Repentance for Ancestors with Kindness

In conjunction to the Qing Ming festival, Venerable Abbess Manshin of Fo Guang Shan (FGS) NZ has led more than 70 devotees to the “2015 Qing Ming Compassionate Water Repentance Dharma Function” taking place at the Fendalton Community Centre on 4th of April. The Dharma function lasted for four hours which devotees paid profound respects to their ancestors while sincerely offered incense, flowers and light to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and ancestors.

Right after the Dharma function, the Abbess explained the content of the sutra that has been chanted. The different hell gates in the sutras points out the personal karmas that are formed by each person. That is why, through constant repentance, it could help resolve the body’s doing, mouth’s verbal sayings and purity of mind. At the same time, one must practice sophisticatedly in the betterment of good karma.

The Abbess then continued with a recent column from “Merit Times” where FGS founder - Venerable Master Hsing Yun wrote “The Poor Monk have Something to Say”. It consists of twenty sections to help put forward a positive and true confession to the Taiwan media. Venerable Master who is now nearly 90 years of age earnestly expressed that Fo Guang Shan’s achievement is not his own personal achievement; it’s an achievement of the public. The strength and donations of the public are used for education and cultural purposes, for example, to build universities, schools and many services for the community to nurture talents, giving it back to the public unselfishly.

In the end, the Abbess encouraged everyone to finish Venerable Master’s “The Poor Monk have Something to Say” column and to write in their thoughts letting Venerable Master know that we all understand, propagating Dharma is not a lonely journey because his Buddhists disciples from all over the world pursued his teachings and propagated Humanistic Buddhism without regrets.