The 2021 Bathing the Buddha Festival and Blessing Ceremony marks a new beginning for the New York Bodhi Meditation Center. With Grandmaster JinBodhi’s blessings, the brand-new meditation center was recently established at its new location in New York.
It is in this elegant center that its inaugural event, the Bathing the Buddha Festival and Blessing Ceremony, was held.
Amiable smiles of the volunteers greeted each guest as they arrived, as if welcoming them home to a warm embrace.
Bathing the Buddha
Participants and guests, through the act of bathing the Buddha, also cleansed the dust from within themselves, clearing away their troubles and worries.
Offering Flowers to the Buddha
We are grateful for the Buddha’s presence. Each guest reverently offered flowers to the Buddha to express their sincerity and respect.
Light Offering
The Center Director made light offerings on behalf of everyone, praying that the Buddha’s light will shine on them, giving blessings and wisdom, praying that disasters will be eliminated, that all will be peaceful and auspicious; and that the deceased will receive Buddha’s light and be free from reincarnation forever.
Sharing with Joy the Benefits of Energy Bagua
Sister Qing Fen’s sharing:
I started practicing Energy Bagua in 2015, it has been six years now. I used to have severe cramps after walking for an hour. Due to gastric pains, there were many foods I could not eat, including eggs, food made with glutinous rice, taro, and sweet potatoes. After walking Energy Bagua for a year, my leg and gastric pains disappeared. I can now eat whatever I want, and not worry about weight gain. The floaters in my eyes also disappeared and my eyesight improved. I no longer need to wear reading glasses to read phone numbers. Furthermore, my genetic thalassemia index improved with each subsequent year. I can now walk, volunteer at the meditation center and be on my feet all day without getting leg cramps.
Last year, due to the pandemic, several of my friends passed away and I became depressed. I had shingles on my legs to my body, even my bones ached. Because of the pandemic, I did not dare visit a doctor. I persisted on walking Energy Bagua every day and recovered after just one month. Walking Energy Bagua makes me happy, and I feel full of energy after practicing. It is like I am reborn, with every cell renewed. I now persist in walking Energy Bagua daily, and I have since begun an Energy Bagua practice location to help more people benefit from it.
The intent of the testimonial is to offer wellness information of a general nature. Individual results of practice may vary.
Sincere Chant to the Sakyamuni Buddha
The Center Director shared the three basics on the path to practicing Buddhism: belief, vow, action. He advised everyone to make a wish with the sincerest heart and choose to be a compassionate person; pray for the Buddha’s blessing to guide us and let us clearly see inside our own hearts; be sincere and call on the Buddha to illuminate our heart and to lead us towards a bright future; sincerely praise the Buddha with our body, speech, and mind.
Dews from Purified Water Blessing
While the practitioners were chanting reverently, the Center Director blessed all guests and volunteers with purified water encompassing Grandmaster’s compassionate wishes. We also pray that the auspicious blessings can spread throughout the world.
A Hymn to the Buddha to Offer Our Sincerity
The song “A Hymn to the Buddha” at the conclusion of the ceremony expressed our reverence to the Buddha and our true feelings and desire to follow Grandmaster.
Auspicious Gifts – Bringing Home Bountiful Blessings
The meditation center offered to attendees gifts of auspicious rice and blessed water, Bodhi Meditation Sutra Collection, auspicious blessing cards of Grandmaster JinBodhi and the Medicine Buddha, among others. May all guests follow Grandmaster’s teachings, and use a kind heart, kind words and kind deeds to build the foundation for a compassionate heart, and bring home the auspicious energy of the ceremony to share with family and friends. A healthy and happy life starts from here.