‘Taking Refuge In The Triple Gem’ Ceremony
A ‘Take Refuge In The Triple Gem‘ Ceremony was held in Fo Guang Shan (FGS ) South Island on 21st January . FGS New Zealand Venerable Abbess Manshin, on behalf of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, conducted the ceremony where 30 devotees took refuge in the Triple Gem. On the day, the atmosphere in the venue, the Buddha Hall, was serene and peaceful. Though the 30 devotees were relatively new to the etiquette and rules of the ceremony, they were able to complete the ceremony smoothly and successfully after some guidance from the Venerables present.
In her deliberation, Venerable Abbess Manshin urged the devotees to treat taking refuge in the Triple Gems as taking on a new lease of life. Taking Refuge in the Gem of the Buddha is to embrace Buddhism and become a student of the Buddha. This is an important step in the exploration and development of one’s ‘Buddha Nature’ which may possibly result in one later becoming a teacher propagating Buddhism. Taking Refuge in the Gem of the Dharma is to seek wisdom through diligent study of Dharma. This will eliminate ignorance and result in right thinking. To take refuge in the Gem of the Sangha is to learn from how the Sangha conducted their lives. This will help to eliminate bad habits and promote right actions. Before ending, Abbess Manshin encouraged all who have just taken refuge to visit the Temple more frequently; to take part in the various Temple activities; and to practice Humanistic Buddhism in their daily lives.
A few devotees among the 30 who took refuge were English educated, but with the help and relentless effort put in by Abbess and all the other Venerables, they managed to successfully complete the ceremony, taking the first steps to becoming Buddhists. In her parting speech, Temple Supervisor Venerable Jue Xi congratulated the devotees for successfully completed the ceremony. She equated the event to the acquisition of passport to a western pure land and urged all to treasure these passports. She encouraged everyone to face life with a new Buddhist approach so as to carve out a happy and blissful future!