Fo Guang Shan Temple (North Island)Lunar New Year’s Eve Dharma Service

Fo Guang Shan (North Island) held the Lunar New Year Eve’s Longevity Wishing Dharma Service on 13 February 2010. Venerable Abbess Manshin presided over the ceremony and led the devotees in reciting the Eighty-eight Buddha Repentance followed by A Prayer for New Year’s Eve, after which they paid New Year respect to the founder of Fo Guang Shan’s, Venerable Master Hsing Yun and Chief Abbott, Venerable Abbot Hsin Pei.
Abbess Venerable Manshin explained the significance of the repentance service which is to purify and reconstruct the mind of past transgressions. 2010 is the year of the tiger and the Abbess continued to explained the meaning of ‘Awe-inspiring Virtue and Ocean of Prosperity’ written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, which wishes that the world will be filled with an auspicious peace with the likes of bathing in an ocean of prosperity and compassionate light.
At 11.30pm, 1000 devotees made their very first incense offerings of the New Year to Buddha and received an Auspicious Red Packet from the Abbess in the Main shrine. The celebrations continued with the chiming of the wishing bell and explanations of Dharma saying in the front shrine. There was a mini vegetarian food fair in the Courtyard which offered simple, delicious vegetarian food such as braised bean curd, vegetarian balls and glutinous rice, dumpling etc. The celebrations ended at 2am in the morning.