BLIA South Island NZ Sharing Laba Porridge with Neighbours Spreading Joyous and Wisdom
On 2nd and 3rd December 2023, the BLIA South Island start celebrating the Buddha's enlightenment day during the Chinese Lunar month. A group of volunteers led by Venerable Juexi and BLIA south island president Bernie Siew cooked and distributed 1,300 servings of Laba porridge to the people of Christchurch to share the joy of Buddha's enlightenment.
The event was promoted a month in advance and received enthusiastic support from the public. The team prepared materials, ingredients systematically, and the process went smoothly. On the day of the event, President Bernie and the team started cooking the porridge at around five in the morning. Most of the participants were experienced volunteers who were both professional and happy in cooking and packaging, hoping to let the public feel the compassion of Buddha and taste the joy and emotion of the porridge.
During the Buddhist ceremony on 3 December, Venerable Juexi prepared Laba porridge and shared the story and meaning behind it with the fellow devotees. The people who received the porridge were happy to share it with their family and colleagues. The Devotees and the public were delighted to receive the hot and delicious porridge. The BLIA members also personally delivered the porridge to the shops that have been supporting the temple and the association for a long time. They were very grateful for the temple's and the BLIA's thoughtfulness and looked forward to eating the porridge every year, hoping to find peace and happiness.
Despite the pandemic, the event was still held to promote Buddhism and thank the volunteers for their dedicated service throughout the year. According to Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the meaning of eating Laba porridge is not only to commemorate Buddha's enlightenment but also to symbolise warmth, harmony, auspiciousness, health, cooperation, gratitude, joy and connection. The temple wish that everyone can find joy and peace in eating Laba porridge and a reminder to appreciate the many causes and conditions behind it.