DDM Vancouver Center Organized a Bathing the Buddha Dharma Assembly to Celebrate Buddha’s Birthday

On May 3, DDM Vancouver Center organized a Bathing the Buddha Dharma Assembly, with nearly 150 followers devoutly participating in the bathing ceremony, to celebrate together Buddha's birthday.

In the chorus of praise by the participants, "I now sincerely bathe all the Buddhas, who have cultivated pure wisdom, dignity, and virtuous merits. May sentient beings free themselves from afflictions, and realize the same true essence of all the Buddhas," the Dharma Assembly officially began. With relaxed body and mind, everyone devotedly sang in unison the "Heart Sutra", the Praise of the Buddha (佛寶讚), and the Verse for Praising Sakyamuni Buddha (讚佛偈). Following the repeated chanting of "Namo Ben Shi Shijiamonifo (homage to our original teacher Shakyamuni Buddha)", the participants proceeded to line up in order and bathed the statue of the Prince Siddhartha with fragrant water. The ceremony of Bathing the Buddha symbolizes cleansing the defilements that cover our innate Buddha nature, thereby purifying our body and mind.


As Dharma Master of the ceremony, DDM Vancouver Center Ven. Chang Wu stated in her Dharma Talk that we must be grateful for the birth of Buddha into the human world, for hence we have the opportunity to listen to and practice Buddhadharma, leading us to a new way of life. More importantly, we should constantly remind ourselves that our objective in learning Buddhadharma is to "attain Buddhahood". To become a Buddha is neither about surpassing everyone else, nor transforming into an omnipotent super human or deity, but rather, to be completely awakened from the states of vexation, ignorance, pain and suffering in samsara.


The Venerable went on to illustrate the primary step of cleaning out vexations in our minds. There are three procedures in purifying our mental defilements: firstly, we should understand the nature of vexation; secondly, identify the vexations that dwell within our minds; and thirdly, learn the concepts and methods of eradicating vexations. In realizing that we are plagued by vexations, we don't have to be overly grievous or remorseful. Rather, by working on improving ourselves and making adjustments, we can gradually extricate the vexation, all the while proceeding steadily towards a state of pure body and mind. As for the method of cleansing our body and mind, at any time, we can recite the name of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, pay attention to our breathing or relax and harmonize our body and mind, so that we may become more aware of any deluded thoughts and vexations just when they are about to surface in our minds. To encourage everyone to maintain their faith and keep their vows to practice towards attaining Buddhahood, the Venerable also quoted from the Lotus Sutra: "if a person, even in a state of distraction, enters a stūpa or monastery and recites the Buddha's name just only once, one can attain Buddhahood." In doing so, our actions may become more virtuous, and benefit more people, and in that light, realize our common goal of "Building a Pure Land on Earth".

Text and photos: DDM Vancouver Center
Translation: 張振郁
Editing: Keith Brown, YKL