Prayer text in the ritual performed at home before attending the cầu siêu ceremony

Cầu siêu (prayer for the deceased). Within 49 days after death, especially on the tuần thất (weekly mourning days); also performed on other occasions as the pagoda arranges

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Buddhist
  • Indoor offering

Culture and belief A record of custom.

What this prayer says

Prayer text in the ritual performed at home before attending the cầu siêu (prayer for the deceased) ceremony, recited before the home altar: the disciple states their name and address, respectfully addresses the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the assembly of noble monks for witness, invites the heavenly beings, spirits, and the spirits of the deceased to come and practice, and makes a vow of merit to dedicate the blessing to the invited spirits.

The prayer below is kept in Vietnamese, the language it is read aloud in during the rite.

Fill in before the rite

Your name and address appear in the prayer below and are kept on this device only.

Your regional custom

Showing the version used across Vietnam.

4 more blanks

Thỉnh hương linh: + Ngày tu thứ nhất:

+ Ngày tu tiếp theo:

Phát tâm công đức (nếu không phát tâm thì không đọc phần này; phát tâm hồi hướng cho mục nào, thì đọc mục đó)

Offerings and how the rite is done

Offerings, steps and things to avoid for Cầu siêu (prayer for the deceased)

Other texts for Cầu siêu (prayer for the deceased)

Collected text. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.

Part of the open dataset Vietnamese offering prayers (văn cúng), licensed CC BY 4.0.

More prayer textsDeath anniversaries, Tết, the home, business, life-cycle rites and regional rites.