Bringing in the New Year with calm body and pure mind - Malaysian devotees celebrate New Year’s Eve at DDM Buddhist Centre Malaysia

To say farewell to a year that has been plagued with the pandemic and other natural disasters, DDM Buddhist Centre Malaysia organized its first "New Year's Eve Prayer For Blessings" event on the evening of December 31, 2022. The aim of this event was to guide devotees back to their inherent state of mind filled with peace and happiness, as well as pray for blessings for the world and all sentient beings by reciting the Bell Ringing Verse and devotedly performing prostrations. This event attracted nearly 200 participants to experience an unconventional New Year's Eve celebration in a Buddhist monastery, thereby welcoming the year 2023 with a calm body and pure mind.

"How was 2022 for you?" Venerable Yan Lian, the event timekeeper, gave everyone a moment to reflect on the question, explaining: "There must have been good times and bad, which is very normal in our life. Regardless of how we have been, in the coming new year, we should set new goals for ourselves, and take good care of our minds." For that, the Venerable quoted the "108 Adages of Wisdom" by DDM founder Master Sheng Yen as an encouragement to all: "Take care of your mind, no matter the situation. Keep the inner mind calm and peaceful. This is spiritual health; this is protecting the spiritual environment."

In her Dharma talk, Venerable Yan Lian pointed out three different types of mindset that people possess: ordinary people often dwell on the rights and wrongs of the past or on their imaginations and hopes for the future, thereby making it hard for their minds to calm down. In keeping with this approach, vexations will naturally follow as a result. Buddhist practitioners, on the other hand, live in the present. Furthermore, because of their understanding of cause and condition and the law of cause and effect, they do not harbor resentment, nor fear the uncertainties of the future; hence, their moods do not fluctuate. As it is thus stated in the Diamond Sutra: "Neither the past, the present nor the future mind can be found." Finally, liberated practitioners have no attachment to the past, present or future, and generate the Bodhi-mind to benefit all others with no regard to their own advantages and disadvantages, gains and losses. The Venerable added that "putting the Protection of the Spiritual Environment into practice is not merely for ourselves; we must further extend loving care to all sentient beings and the whole world."

In order to help everyone maintain better concentration during recitation of the Bell Ringing Verse and prostrations to the Buddha, the Venerable guided everyone to experience the breath in order to help them be more present, utilizing sitting meditation and relaxation methods. This was followed by an introduction to the "Bell Ringing Verse", rewritten by Master Sheng Yen according to its ancient version, whose main content consists of prayer for peace to the world and humanity, as well as eternal bliss to all sentient beings in the three realms. In addition to chanting the verse and performing prostrations, all participants were required to practice visualization, thereby making vows corresponding to the text. According to "Biographies of Eminent Monks", only when hearing bells toll can the sufferings of sentient beings in the hell realm temporarily cease. The Venerable believes that "although there is certain merit in bell-ringing, it should not be our primary focus; on the contrary, our compassion that wishes all sentient beings to be free from the sufferings is even more significant". After all, even if it may only be a fleeting thought of wishing them to be free from pains, sentient beings can definitely feel the power and strength of one's sincerity.   

The Venerable highly praised everyone for their earnest dedication in chanting the Verse, and encouraged all to put in the same serious, invested effort and aspiration upon returning to their daily lives, while sharing this Dharma joy with others. Before closing this event, the Venerables distributed small cards printed with Master Sheng Yen's "108 Adages of Wisdom" to each participant, in the hope that everyone can remind themselves to continually practice the Buddhadharma. Participant Han You-Qin shared, "this New Year's Eve has been especially meaningful. Apart from learning to relax the tensed body, even more touching was the Venerable's urging not to belittle one's own efforts; for even when our good deeds are small, together they will add up to greatness!"

Text: Zhi-hao Luo (羅志豪) 
Photos: Li-qin Yeh (葉麗芹)