Prayer for releasing fish ("Nam Mô Bồ Tát Hương Cúng Dường")

Lễ phóng sinh (animal release ceremony). All year round; many households do it on the full moon of the first lunar month, the full moon of the seventh lunar month, and the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month

  • Used across Vietnam
  • Buddhist

Culture and belief A record of custom.

What this prayer says

Prayer text for releasing fish, offering incense to the Three Jewels and addressing the Greatly Enlightened Ones of the three times, naming the person who has made the vow and the species of fish bought for release, asking the Three Jewels to witness and bless the sentient beings so they escape the cycle of suffering and soon attain enlightenment and liberation.

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.

How it differs from the common version

It opens with the incense vow ("Nguyện đem lòng thành kính, Gởi theo đám mây hương"), then addresses "chư vị Đại Giác ba đời", states "thiện nhân (tín nữ) thế danh là"; chants "Nam Mô Bồ Tát Hương Cúng Dường" at the beginning, middle, and end.

The common version: Ritual for phóng sinh at home (addressing the Buddha, dedication of merit, three refuges, words recited when releasing)

Offerings and how the rite is done

Offerings, steps and things to avoid for Lễ phóng sinh (animal release ceremony)

Other texts for Lễ phóng sinh (animal release ceremony)

The wording is kept exactly as published by the source. The dotted italic words are blanks for you to fill in.

Sources

  • Văn khấn phóng sinh, bài khấn trước khi phóng sanh (hoatieu.vn)

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.