The Holy Miracles Temple held a grand celebration of the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, with the "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Birthday Dharma Assembly". The abbot of Huazang Temple, Ven. Ruohui Ru, was specially invited to preside over the dharma assembly.
(In Los Angeles) In Buddhism and folk beliefs, Guanyin Bodhisattva can be said to be the most well-known. The name Guanyin Bodhisattva means "observing and listening to the sounds of the world and enlightening sentient beings." It means that Guanyin Bodhisattva listens to the suffering of sentient beings in the world and bestows compassion and help. The lunar calendar February 19th is the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva, an important festival in the Buddhist world. In order to celebrate this special day, The Holy Miracles Temple in Southern California held a grand celebration of the "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Birthday Dharma Assembly" in the Great Hall of The Holy Miracles Temple at 10:00 am on March 10, 2023. This dharma assembly was jointly organized by the World Buddhist Headquarters, The Holy Miracles Temple, Huazang Temple, and Shengge Lecture Hall. It was specially invited to the abbot of Huazang Temple, Ven. Jin Kou Yiduan Shengde Ruohui, to preside over the dharma assembly. Local residents and Buddhists from different regions participated in the dharma assembly.
According to the Buddhist scriptures, Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva became a Buddha before countless eons. His Buddha name is "Zhengfa Ming Rulai". In Buddhism, Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is respected as the king of great compassion who seeks and saves suffering in the universe. In order to save sentient beings, Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva displays various supernatural powers such as a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, turning the Dharma wheel, and appearing in the world. He continuously bestows fearlessness and appears wherever he is prayed to, using his compassionate heart to save the suffering and difficulties. Whether in Buddhism or in folk beliefs, his true deeds of compassion are widely praised. With his boundless compassion and wisdom, Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva has become the object of people's prayers and has gained recognition and respect from the world.
The "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Birthday Dharma Assembly" was presided over by the abbot of Huazang Temple, Ven. Jin Kou Yiduan Shengde Ruohui, and led by Ven. Juehui, the abbot of Shengge Lecture Hall, and other senior monks and monastics. They recited the "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Universal Door Chapter" and held a grand offering in front of the Buddha. They praised the Buddha, recited scriptures and mantras, and worshipped the Buddha to pray for blessings. They dedicated their prayers to all sentient beings in the world, praying for the blessings and protection of Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions, hoping to eliminate global disasters, achieve world peace, and bring happiness, longevity, national prosperity, and people's well-being. May there be auspiciousness and eternal prosperity!
On the day of the dharma assembly, The Holy Miracles Temple was filled with people inside and outside, with brilliant lights and lingering incense. The dharma assembly was presided over by Ven. Jin Kou Yiduan Shengde Ruohui, the abbot of Huazang Temple in San Francisco, who has rich experience in presiding over various Buddhist activities. In an interview, Ven. Ruohui said, "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva was originally an ancient Buddha. In order to save sentient beings, he appeared in the form of a Bodhisattva, using his perfect wisdom and fearless compassion to help sentient beings escape from suffering. He is our role model. Through today's dharma assembly, we hope to let more people understand and feel the compassion and wisdom of Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, learn from the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, and help more people in need."
In addition, the dharma assembly also set up a list for disaster relief and blessings, where believers wrote down the names of themselves and their family members, praying for the blessings and wisdom of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and for happiness and auspiciousness. During the dharma assembly, the believers devoutly worshipped the Buddha and participated in the recitation of scriptures and dharma assembly activities, seeking the blessings and protection of the Bodhisattva. Many believers expressed their joy in participating in the dharma assembly. One believer told the reporter that when she chanted the "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Universal Door Chapter," tears flowed uncontrollably. She felt the boundless compassion and salvation of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva towards sentient beings, and all her years of grievances and repression disappeared. She experienced an unprecedented blessing of true Buddhism. She hopes to bring this feeling back to her life and learn from the compassion of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva to help those in need.
The Holy Miracles Temple is a temple directly under the World Buddhist Headquarters. It is a temple that displays a large number of real Buddhist relics and teachings. The Great Hall of the temple is the only "inner secret mandala" established to meet the requirements of two major regulations in the world today. The World Buddhist Pope, Namo the Third Dajieqiang Buddha, presided over many grand dharma assemblies of real Buddhist teachings in the Great Hall of The Holy Miracles Temple, imparting superior Buddhist teachings. Ven. Miaokong, a monastic of The Holy Miracles Temple, introduced in an interview that in addition to the Great Hall, The Holy Miracles Temple also has the Lamp Buddha Hall and the Guanyin Holy Hall. The site of the Lamp Buddha Hall was the site of the first release of the classic "Jiexin Sutra Explaining the True Meaning" by Namo the Third Dajieqiang Buddha on March 7, 2014! The Guanyin Holy Hall enshrines the sacred image of Namo the Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the miraculous appearance of the holy monk Yinhai (the holy venerable) of the contemporary Buddhist achievements. After the holy venerable Yinhai passed away on January 15, 2017, his relics were moved to the Guanyin Hall of The Holy Miracles Temple for enshrinement. During the month of enshrinement, a series of unimaginable miracles occurred, which had never been seen in the history of Buddhism. The Holy Miracles Temple is a temple that displays a large number of real Buddhist relics and teachings. It welcomes believers from all over the world to worship the Buddha, participate in dharma assemblies, and share the benefits of the Dharma!
The Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Birthday Dharma Assembly is not only a religious ritual, but also a grand event that showcases compassion and wisdom. The belief in Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is widely spread throughout the world. It is not only part of Buddhist beliefs, but also an important part of culture and tradition, influencing people's lives, values, and social behavior. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is not only the king of great compassion who seeks and saves suffering in the universe, but also an indispensable part of human culture and spiritual life.
Hundreds of monks, lamas, and believers from all over the world fearlessly participated in the dharma assembly, creating a solemn and magnificent scene.