During this time, we recite the Shurangama Mantra（楞嚴咒） and the Heart Sutra（心經）, along with walking and chanting, to remind ourselves to carry the Buddha’s and Bodhisattvas’ teachings throughout the day. At every moment, our thoughts, intentions, and actions should align with these teachings. We must stay mindful and avoid letting a negative aura take over.
“Midday offering” refers to the food offered to the Buddha before noon, or it can also refer to the monks’ lunch. This offering typically involves presenting cooked rice to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, and it is sometimes called “Buddha’s meal,” “Buddha’s offering,” or simply “cooked food offerings.”
During this time, we recite the Amitabha Sutra (on single days；阿彌陀經) and the 88 Buddhas Great Repentance (on double days；八十八佛大懺悔文大懺悔文). After that, we perform the Mengshan Offering（蒙山施食）, a ritual where we offer food to the spirits in hell, as a way of helping those beings through our chanting. The main purpose of the evening chanting is self-reflection. It’s a moment to examine ourselves whether we’ve lived according to the Buddha’s teachings that day. If we’ve done well, we aim to keep that up tomorrow. If we’ve fallen short, we reflect on it with a sense of regret, and commit to doing better the next day. Through this process, we seek to strengthen our good intentions, repent for our karma, and strive to improve.
Morning and evening practices aren’t done for the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, nor are they for others; they are for our own benefit. Dharma is flexible and adaptable, practiced according to conditions. The rituals themselves are just a formality; the real practice should be lived out in our everyday lives. We need to constantly remind ourselves, reflect on our actions, cut out negative behaviors, and develop good ones. When we do this, the merit of our morning and evening practices become limitless.
On the 1st and 15th of every lunar month, which mark the birthdays of various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or when devotees are offering meals, a special ceremony is held before noon to offer food and prayers to all Buddhas and beings across all Dharma Realms. It’s called the “noon offering” because, according to Buddhist tradition, no food should be consumed after midday. Therefore, the offering is completed before noon.
In Buddhism, meals are not just about eating for survival—they have a deeper purpose related to spiritual practice and helping all beings. Both the morning and midday meals include rituals of offering food to the Buddha and sharing it with others. First, food is offered to the Buddha, and then seven grains of rice are placed on a food offering platform outside the main hall while the “Food-Conversion Mantra” is chanted. This act symbolizes sharing the meal with all living beings.
The food offering ritual is a way to practice the Buddha’s compassion and help all beings. By invoking the Buddha’s compassion, the food is blessed so that ghosts and gods can receive nourishment, easing their suffering from hunger and thirst.
It is difficult for hungry ghosts to eat because their throats are as small as a needle hole, and their mouths burn like flames, making it impossible for them to consume food. Worse still, through karmic retribution, the water they perceive transforms into repulsive pus and blood, which they are unable to drink.
That’s why the midday meal is called the “noon offering.” On the 1st and 15th of the lunar month, the birthdays of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the offerings become more abundant and are referred to as the “Great Offering in Front of the Buddha.”
引用出處：中華民國內政部˙宗教文獻