The Successful Completion of Buddha's Birthday Celebration at FGS Temple Christchurch
Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island and Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island held the annual Buddha's Birthday Celebration from 5 to 17 April 2022 which coincided with the long Easter holiday in New Zealand. The Celebration attracted nearly 700 local and outstation visitors, including BLIA members, friends of Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) to the Temple to carry out Flower Offering and Bathing of Buddha Ceremony.
Christchurch resident Jenny had participated in Buddha's Birthday Celebrations at Christchurch Cathedral Square in the early days. During that time, Jenny had also participated in the activities of the Temple, and had witnessed the Temple’s advancement with time. Jenny felt that the Buddha Bathing event was very meaningful, and it had since become a routine event she participated every year.
After receiving the text message informing her of the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration at the Temple, Raewyn Love, a friend of FGY, specially accompanied her mother to the Temple to perform Buddha Bathing ceremony. Raewyn, who has been under heavy work pressure, said that coming to the Temple allowed her to unwind herself from work pressure, and Bathing the Buddha made her feel the inner peace and left her with a deep feeling of blissfulness.
Anne came to Christchurch for work a few years ago and had been attending Buddha's Birthday every year since. After her daughter was born two years ago, she took her to participate in the Baby Blessing Ceremony which she felt was very meaningful. She hoped that after the pandemic is over, she will be able to bring her daughter to attend the Blessing Ceremony again next year.
Hannah, who had just moved to Christchurch, came to the Temple to participate in the Buddha Bathing ceremony after learning of the event. This was her first experience in the event. She felt that it was a special experience. She was moved and filled with blissfulness by the experience.
At the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration, BLIA members took the opportunity to promote FGS’s concept of Humanistic Buddhism to the public, and shared with them the 3 Good Deeds and 4 Givings and the pentagon of Harmonies concepts advocated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The BLIA members were of the view that even if they were able to persuade a single person to practise the above concepts now, in the long run, more and more people will join in to form a formidable force that will positively change the magnetic field of Society.
An elder who participated in the Buddha Bathing ceremony expressed his view that today's Society is full of disasters, and he hoped to be able to contribute towards helping the Society. After learning about the concept of Humanistic Buddhism, the elder was moved by the efforts of BLIA members in building a better Society.
The public were grateful to FGS South Island for holding the Buddha Bathing ceremony which was able to accumulate the kindness of individuals to pray for the elimination of wars and the easing of the pandemic. They were also grateful that, by promoting vegetarianism, FGS would be able to help in cultivating the concept of environmental and life protections to make our Planet a blessed place to live on.