Dharma assembly (fahui 法會) refers to ceremonies held to expound the Buddha dharma and make offerings to buddhas and monks. In Chinese monasteries, Dharma assemblies are traditionally categorized into three main types. The first is the dharma assembly for releasing death and blessing, which encompasses rituals such as the water and land ceremony, the ritual for feeding burning mouth hungry ghosts, the ritual of opening the light, releasing life, offerings to celestial beings, and funeral rituals. The second type is the dharma assembly for monastic practices and sūtra lectures, including solitary retreats, seven-day recitations of the Buddha's name, seven-day meditation retreats, and the dharma assembly for sūtra lectures. The third category is the dharma assembly for the conferral of precepts and the abbot’s inauguration, which comprises the conferral of the three refuges, the conferral of the five precepts, the regulations for the renunciation and rituals of tonsuring, the conferral of the renunciation precepts, and the abbot’s inauguration known as ascending the seat.