Deities and Faith
Are Kṣitigarbha lamps only for the living, or can they also offer prayers for deceased relatives and pets?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
They can also be lit for deceased relatives and pets. In the Kṣitigarbha lamp arrangements introduced at Sheng Zhen Men, prayers are not limited to living people. If you hope Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva will continue supporting and protecting relatives who have left this world, this is also a way to express care.
Pets are like family. After they die, we still worry about and miss them. You can also light a Kṣitigarbha lamp for a pet and ask the Bodhisattva for protection. Giving those feelings a place within prayers for blessings is one arrangement we hope to offer people.
You should also distinguish strengthening a living person's vital spiritual state from offering a lamp before the Buddha and requesting protection for someone deceased. Their purposes are not entirely the same. Hearing that a particular lamp mainly supports the living does not mean lamp offerings can never be made for the deceased. First understand whom you want to pray for and what assistance you hope for from the deities and Buddhas, then explore suitable arrangements, rather than mixing different purposes together.