IT IS NOT ADVISABLE TO LIGHT CANDLES ON BIRTHDAY CAKES
Caller: Master advised that we should try not to light candles when celebrating birthdays. We are advised not to light candles on birthday cake, because it is somewhat like sending a notification to the netherworld to help us wipe out one year of our life expectancy.
Some Buddhist friends asked, if they were to perform life liberation on their birthday, can they say this to Bodhisattva, “Today is my birthday and I am liberating an ‘x’ amount of fish”. Can they state that it is their birthday?
Master Jun Hong Lu: It is alright to say, “Today is my birthday”. It’s not a problem at all to inform heaven about it. In fact, whether you light the candles or not, there is a probability that one year of your life expectancy will be wiped out. If no candles are lit, there is a chance that it will not happen. However, if you do, it’s a sure-fire way of having one year of your life expectancy reduced.
Source: Wenda20130118 13:19, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program