Locals Join the BLIA in Celebrating Buddha’s Birthday

On 17th April, BLIA South Island held the 2010 Buddha’s Birthday Multicultural Celebrations. This was the first time the BLIA had held the Bathing the Buddha Ceremony inside the Temple building, and the distinguished guests and visitors felt that the change had brought about a whole new feel to the annual event. The Ceremony commenced with Japanese drums and a lion dance performance, and nine offering teams proceeded by offering various kinds of items. Each offering group wore distinctive costumes from various parts of the world, representing the different cultures around the globe.

Special guests included Venerable Abbess Manshin, New Zealand’s Minister of Labour and Minister of Conservation Hon Kate Wilkinson, Labour Party MP Brendon Burns, National Party MP Nicky Wagner, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker, Tapei Economic and Cultural Office representative Mr Tsai, BLIA South Island President Almeric Cheng and BLIA North Island President Dolly Tsai. Together, the guests and two devotees solemnly chanted as they participated in the Bathing the Buddha Blessing Ceremony.

Representatives from the various religions, including Catholic Sister Bertha Hurley, Islam’s Mr Ibrahim Abdulhalim and Interfaith Council’s Dr Ron Macintyre to name several. Each representative took turns taking to the podium to conduct their prayers and with this, a sense of fusion and harmony between the religions emerged, and an auspicious atmosphere permeated. In her speech, Minister Hon Kate Wilkinson thanked the Temple for inspiring Christchurch locals by bringing to them an artistic space. The Minister was moved after reading Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s “Prayer for World Peace”, and hoped that everyone would work hard together to realise world peace. She also wishes to attend Fo Guang Shan’s Buddha’s Birthday every year without intermission. Labour Party MP Brendon Burns thanked FGS South Island for inviting him to the solemn and sacred Ceremony, and said that the 190 FGS branch Temples worldwide have brought to people the nectar of the Dharma. Christchurch Mayor Mr Bob Parker was pleased to once again attend the annual Ceremony, and said that the Buddha was born 2554 years ago and gained enlightenment to bring to all of mankind the great Buddhist Philosophy. On behalf of the Christchurch people, invited Buddhism to shine forth and bring to its residents a higher quality of life. Mr Tsai said that Buddha’s Birthday can bring peace to the world peace and good health to everyone.

Venerable Abbess Manshin expressed that: “in such an artistic Temple building, BLIA Members are not only engaged in spiritual activities, they are also continuously conveying messages of life through the display of artworks, thus bringing about the perfect integration of art and life. Furthermore, the BLIA exert unreserved effort in both participating in activities and conducting them. This is our first year conducting the Buddha’s Birthday at the FGS South Island Temple. We hope that life may return to its source, faith may return to its roots, people’s minds will converge and that the strength of the masses will be fortified”.

The Ceremony concluded with a Dunhuang Dance performance by a former BLIA YAD South Island member and a hand gesture performance by 20 young and enthusiastic YAD members.

After the Ceremony, the Abbess and the distinguished guests exchanged their Dharma propagation and management experiences, and each guest was given a copy of the BLIA Activities Report. The BLIA and YAD South Island members also engaged in joyful discussions with the guests.

Apart from having the Bathing the Buddha Ceremony in the Buddha Hall, the organisers also prepared a Buddha Bathing Pool in the Temple’s courtyard, giving people the opportunity to offer incense and bathe the Buddha. The Temple car park was filled with ten delicious vegetarian food stalls which attracted hundreds of people to sample the best of vegetarian food. Also, vibrant performances from the various cultures and countries were showcased, the joyful Baby Blessing Ceremony and the solemn Taking Refuge in the Triple Gem and Five Precepts Conferring Ceremony had brought richness to the moving Buddha’s Birthday Celebration，and the 1000 people who came to the Temple to celebrate this auspicious day has written a new record for the annual event.