Medicine Buddha Dharma Function

On 23rd October a Medicine Buddha Dharma Function was held at Fo Guang Shan North Island to celebrate Medicine Buddha’s Birthday. On the day over 150 devotees gathered to recite the “Original Meritorious Vows of Medicine Buddha Sutra”, made prostrations and chanted the name of the Buddha.

Later during the Dharma talk Venerable Miaoyu spoke about the light offerings to the Medicine Buddha, and how those light also shine upon us while we wholeheartedly paid homage to the Medicine Buddha. When speaking of Pure Lands, people commonly think of the Western Pure Land, but Medicine Buddha’s Buddha Land is less well known. But as written in the sutra “The virtue and magnificence of this Buddha Land is no different from that of the Western Pure Land.” This shows that even though Medicine Buddha’s vows differ to that of Amitabha Buddha, their Buddha Lands are equally wondrous, which inspired Manjusri Bodhisattva to praise this incomprehensible Dharma method for cultivation. Beside the incomprehensible merits of the Medicine Buddha’s Pure Land Methods, the 12 Great Vows made by Medicine Buddha while he was still cultivating on causal ground are even more incomprehensible, which also happen to be very suitable for people’s modern life style. Then the Venerable encouraged everyone to diligently cultivate with perseverance, and to motivate themselves with Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s motto of “Be our own masters”. The Venerable also reminded everyone that the best way to cultivate is by committing to the 3 Good Deeds everyone, and to often practice: “Enlighten self and others, benefit self and others, starting with the 3 Deeds, then my home will be my Pure Land.”