Vu Lan sūtras of filial gratitude – 49 days
A Season of Gratitude to Our Parents
49 days of reading the sutras with our parents in mind — one reading and one reflective question a day. Free, quiet, and never a competition.
The season begins on August 13
Join now so the whole community begins together on opening day.
Practicing together
…
No rankings, no comparing — each at their own pace, all in one direction.
Why 49 days?
In Buddhist tradition, 49 days — seven weeks of seven days — is a customary period during which Vietnamese families remember loved ones and do good in their name. This program borrows that traditional rhythm as a steady reading schedule for the Vu Lan season: starting August 13 (the 1st day of the 7th lunar month), passing the full moon on August 27, and closing on September 30.
See the 49-day path
Week one: the Ullambana Sūtra. After the full moon: the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra (13 chapters) interwoven with Theravāda suttas on gratitude to parents. Final week: review and dedication.
- 13/081.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 14/082.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 15/083.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 16/084.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 17/085.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 18/086.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 19/087.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 20/088.The Sūtra on the Difficulty of Repaying the Kindness of Parents
- 21/089.The Sūtra on the Filial Son
- 22/0810.Mother’s Milk
- 23/0811.The Brahmin Who Provided for His Mother
- 24/0812.Living with Divinity
- 25/0813.Sūtra on the Great Skillful Means for Repaying the Buddha's Kindness — Scroll 1
- 26/0814.Sūtra on the Great Skillful Means for Repaying the Buddha's Kindness — Scroll 3
- 27/0815.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)🪷 Full moon
- 28/0816.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 1: Spiritual Penetrations in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven
- 29/0817.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 2: The Assembly of the Emanations
- 30/0818.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 3: Contemplating the Karmic Conditions of Beings
- 31/0819.True Blessings
- 01/0920.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 4: Karmic Retribution of the Beings of Jambudvīpa
- 02/0921.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 5: Names of the Hells
- 03/0922.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 6: The Thus-Come One's Praises
- 04/0923.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 6: The Thus-Come One's Praises
- 05/0924.Advice to Sigālaka
- 06/0925.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 7: Benefiting the Living and the Dead
- 07/0926.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 8: Praises of King Yama and His Retinue
- 08/0927.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 9: Reciting the Buddhas' Names
- 09/0928.Peaceful Mind (AN 2.32–41)
- 10/0929.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 10: Comparing the Merit of Giving
- 11/0930.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 11: The Earth Spirit's Protection
- 12/0931.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 12: Benefits from Seeing and Hearing
- 13/0932.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 13: Entrusting to Devas and Humans
- 14/0933.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 13: Entrusting to Devas and Humans
- 15/0934.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 4: Karmic Retribution of the Beings of Jambudvīpa (rereading)
- 16/0935.The Sūtra of the Four Heavenly Kings
- 17/0936.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 7: Benefiting the Living and the Dead (rereading)
- 18/0937.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 19/0938.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 10: Comparing the Merit of Giving (rereading)
- 20/0939.True Blessings (Snp 2.4)
- 21/0940.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra — Chapter 12: Benefits from Seeing and Hearing (rereading)
- 22/0941.Living with Divinity
- 23/0942.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 24/0943.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
- 25/0944.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, Scroll 1 (Linh Sơn)
- 26/0945.Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, Scroll 2 (Linh Sơn)
- 27/0946.Sūtra on the Great Skillful Means for Repaying the Buddha's Kindness — Scroll 5
- 28/0947.Sūtra on the Great Skillful Means for Repaying the Buddha's Kindness — Scroll 7
- 29/0948.Peaceful Mind (AN 2.32–41)
- 30/0949.Ullambana Sūtra (Linh Sơn)
All texts come from the Inti Dharma sutra library — free for everyone.