Buddha’s Birthday Embodies Spirit of Omnipresence

The 2009 New Zealand South Island Buddha’s Birthday Multicultural Blessing Ceremony, which was organised by BLIA South Island, was held on 18th of April in front of Christchurch Cathedral Square.

New Zealand Fo Guang Shan’s Venerable Abbess Manshin led over two hundred special guests and devotees in chanting and bathing the Buddha. Deputy Minister of Immigration and Labour for National Party, Hon. Kate Wilkinson, Labour Party’s Hon. Lianne Dalziel and Hon. Ruth Dyson, Christchurch Mayor, Mr. Bob Parker, representative from New Zealand Taipei Economic and Cultural representative Mr Tsai, Christchurch Interfaith Council President Dr. Ronald Macintyre, representatives of various religions, the President of BLIA North Island Ms. Tsai, Vice-president of BLIA North Island Mr. Chen and committee members of BLIA South Island were among the guests who attended the Ceremony.

In her speech, Hon. Kate Wilkinson said that it was her first time to participate in the Buddha’s Birthday Ceremony, where she felt the integration of World Peace and faith. She also expressed her appreciation for everyone’s effort in promoting and sharing the Asian culture with the locals, as thus they are further enriching the multicultural diversity of Christchurch. MP Hon. Lianne Dalziel said that, to organise Buddha’s Birthday in front of Cathedral Square is something worth special mention, and that today, every Buddhist around the world would be celebrating Buddha’s Birthday. She also explained that in our highly-pressured society of today, this event becomes even more meaningful, as it symbolises the purification and elimination of unwholesome and negative thought, and reminds us to cultivate good deeds by helping others and saving lives.

Mr Tsai expressed his appreciation for Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s work in propagating Buddhism to the world and enabling Buddha’s Light International Association to shine locally as well as abroad, and just as importantly, for facilitating harmony by promoting tolerance and understanding between different religions. He also suggested that the Ceremony was touching and inspiring for Christchurch’s people. Venerable Abbess Manshin said that the Bathing the Buddha Ceremony is a very happy occasion, because the event fosters interaction and sharing between different cultures and religions; just like how water streams from different sources gather into one big, clean and deep spring. Adopting this notion of omnipresence, it can be said that economic and cultural integration, as well as the integration of life and faith occurs as a result of bathing the Buddha.

After the Ceremony, Venerable Abbess Manshin introduced to the guests the activities organised by Fo Guang Shan South Island, BLIA and its YAD. Abbess also introduced some of the YAD committee members to the MPs. At 1pm, more than 50 babies participated in Baby Blessing Ceremony, where they received blessings from Venerable Abbess Manshin. Many teenagers and adults at the venue obviously did not want to miss out on receiving blessings from Abbess; they also came forward to be blessed.

There were over ten stalls; some selling vegetarian food and souvenirs, with several showcasing art and cultural items. The main attractions of the day included the “Dun Huang” dance, which represent Chinese Buddhism and the hand gesture performance by YAD, and collectively the performances attracted many visitors and fired up the atmosphere with joy. In front of Cathedral Square, the event drew the attendance of people from various religious backgrounds, and thus embodied New Zealand’s multicultural spirit. The Ceremony ended at 3.30pm, and witnessed the participation of over 5000 people.

At the conclusion of the event, all the committee members attended the event review meeting held at the venue. Each group leader voiced the obstacles and setbacks they encountered during the event, and suggested areas and issues that need improvement. Everyone hopes that with the completion of each and every event, improvement can be made. Venerable Abbess Manshin encouraged everyone to treat every event as an opportunity for character building and spiritual growth, and to put others, Buddhism and Temple before themselves, as doing so will naturally allow them to broaden their knowledge and flexibility in their undertakings.

After the Ceremony, Venerable Abbess Manshin introduced to the guests the activities organised by Fo Guang Shan South Island, BLIA and its YAD. Abbess also introduced some of the YAD committee members to the MPs. At 1pm, more than 50 babies participated in Baby Blessing Ceremony, where they received blessings from Venerable Abbess Manshin. Many teenagers and adults at the venue obviously did not want to miss out on receiving blessings from Abbess; they also came forward to be blessed.

There were over ten stalls; some selling vegetarian food and souvenirs, with several showcasing art and cultural items. The main attractions of the day included the “Dun Huang” dance, which represent Chinese Buddhism and the hand gesture performance by YAD, and collectively the performances attracted many visitors and fired up the atmosphere with joy. In front of Cathedral Square, the event drew the attendance of people from various religious backgrounds, and thus embodied New Zealand’s multicultural spirit. The Ceremony ended at 3.30pm, and witnessed the participation of over 5000 people.

At the conclusion of the event, all the committee members attended the event review meeting held at the venue. Each group leader voiced the obstacles and setbacks they encountered during the event, and suggested areas and issues that need improvement. Everyone hopes that with the completion of each and every event, improvement can be made. Venerable Abbess Manshin encouraged everyone to treat every event as an opportunity for character building and spiritual growth, and to put others, Buddhism and Temple before themselves, as doing so will naturally allow them to broaden their knowledge and flexibility in their undertakings.