The Auspicious Day When Sakyamuni Buddha was Born!

To commemorate the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha, which is on the 8th day of the forth month according to the Chinese Lunar calendar, Fo Guang Shan South Island conducted a Dharma Function on 2nd of May. The procedure for the Function included chanting the Incense Anthem “Chieh Ting”, “Heart Sutra”, “Buddha Treasure” Anthem, as well as reading the Buddha’s Birthday Prayers and doing prostrations.

During the Dharma talk, Venerable Juexi explained to the 40 devotees present the significance of the bathing the Buddha process. The action of bathing the Buddha highlights the uniqueness and importance of water; water is the source of life, culture, history, economic growth and technological growth. Water is used for transportation, irrigation and cleaning. It also has the characteristics of softness, adaptability, agreeableness, acceptance and tolerance. Venerable Juexi also encouraged the devotees to, when bathing the Buddha, think of the water as a mirror, and reflect one’s true nature.