Welcome to the Holy Scripture Transmission Ceremony of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Birthday Celebration, with offerings from a hundred people, praying for world peace and prosperity.#
June 16, 2024
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 Duojieqiang Buddha.
(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 and solemn Buddhist ceremonies. Over a thousand venerables, masters, Rinpoche, Acharya, 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 Duojieqiang Buddha, wishing him eternal life and prosperity.
On the first day of the ceremony, with the sound of bells and drums and the chanting of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's name, the ceremony began in a grand manner. The procession started with ten monks carrying incense burners and banners, followed by dozens of nuns holding bells, drums, and cymbals. Their steps were orderly and dignified. Next came the President of the World Buddhist Headquarters, Venerable Mozhi, who walked in front with an incense case in his hand. Behind him were the Director of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Office, Venerable Langbo Zhaomang, and the Vice President of the World Buddhist Headquarters, Venerable Zhengda Jiaotong, and the Abbot of Huazang Temple, Venerable Ruohui Ru. They held the fourth volume "Teachings in the East," the fifth volume "Journey to Taiwan," and the sixth volume "Journey to the United States" of the "Collection of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Scriptures" and walked onto the red carpet. Under the gaze of the audience, they ascended the central stairs to the dais.
In the center of the dais was a giant statue of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha, holding the scepter of the Supreme Buddhist Pope, Nanwuqiang Buddha, with boundless compassion, as if looking down on the sentient beings below. Venerable Langbo Zhaomang and the other two venerables offered khatas in front of the Buddha, presenting the newly published fourth volume "Teachings in the East," the fifth volume "Journey to Taiwan," and the sixth volume "Journey to the United States" of the "Collection of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Scriptures" on the scripture table. This is the second publication of the scriptures of Nanwuqiang Buddha's teachings after last year's Holy Scripture Ceremony of the "Collection of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Scriptures."
Venerable Langbo Zhaomang said in his speech, "Since Shakyamuni Buddha founded Buddhism in our Saha world, Shakyamuni's scriptures have liberated and achieved countless Buddhist disciples. The 'Collection of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Scriptures' is the second set of Buddha's teachings in our Saha world. It will definitely liberate and achieve more Buddhist disciples in the future. Because of the foundation nurtured by Shakyamuni Buddha's scriptures for more than two thousand years, the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha uses simple and easy-to-understand language to convey the essence of Buddhism and the key to achieving liberation and accomplishment to the world. Therefore, the 'Collection of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Scriptures' will be the fundamental guide for all practitioners in our Saha world to achieve liberation from birth and death! Actively promoting and popularizing the 'Collection of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Scriptures' is the best way to propagate the Dharma and benefit sentient beings, and it is the fastest way for us to accumulate merits through practice. Now is the so-called Internet era, and Buddhist disciples use the Internet to propagate the Dharma, but demons and ghosts also use the Internet to slander the Buddha's Dharma. 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 Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha, 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, Nanwuqiang Buddha not only emphasizes that Buddhist disciples should practice at all times, but also teaches us how to practice from different aspects. 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 highest empowerment of the Buddha's 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 Dharma centers and temples have been established all over the world, leading the public to listen to the Dharma of Nanwuqiang Buddha and taking the teachings of Nanwuqiang Buddha as the fundamental guide for their Buddhist learning and practice. As a result, they have gained great benefits. In order to help everyone better understand the true meaning of the Buddha's teachings, the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Office has mobilized many venerables, high monks, great masters, 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 Nanwuqiang Buddha's scriptures, the public can study the scriptures while listening to the Buddha's teachings, gaining immense benefits from both sides.
After the completion of the ceremony, the venerables from the World Buddhist Headquarters stepped down from the dais and sprinkled blessed water on the crowd, bringing coolness and fragrance to everyone. The blessed water is meant to dispel calamities and obstacles, bring auspiciousness and well-being to the attendees. Everyone's faces were filled with joy and satisfaction.
On the second day of the ceremony, representatives from Buddhist temples, Dharma centers, and organizations from around the world formed a procession of "108 Offerings." The masters, Rinpoche, 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 lines of the offering procession ascended the dais with solemn steps. With the utmost sincerity, they made offerings and paid homage to the Buddha's image of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha, expressing their reverence and gratitude to the Buddha.
After the offering ceremony, the crowd chanted the "Sutra on the Meaning of the Teachings of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha" and the "Great Offering in Front of the Buddha." Through a series of virtuous acts such as praising, offering, reciting scriptures, chanting Buddha's name, and reciting 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 around the world have organized charity activities such as releasing lives, protecting lives, assisting education, and helping the poor in their respective regions, joining together to respectfully commemorate the birthday of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha and praying for world peace, the cessation of conflicts, the well-being of the people, longevity, and prosperity.
At the ceremony, the public was able to purchase the newly published scriptures of the "Collection of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Scriptures." Everyone read and studied them with reverence, and expressed their intention to promote them for more people to read and learn. They wished to become well-versed in the essence of Nanwuqiang Buddha's teachings and apply them in their daily practice, so that everyone can become morally upright and kind-hearted individuals. They also prayed for the wide dissemination of the "Collection of the Third Generation of Duojieqiang Buddha's Scriptures" and the eternal presence of the Buddha's true Dharma, so that countless sentient beings can attain liberation according to the teachings!