The Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance Dharma Function for Ching Ming Festival

With the arrival of Ching Ming Festival where one venerates their honoured ancestors, Fo Guang Shan held a special Ching Ming Dharma Function for benefit of ancestors on 31st March. It is hoped that through the function all devotees can recite sutras and repent for their past transgressions on behalf of their ancestors, relatives whom have passed on and beings whom we’ve owed karmic debt to from the past. Under the guidance of Venerable Abbess Manshin, over 200 devotees made repentance and paid homage according to the “Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance Text”.

Afterwards the Abbess spoke to the congregation about the Repentance Text’s origins involving National Master Wuda and explained the reasons behind paying homage to the repentance contents. While living in the world, all people have happiness, sadness, meetings and departures. Our moods will fluctuate high and low; our endeavours have ups and downs. The world has the stages of formation, existence, degradation and emptiness. The seasons have spring, summer, autumn and winter. Our daily lives have dawn to dusk, fortune and misfortunes. While living everyday life we often unconsciously commit many unwholesome actions, but through sincere repentance and reformation, everyone can wash away their transgressions and travel toward a happier life. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and the noble actions of past sages and saints can be our role models for developing our cultivation of the repentance Dharma method. Then we can transfer the merits to our forbearers to express our gratitude.