108 Bows of Repentance and Renewal
In preparation for the new year, we hold this bowing practice in late December as a way to reorient minds and hearts and help renew one’s resolve to practice.
Three Refuge and Five Precepts Profession of Vows
A Three Refuge and Five Precepts Vows ceremony is held yearly for WLHZ students who are registered in the Lotus Root Training program and who have completed the 8-week Three Refuge and Five Precepts study course.
Buddha Day Celebration
This yearly festive ceremony, held in May, celebrates the birth, life, and mahaparinirvana (passing away) of our Great Teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha (Korean: Sogamonibul).
Celebration of Siddhartha Gautama’s Awakening
After having studied with ascetics, Siddhartha Gautama sat 49-days of meditation and at the age of 35, he is said to have attained Enlightenment, and became known as the Buddha or “Awakened One”. He realized complete insight into the Four Noble Truths, thereby attaining liberation from samsara, the endless cycle of rebirth, suffering and death.
Celebration of Kwanseumbosal (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva)
Honoring the Bodhisattva of Wisdom and Compassion who hears the cries of the world’s suffering.
A WLHZ devotional figure.
Celebration of Jijangbosal (Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva)
Honoring the Earth Womb Bodhisattva protector of travelers, women, and children. Known for fearlessness in saving all suffering beings, for the guidance of all beings, and for the vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. A WLHZ devotional figure.
Celebration of Yaksayeorebul (Bhaisajyaguru Buddha)
Honoring the Buddha of Healing in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the “Medicine Buddha”, this Buddha is described as a doctor who cures dukkha (suffering) and karmic ills using various medicines of the profound and subtle dharma.
Celebration of Mothers – Queen Maya and Mahapajapati
A celebration of gratitude for all Mothers! Honoring Shakyamuni Buddha’s birth mother, Queen Maya, and his stepmother, Maha Pajapati, the first nun of the monastic sangha.
Celebration of Bodhidharma (First Zen Ancestor)
Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan (Zen) Buddhism to China and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch.
Thanksgiving Celebration of Dharma and Lineage
Giving thanks for our lineage masters His Holiness Il Bung Kyung Bo Seo, Ph.D. (the first Korean Patriarch to the West / Il Bung Zen Order 일붕선정), His Holiness Thích Thiên Ân (the first Vietnamese Patriarch to the West / Lâm Tế Thiền Order), and Zen Master Seung Sahn (Linji Seon, Kwan Um School), their teachings and their lives.
Cheondo Jae/Ullambana Ceremony Memorial Service – Honoring the Departed
This annual Buddhist memorial service commemorates the Ullambana Sutra on filial piety. The service provides an opportunity for individuals and families to remember and honor their friends, relatives, ancestors who have passed from this physical world. Our aspiration is that the energy of this collective observance helps liberate the minds and hearts of sentient beings from unwholesome karma.
Celebration of White Lotus Haven Zen
Celebrating the anniversary of the WLHZ community’s founding.