Chan Meditation Center Celebrates the Buddha’s Birthday to Show Gratitude towards the Buddha and the Mothers

Updated May 20, 2022

In celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha’s Birthday, on May 8^th--- Bathing the Buddha Festival, which is celebrated on every April 8^th according to the Chinese lunar calendar--- Chan Meditation Center in New York held a special Dharma ceremony “Bathing the Buddha with a Beginner’s Mind”. Beginning at 9:30 in the morning, the ceremony was broadcast live through YouTube with the added option to attend in person. During the ceremony, all participants sincerely chanted a prayer in praise of Shakyamuni Buddha. Following the Fashis’demonstration, the participants made vows to “refrain from all evil, cultivate all good, and deliver all sentient beings” while bathing the baby Buddha. Through the Buddha bathing ceremony, participants purified their body and mind, while simultaneously praying for world peace and for the epidemic to end soon.

Venerable Guo Yuan, Abbot of Dharma Drum Retreat Center, gave a special Dharma talk about Bathing the Buddha Festival at 11 am. Venerable Guo Yuan introduced the origin of the Bathing the Buddha Ceremony by telling the story of Buddha’s birth. When Prince Siddhartha, later known as Shakyamuni Buddha, was born in Lumbini, he immediately took seven steps forward, with one hand pointing to the sky while the other pointing to the land, and uttered: “I am the chief of the world, eldest in the world.” Venerable Guo Yuan explained that Buddha is the Awakened One who has achieved perfect compassion, wisdom, and virtues. Shakyamuni Buddha came to the world, demonstrating the process of growing, learning, taking the monastic path, seeking for the Way, practicing asceticism, and achieving enlightenment, with the aim to show that all sentient beings, like Buddha, have the potential to become a Buddha. All Buddhas have attained enlightenment in this world, and only the human body is capable of achieving such a goal. Heavenly beings have great merits and blessings; however, once they use up these blessings, they will be reborn into one of the "six realms” unless they have the opportunity to practice the Dharma. Therefore, Venerable Guo Yuan encouraged everyone to cherish the precious human body we have now, endeavoring to realize our innate Buddha-nature. In addition, Venerable Guo Yuan also reminded the participants to practice visualizations during the Bathing the Buddha Ceremony. While visualizing the water washing away the vexations and defilements of our body and mind, we should also pray that all sentient beings be free from vexations and achieve Buddhahood, like Shakyamuni Buddha.
Venerable Chang Hwa, the Chan Meditation Center Director, pointed out that this year’s Buddha’s birthday lies on the same day of Mother’s Day, and wished every mother in the world be blissful and happy. While mothers give us life from the physical body, the Buddha gives us life from the Wisdom of the Dharma body. Because we have transmigrated through birth and death throughout all our past lives, we should be grateful that Śākyamuni Buddha has come to the world and guides all sentient beings to recognize their Buddha-nature. Venerable Chang Hwa explained that every year when we celebrate Buddha’s birthday, we should also remind ourselves that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature. In our daily life, regardless of any situations we encounter, we should never forget about our innate Buddha-nature, keeping our mind peaceful, harboring hope, and making a vow to benefit others.

To celebrate Buddha’s Birthday and Mother’s day, the Center prepared for all the participants Chinese traditional peach-shaped birthday buns, birthday noodles, and vegan birthday cakes, all of which symbolize longevity in Chinese culture as a blessing for everyone to stay safe and peaceful. 

Text: Hen Yang (楊恆)
Photos: Yin Ting
Translation: Jonathan (演森)
Editing: YKL, Keith Brown