New Year’s Paying Respect to Ancestor’s Ceremony – Learning to be Self Aware and Grateful for Good Conditions
New Year’s Paying Respect to Ancestor’s Ceremony – Learning to be Self Aware and Grateful for Good Conditions
The New Year’s Paying Respect to Ancestor and Transitions to the Deceased Dharma Functions was held at the temple on 8th January. On the day over 200 members of the congregation followed Venerable Abbess Manshin to recite and pay homage to the rituals of “Eighty Eight Buddha’s Title Repentance Text”. They also paid homage and recited sutras at the Ksitigarbha Shrine in front of the ancestral plaques. All merits generated were transferred to benefit all honoured ancestors.
Afterwards the Abbess praised all participants for their heart of gratitude for their deceased parents and ancestors. This soft heart that knows to repay kindness is very noble and precious; hence all ancestors will surely be relieved after everyone’s deeds.
The Abbess further elaborated that repayment of kindness includes 4 categories, which are:
1. Repaying the kindness of the Triple Gem
2. Repaying the kindness of the nation
3. Repaying the kindness of parents
4. Repaying the kindness of sentient beings
Buddhism emphasis repaying kindness in true action and form, but in order to have a grateful heart of repayment one must have the prerequisite of having a sense of shame and humility. The Abbess also reminded everyone that if they wish to help their deceased ancestors, then they must start with self-reformation and transcendence. This is so one can become an honest person full of kind thoughts which turns into kind deeds. One also needs to constantly repent and make vows to better oneself. She also used the quotes of “Up in the heavens and down on earth I am the most honoured” to express the importance of self-reliance “All dharma arise from causes and conditions, and all dharma ceases from causes and conditions” to express the importance of relying on the Dharma, and “Not speaking about supernatural forces and spirits” these are all important guidelines we should follow, then we will surely be able to liberate ourselves.