Purification of Body, Speech, and Mind through Buddhist Practice - Bathing the Buddha and Purifying the Mind at the DDM Massachusetts Buddhist Association

The Dharma Drum Mountain Massachusetts Buddhist Association held the "Bathing the Buddha Ceremony—Bathing the Buddha and Purifying the Mind" on May 3rd, from 10 AM to 3 PM. Over 60 people gathered together to commemorate the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha and to celebrate Mother's Day in advance. During the ceremony, amidst the chanting of "Namo Ben Shi Shakyamuni Buddha (homage to the original teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha)", attendees reverently bathed the Buddha with incense water, followed by the ritual to purify the Buddha's image. The act of bathing the Buddha with fragrant water symbolized the purification of one's mind, as well as washing away the afflictions of the mind. At the same time, through making vows and prostrations, participants dedicated themselves to awakening the compassion and wisdom of their true nature, for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Venerable Chan Zhai (常齋法師), Deputy Director of the DDM Massachusetts Buddhist Association, guided the assembly in taking three ladles of fragrant water to bathe the Buddha while making the vow: "Purify the three karmas of body, speech, and mind; learn what the Buddha teaches, and act in accordance with the Buddha's conduct." She encouraged everyone to understand that bathing the Buddha is not only an external act of purifying the image of the Buddha, but also about purifying the Buddha within our own minds. The ultimate goal of spiritual practice is to awaken the inherent Buddha nature in all beings. Venerable Chan Zhai reminded us to deeply believe that each person is inherently endowed with the wisdom and virtues of the Tathāgata. However, delusion and attachment obscures our originally pure and bright minds. What we need to do now is to cleanse this dust. In addition to repenting past offenses, we should begin by purifying our body, speech, and mind in the present moment. As Venerable Chan Zhai remarked, "Always diligently clean and polish, so that no dust remains". Finally, Venerable Chan Zhai hopes to resonate with what Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, said: "Originally, there is nothing. Where can dust arise?"

Venerable Chan Zhai also shared the seventh vow from Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's Ten Great Vows: "May the Buddha remain in the world." She explained that the Buddha's entering nirvana is actually a skillful means, intended to inspire beings to arise in the thought that encountering the Dharma is rare and precious, and thus to cultivate the intention to practice. In truth, the Buddha is neither born nor extinguished. The sutras say: "When beings' minds are pure, they always see the Buddha." "Requesting the Buddha to remain in the world is most crucially about purifying one's own mind." From this, we understand that "the mind is the Buddha," and, thus, to see the Buddha, one must work on their own mind. Bathing the Buddha is a skillful method guiding us to reflect inwardly. Therefore, in the statement "bathing the Buddha, purifying the mind" what's implied is that by purifying the mind, we also care for the purification of body and speech. Caring for our own mind is a matter of every moment, and practice begins in the present moment. Venerable Chang Zhai emphasized that in these turbulent times, what the world needs is for each person’s inner wisdom and compassion to manifest, to calm one's own mind, while also calming the minds of others, thereby injecting a stabilizing force into the world.

After the lunch, the Dharma center prepared longevity peaches and fragrant water to share with the assembly, offering beautiful flowers for the participants to take home and dedicate to the Buddha, or to wish their mothers a happy Mother's Day. In the afternoon, a "Tea & Chat" activity was held, where old and new practitioners gathered around the table to share wisdom from daily life and spiritual practice. Lay practitioner Chen, who brought his daughter to the Buddha bathing ceremony, shared that he deeply agrees that bathing the Buddha within one's own mind should be practiced daily. Returning to the Dharma center to participate in the ceremony and group practice was a reminder and reinforcement of his own practice. Furthermore, he hoped to provide his daughter with an opportunity to absorb the teachings of the Buddha and experience the goodness of the Dharma.

The Bathing the Buddha Ceremony at the DDM Massachusetts Buddhist Association successfully concluded in an atmosphere of reverence and Dharma joy. The participants praised the inspiring ritual, the solemn arrangement of the altar, and the delicious lunch. They were also grateful for the efforts of all the monastics and volunteers in supporting the event. The DDM Massachusetts Buddhist Association warmly welcomes everyone to return to the Dharma center at any time to practice together and engage in Buddha's efforts to purify the minds of people and society.



Original text in Chinese and photos: Dharma Drum Mountain Massachusetts Buddhist Association
Translation: Patricia Yang 
Editing: Keith Brown