Welcome to the Holy Scripture Transmission Ceremony of the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo's Birthday Celebration, with offerings from a hundred people, praying for world peace and prosperity.#
June 16, 2024 - Las Vegas News
Over a thousand Buddhists and laypeople from various states in the United States and around the world gathered together to respectfully welcome the auspicious birthday of the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo.
(Los Angeles News) On June 14th and 15th, at the City Hall in Glendale, Los Angeles County, the World Buddhist Headquarters, Shengji Temple, Huazang Temple, Charity Temple, and Shengge Lecture Hall jointly hosted two grand Buddhist ceremonies. Over a thousand venerables, masters, rinpoches, acharyas, dharma teachers, and laypeople from the United States, Canada, Peru, China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and other countries and regions gathered together to respectfully welcome the auspicious birthday of the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo, wishing him a long and prosperous life.
On the first day of the ceremony, with the sound of bells and drums and the chanting of "Namo the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo" by thousands of people, the ceremony began in a solemn manner. The procession started with ten monks carrying incense burners and banners, followed by dozens of nuns carrying bells, drums, and cymbals. Their steps were orderly and dignified. Following them was the Chairman of the World Buddhist Headquarters, Venerable Mozhi, who walked in front with an incense case in his hand. Behind him were Venerable Langbo Zhaimang, the director of the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo's Office, Vice Chairman of the World Buddhist Headquarters, Venerable Zhengda, and the abbot of Huazang Temple, Venerable Ruohui Ru. They held the fourth volume "Teachings in the East" of the "Namo the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo Scripture Collection," the fifth volume "Journey to Taiwan," and the sixth volume "Journey to the United States" in their hands, and presented them on the scripture table. This is the second publication of the "Namo the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo Scripture Collection" after last year's holy scripture ceremony, marking the publication of the scripture collection of Namo Qiangfo's teachings.
Venerable Langbo Zhaimang, in his speech to the audience, said, "Since Shakyamuni Buddha established Buddhism in our Sahā World, Shakyamuni's scripture collection has liberated and achieved countless Buddhist disciples. The "Namo the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo Scripture Collection" is the second set of teachings of the Buddha in our Sahā World. It will definitely liberate and achieve more Buddhist disciples in the future. With the foundation nurtured by Shakyamuni Buddha's scripture collection for over two thousand years, the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo uses simple and understandable language of modern people to convey the essence of Buddhism and the key to achieving liberation and accomplishment to the world. Therefore, the "Namo the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo Scripture Collection" will be the fundamental guide for all practitioners in our Sahā World to achieve liberation from birth and death! Actively promoting and popularizing the "Namo the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo Scripture Collection" is the best way to propagate the Dharma and benefit sentient beings, and it is the fastest way for us to accumulate merits in our practice. Now is the so-called Internet age, and Buddhist disciples use the Internet to propagate the Dharma, but demons and monsters also use the Internet to slander the Buddha's teachings. Therefore, any Buddhist disciple who encounters slanderous words and actions against the Buddha and the Dharma must refute them and demonstrate correct knowledge and views.
Since the beginning of the propagation of the Dharma by the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo, he has always reminded Buddhist disciples of the importance of practice, admonishing us that practice is the foundation of achieving liberation. In many Dharma teachings and Buddhist scriptures, Namo Qiangfo not only emphasizes that Buddhist disciples should practice at all times, but also teaches us how to practice from different perspectives. Therefore, everyone must remember the teachings of the Buddha, gain correct knowledge and views from respectfully listening to the Buddha's teachings and reading the Buddha's scriptures, and then implement them in their own conduct. And remind everyone to remember: only through practice can we accumulate merits and resources, only through practice can we stay away from negative karma, only through practice can we receive the empowerment of the highest Buddha Dharma, and only through practice can we completely transcend the cycle of rebirth and achieve liberation from birth and death!"
In recent years, thousands of places for listening to the Dharma and practicing the Dharma have been established all over the world, leading the public to listen to the Dharma of Namo Qiangfo as the fundamental guide for their Buddhist learning and practice, and have gained great benefits. In order to help everyone grasp the true meaning of the Buddha's teachings more deeply, the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo's Office has organized and mobilized many saints, high monks, great virtuous ones, and good teachers to transform the Buddha's teachings into written form. They have carried out a large amount of sorting, proofreading, typesetting, and printing work, resulting in the publication of the current Buddhist scriptures. With the transmission of Namo Qiangfo's scripture collection, the public can learn through the textual scriptures while listening to the Buddha's teachings, and gain great benefits from both sides of the Dharma.
After the completion of the ceremony, the saints from the World Buddhist Headquarters stepped down from the stage and sprinkled blessed water on the crowd, making everyone feel cool and fragrant. The blessed water dispels calamities and obstacles, bringing auspiciousness and well-being to the participants. Everyone showed expressions of joy and satisfaction.
On the second day of the ceremony, representatives from Buddhist temples, practice centers, and organizations from around the world formed a "108 Offering" procession. The masters, rinpoches, dharma teachers, and laypeople who represented the offerings each held carefully prepared exquisite Dharma instruments or precious gold and silver treasures. Accompanied by the sound of the guzheng, the two processions of offerings ascended the stage with solemn steps. With the utmost sincerity, they made offerings and paid homage to the Buddha image of the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo, expressing their reverence and gratitude to the Buddha.
After the offering ceremony, the crowd respectfully chanted the "Discourse on the Meaning of the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo" and the "Great Offering in Front of the Buddha." Through a series of virtuous acts such as praise, offering, recitation of scriptures, chanting of the Buddha's name, and recitation of mantras, they prayed for the eternal presence of the Buddha, the continuous bestowal of the Dharma rain, and the eternal residence of the true Dharma. On this auspicious day of the Buddha's birthday, Buddhist institutions from around the world have organized charity activities such as releasing animals, protecting lives, assisting education, and helping the poor in their respective regions, joining together to respectfully commemorate the birthday of the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo and pray for world peace, the cessation of conflicts, the well-being of the people, and longevity and prosperity.
At the ceremony, the public was able to purchase the newly published scriptures of the "Scripture Collection," and everyone read and studied them with reverence. They expressed that besides learning for themselves, they also want to promote reading and learning among more people, so that the essence of Namo Qiangfo's teachings is deeply understood and implemented in daily practice, making everyone a morally upright and kind-hearted person. They also prayed for the widespread propagation of the "Namo the Third Generation of Duoji Qiangfo Scripture Collection," the eternal presence of the true Dharma in the world, and the liberation of countless sentient beings according to the teachings!