always the largest, so if you prepare many offerings to display on the altars, you should prioritize arranging the altar of the Three Jewels to be the most beautiful and solemn.

Even if you don't want to be elaborate, you can just arrange a plate of incense and fruit and place it alone on the altar of the Three Jewels.

When going to the temple, we often focus on repentance, then pray to dedicate the merits to our creditors, relatives, and the deceased to be reborn in the Western Paradise, and for the living to be healthy, happy, know about Buddhism, and have deep faith in Buddhism.

Order of worship when going to the temple

Place offerings: Light incense and perform the ceremony at the altar of Duc Ong first.

After placing the offering at the altar of Duc Ong (Duc Chua), place the offering on the altar of the main hall, light incense, ring the bell three times, then perform the ceremony to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

After placing the offerings in the main hall, go light incense at all the other altars in the worship hall. When lighting incense, there are always 3 or 5 offerings. If the pagoda has a shrine to the Mother Goddess or the Four Palaces, go there to place the offerings, burn incense and pray according to your wishes.

Finally, the ceremony is held at the ancestral temple (back house).

After the thanksgiving ceremony, one should go to the monks' house or the guest room to visit the monks and abbots and make merits as one pleases.

T. Linh (T/h)

Source: https://giadinhonline.vn/dau-nam-di-le-den-hay-chua-truoc-can-chuan-bi-nhung-gi-d204429.html