The world of Tzu Chi June 2020 (Vol.123)

2020 • 06 30 I n 1999, the Taiwanese government officially declared the second Sunday of May as the annual Buddha Day. The following year, Tzu Chi commemorated Buddha Day, Mother’s Day and Tzu Chi Day in a combined celebration by organizing the first large-scale Buddha Bathing Ceremony on the grounds of the Jing Si Hall in Hualien. The tradition has been carried on to this day. This year, the threefold celebration was conducted online in view of the special circumstances that require adherence to social distancing guidelines. FromMay 1 to 31, 2020, members of the public were able to participate in the virtual Buddha bathing ritual in either Chinese, English or Spanish. The Buddha Bathing Ceremony was held on May 10 at the Jing Si Abode for the first time in Tzu Chi’s history. The ceremonial proceedings were broadcast live to the Tzu Chi community around the world, accompanied by simultaneous interpretation in nine languages, including Chinese, English, Spanish, Thai, Japanese, Portuguese, Burmese, Filipino and Sinhalese. Giving thanks to the Buddha Amidst the solemn chanting of Buddhist verses, Dharma masters, leaders of Tzu Chi’s four core missions and Qing Xiu Shi (resident lay practitioners) from the Abode marched towards the Buddha bathing altar in the hallowed hall from all directions in an orderly formation. Meanwhile, Dharma masters from the Taipei Linji Huguo Temple sang praises in a display of gratitude to the Buddha for enlightening humanity with exceptional compassion and wisdom. The scene of the Dharma masters leading the congregation in paying respects to the Buddha was captured by the Da Ai TV crew and transmitted globally. The congregation bowed reverently and repented in earnest before the Buddha, besides pledging to commit to vegetarianism and uphold their vows as an expression of gratitude to the benevolence of the Buddha, their parents and all sentient beings. Master Cheng Yen conveyed her blessings and gratitude to the Dharma masters present for gracing the ceremony, with the hope that the collective piety demonstrated by the congregation will move the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and calm restlessminds tomitigate the pandemic. The Master also emphasized the importance of repentance and gratitude. “The Enlightened One descended upon the earthly realm to pave the way for humanity and guide us in understanding the inevitability of suffering. This pandemic has taught us a significant lesson by reminding us of the impermanence of life.” As Tzu Chi volunteers from 62 countries worldwide converged online for the Buddha Bathing Ceremony, Master Cheng Yen hoped for all to not only connect with one another in the virtual space, but also with the spirit of the Bodhisattvas to give rise to love and peace, and to pray for the pandemic to end soon. Together apart Closer to home, Tzu Chi KL & Selangor conducted eleven virtual Buddha bathing sessions on May 7, 9, 10 and 11. Volunteer Stephanie Chew Siew Leng participated in the virtual ceremony – the first of its kind – and relished the opportunity to witness up close the Dharma masters, organization leaders and pecial Feature