Respecting a Thousand Buddhas Dharma Function at Fo Guang Shan – Cherish Fortunes to Accomplish Merits and Wisdom

With the coming of a new year, everything is renewed and rejuvenated. On 10th February Sunday, the Year of the Golden Snake, as according to Chinese Lunar Calendars, was celebrated at Fo Guang Shan with the morning 10am Respecting a Thousand Buddhas Dharma Function. Inside the Main Shrine, Venerable Abbess Manshin led a congregation of over 200 devotees to chant the Heart Sutra, pay homage to a thousand Buddhas, bid New Year’s greetings to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Venerable Master Hsing Yun. Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s “New Year’s Greetings for 2013” were shared with the participants, wishing all to spend this year with compassion, tolerance and gratitude.

The Abbess introduced this year’s special guests to everyone, which included the local MP Jami-Lee Ross, Labour party member Raymond Huo, Consul General from China to Auckland Mr Ching Bao Nu, vice chairperson Mr Duo Kuan Li of the Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy Art Research Centre, BLIA advisor Peter Yong, and many other leaders and representatives from Chinese cultural, community and art organisations. All the honoured guests thus spoke auspicious words of blessing to bid everyone a happy new year.

The Abbess thanked all the VIPs for their kind and auspicious words, which allowed everyone present to be filled with joy and hope for the new year. The Abbess welcomes everyone to come back to the temple often to recharge and share their experiences. The temple exists for everyone, so we can all learn and contribute many things due this precious condition. During the New Year, everyone come to the temple to be reunited with joyful fellowships, which is made possible by all the volunteer’s service motto of “Indulge in sacrifices, sacrifice indulgences”. Thus providing best the kinds of service to the public by practicing the “3 goods and 4 giving”. The Abbess then concluded by wishing everyone to be fulfilled in both Fortune and Wisdom.

Like every New Year, Fo Guang Shan especially prepared auspicious Red Packets to be gifted to the visitors, thus allowing everyone to bring blessings and peace back to their homes. Outside the temple there were many food stalls set up to provide the visitors with delicious vegetarian meals. The “Way of Life Photographic Exhibition”, “Bloom from the Inside Out” oil painting from Coral Harnett, and “Duo Kuan Li’s Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition” were opened for the public. Offering of incense and lights inside the Shrines, obtaining wisdom from Dharma Words, and ringing the Wishing Bell are all favourite New Year’s activities the visitors come back to year after year. Everyone experienced festivity, joy, and peace on this New Year’s day according to their wishes.