Celebration of Ullambana + San Francisco

Ullambana is the day for helping those beings who are suffering so that they can obtain liberation.

The Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana, one of the great disciples of the Buddha, was foremost in spiritual powers. When he obtained the six spiritual penetrations, he searched for his departed mother. He discovered that she had fallen into the hells. Although the Venerable Maudgalyayana had great spiritual powers, he could not save his mother. Thereupon he knelt before his teacher, the Buddha, and beseeched the World Honored One to help.

The Buddha explained that his mother was suffering in the hells because of her deep offenses and so the Venerable Maudgalyayana must rely on the united strength of the Sangha of the ten directions in order to save his mother.

The Buddha said, “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you should make an offering of the finest vegetarian foods and drinks and offer it to the Buddha and the Sangha. By making this offering, the Way-virtue of the high Sanghans of the ten directions will then be able to save your mother.”

The Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana did as the Buddha had instructed. Due to the strength of the greatly virtuous ones of the ten directions, his mother was reborn in the heavens. Since then, the Ullambana festival has become an annual Buddhist celebration and a day upon which anyone can rescue his or her parents of seven lives past.

The Venerable Master Hsuan Hua taught:

"No teaching is apart from Filiality. Apart from filiality, there is no teaching. When the limitless lessons under the sky are summarized, it is just this one lesson. This lesson encompasses limitless learning. Study this lesson to perfection and other lessons will also be completed." (Source: Buddhist Text Translation Society)

Visitors will visit the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas  (English:  City of Ten Thousand Buddhas ; Chinese: 萬佛聖城) is an international Buddhist community and monastery founded in 1976, by Venerable Master Tuyen Hoa , an important figure of Western Buddhism. Located in the rural California community of Talmage, 110 miles (180 km) north of San Francisco, it was one of the first Zen temples in the United States, and one of the largest Buddhist communities in the world, largest church in the Western Hemisphere. The temple is noted for its strict adherence to vinaya, a traditional Buddhist principle in the direction of asceticism.

After visiting the pagoda in the spirit of Vu Lan's filial piety, we will move to visit the Golden Gate. We'll stop at a scenic spot with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge, where we can take some souvenir photos of the Cape of Marin, the San Francisco skyline and Alcatraz Island.

After visiting the famous bridge in San Francisco, you will be able to shop at China town. As the oldest neighborhood in North America, San Francisco's Chinatown is a delightful experience. A unique neighborhood adorned with colorful shops, historic street lamps, hanging lanterns and pagoda roofs awaits behind stone dragon-carved gates. Enjoy dinner at the teahouses or meet the locals who gather in historic Portsmouth Square to play chess or practice Tai Chi. Fish markets, produce stalls, tourist shops, jewelry stores, fortune tellers, temples and restaurants combine to create a world of their own in this historic neighborhood.