Medicine Buddha Retreat 11/29-12/1

Chuang Yen Monastery will be hosting a gathering to practice the Medicine Buddha’s teaching from November 29th to December 1st, 2024. During the retreat, we will recite the Sutra on the Original Vows of the Medicine Buddha—the King of Vaidūrya Light  (also known as the Medicine Buddha Sutra) and perform the Compassionate Medicine Buddha’s Jeweled Repentance Ritual. We will also offer the opportunity for devotees to light blessing lamps or to sponsor other services during the retreat.

The Medicine Buddha Sutra was spoken by the Śākyamuni Buddha in response to a request from Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva. It expounds on the virtues of the Medicine Buddha of the Pure Land of Vaidūrya Light in the Eastern direction. This sutra primarily describes the Medicine Buddha’s name, his Buddha-land, and the twelve great vows he made while practicing the Bodhisattva path in the past. Because different buddhas and bodhisattvas have different vows, there are various practices that correspond to the different vows. The practices associated with the Medicine Buddha are prescribed for those suffering from physical or mental illnesses and those facing death. After the Śākyamuni Buddha expounded on these practices, Brahmā, Indra, and twelve yakṣas who were each accompanied by ten thousand followers, vowed to protect anyone who recites the Medicine Buddha’s name.