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

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 in the home release-of-living-beings rite, addressed to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the assembled sages to seek their witness and blessing for saving the lives of sentient beings; the person making the offering gives their name, dharma name and address, names the species being released, dedicates the merit and recites words to form a karmic connection with the Dharma when releasing them.

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.

3 more blanks

(Chắp tay, để các con vật phía trước, tâm hướng tới chư Phật bạch lễ)

2. Hồi Hướng (Tùy duyên có hoặc không dùng pháp khí)

3. Tam Tự Quy

4. Khi Gia Đình Thả Phóng Sinh Thì Đọc

Thả xong đọc:

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)

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.