Nearly 600 People Gathered at DDM San Francisco Bay Area Center to Ring in Lunar New Year

On January 25^th, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) San Francisco Bay Area Center held the Lunar New Year Celebration under the theme of "The Power of Great Aspiration" to encourage everyone to start the year by developing and fulfilling good aspirations. The event attracted nearly 600 people to the Center, with the attendance of Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan, Vice Mayor Desrie Campbell, as well as Councilmembers Yajing Zhang and Kathy Kimberlin.

Mayor Salwan firstly wished everyone a happy Lunar New Year in Mandarin. He indicated that Fremont is a diverse city which boasts a variety of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. He believes that Buddhist meditation and chanting can bring more peace and love to the city. He also hoped that everyone can have the opportunity to learn meditation in order to live a more tranquil and joyous life. The Vice Mayor Campbell and the other three council members also praised DDM for providing the local community with various care, education, meditation, and other educational and religious activities that are beneficial to people's body and mind, all of which are exactly what is needed in American society nowadays.

DDM San Francisco Bay Area Center held a "Lunar New Year Prayer for Blessings Dharma Ceremony" in the morning and in the afternoon respectively. The ceremony was hosted by Ven. Chang Kuan (常寛法師), Vice Dean of Dharma Drum Sangha University, who traveled from Taiwan to express loving care for the devotees. The ceremony started with the solemn chanting of the Verse for Praising Sakyamuni Buddha (讚佛偈), followed by the congregation devoutly praising the Buddha and making prostrations. While chanting the Merit Dedication Verse (迴向文), the participants not only pray for their own peace of body and mind, but also the blessings of their families and the world.

San Francisco Bay Area Center expressed its gratitude to all the devotees and their friends and family members who joined the event, wishing everyone a happy, auspicious, and fulfilling Lunar New Year.



Original Chinese text / Anna Liao
Photo / Dharma Drum Mountain San Francisco Bay Area Center
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL