|
May palms be joined in every world in
kindness, compassion, joy, and giving.
May
all beings find security in friendship, peace, and loving care.
May
calm and mindful practice seed patience and equanimity deep.
May
we give rise to spacious hearts and humble thoughts of gratitude
|
|
Bathing Buddha Procedure
This
ritual is to improve harmony & inner balance:
1. Please kneel on cushion
2. Fill ladle & pour water over small Buddha statue 3 times
3. While pouring water, say:
◆1st wash: "May I eliminate all evil thoughts"
◆2nd wash: "May I cultivate good deeds"
◆3rd wash: "May I help save all living
beings"
Origin
of Bathing Buddha
One
of the main activities of the festival is the "bathing Buddha"
ritual. Legend records that when Prince Siddhartha was born, there
were extraordinary and auspicious signs heralding his birth.
They
describe the sky as being clear with brilliant sunshine, flowers
blooming and birds singing - dragons appeared in the sky spurting
two streams of purified water (one cool and one warm), that gently
cascaded down to bathe him.
At
his birth, seven lotus flowers sprung up beneath his feet as he
walked - pointing one hand to the sky and ground he said "in
the heaven above and earth below, I vow to liberate all who suffer
in these three realms".
Since
that time Buddhists all over the world celebrate his birthday
by using fragrant water to bathe the image of Buddha.
This
ritual highlights a universal message that "it's easy to wash
away physical dirt but it's much more difficult to cleanse one's
'inner dirt' of greed, anger and ignorance."
|
