News Gallery
On May 12, Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple celebrated Buddha's Birthday with a Buddha Bathing Dharma Service and Mother's Day. After the Dharma Service, Ven. Hui Dong, the abbot of Hsi Lai Temple, gave carnations to bless all the mothers present in the Main Shrine. At the same time, the Buddha's Birthday Special Exhibition opened at the Fo Guang Yuan Hsi Lai Art Gallery, featuring artist Yanshui Liu's Zen painting exhibition "Smoke and Clouds Nourish the Brilliant Milky Way." Children from Hsi Lai Three Acts of Goodness (TAG) School also visited the temple, participated in meditation, and bathed the Buddha, enjoying the festivities together.
Ven. Hui Dong explained the origin of Buddha’s Birthday, introduced the life of the Buddha, and encouraged everyone to wash away their troubles with the pure water of Dharma to achieve purity, freedom, and liberation. He also wished health and peace to all mothers and hoped for a peaceful and beautiful world through the merit of bathing the Buddha.
At the opening ceremony of the Buddha's Birthday Special Exhibition "Smoke and Clouds Nourish the Brilliant Milky Way," Ven. Hui Dong thanked Yanshui Liu for coming from Beijing to set up the exhibition. He mentioned that Humanistic Buddhism spreads the Dharma through art, inspiring the true, good, and beautiful in human nature with diverse artistic works.
Yanshui Liu stated that this exhibition is specially designed to commemorate Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the Founding Master of Fo Guang Shan, featuring 72 paintings. The theme of the exhibition implies Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s name, likening him to the stars that shine brightly and illuminate the earth, symbolizing his character as free as the clouds in the sky. Yanshui Liu’s works mainly depict the majestic beauty of misty landscapes, offering them to Venerable Master Hsing Yun.
Forty-five children from Hsi Lai TAG School, led by teachers Camille Cheng and Simon Kuo, returned to Hsi Lai Temple to celebrate Buddha's Birthday and Mother's Day. Teacher Camille introduced Venerable Master Hsing Yun to the children in front of his bronze statue, explaining how he founded Fo Guang Shan in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, established over 300 temples worldwide, and dedicated his life to promoting Buddhism. She also led the children in paying respect to Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s bronze statue with folded palms.
Ven. Hui Cheng, the Guiding Venerable of Hsi Lai TAG School, guided the children in basic meditation movements, teaching them to clear their minds of distractions through breath awareness, develop concentration, relax their bodies and minds, and mindfully experience every detail. Ven. Hui Cheng emphasized the importance of meditation and encouraged the children to use it in their daily lives to help purify their bodies and minds. The children then participated in Mother’s Day celebrations at the Hsi Lai Center basketball court, engaging in interactive games with their parents and expressing their gratitude to their mothers through the activities.
Alice Wang from the TAG School shared that she learned from Buddha’s Birthday that bathing the Buddha is about cleansing one's inner dust and that in times of difficulty, one should use meditation to calm down. Veronica Hsu shared that through meditation, she learned how to relax her body and mind, relieve stress, and calm inner turmoil.
(Photos Provided by Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple)
