More than 800 Zamboangueńos joined as one in the Buddha Bathing Ceremony on May 10, 2009, to purify their hearts and pray together in commemoration of the Global Tzu Chi Day, Buddha’s Day and Mother’s Day at the Tzu Chi Great Love Eye Center.
Gathering Muslims, Christians, and people of other living faiths, Tzu Chi Zamboanga together with millions of members and supporters around the globe simultaneously prayed to create harmony in the society. Young and old, the ceremony was participated by medical volunteers, supporters, members and beneficiaries of the foundation and some catholic nuns.
“When more people pray, the prayer becomes more powerful,” Dr. Anton Mari H. Lim, local coordinator, quoted what Master Cheng Yen, founder of the Tzu Chi foundation, believes. He added that the ceremony is a symbol of renewal for people to become better individuals by removing the negativities from past experiences.
The indoor ceremony at the eye center spontaneously extended to the pediatric wards of the Zamboanga Medical Center when the organizers noticed that more people were interested with the ceremony going on. In response to the local resident’s eagerness, some Tzu Chi members and volunteers conducted a similar proceeding, with the use of pushcarts to mobilize the ceremonial symbols.
Lim explained the symbolic significance of the ceremony, which began with the offering of candles, scented water and flowers. Part of the ceremony is the touching of the water and picking of the flower. This signifies the cleansing of one’s heart, washing away of the old self, cleansing of negative thoughts and feelings, and starting with something good to find the true nature of an inner self, he shared.
The master believed that one’s prayer becomes more powerful when he does not only pray for himself, the local coordinator opined. First, one must make a vow in exchange of the favor that he asks from God. Next, he should also pray for other people before saying his personal prayer. In this ceremony, local Zamboangueńos prayed for the countries affected with the H1N1 viruses, victims of the recent Albay calamity and for the people who were forcibly taken away from their loved ones, Lim said.
The bathing of the Buddha is an old Chinese tradition, where in a figure representation of the Buddha is poured with water. However, the master believed that the Buddha is an enlightened one that does not need to be cleansed. From there, she based the Buddha bathing ceremony that is done in the Tzu Chi celebration, which is open to people of all living faiths, the doctor-coordinator explained. He added that the worldwide celebration of this ceremony started during the 40th anniversary of the foundation in 2006.
Lim quoted what the master revealed, “The Buddha is not a god. Anyone can be a Buddha. An enlightened person is a Buddha.” This is one thing that was well explained to everyone who joined the ceremony. The Buddha crystals placed together with the water, flowers and the candles serves as a mirror of one’s self.
Annually, Buddha’s birthday is celebrated on the second Sunday of May, together with the Mother’s Day. On this day, while the Chinese give reverence to the Buddha for his teachings and guidance to the spiritual path, everyone gives thanks and show their gratefulness to their mothers, appreciate the blessing received and celebrate purity and virtue.
“The rituals and ceremonies explain the beauty of human nature and the beauty of religion,” the master said in her message shown through a video presentation taken in Taiwan. She expressed that as human beings, it is good to have an external representation of the cleansing of our inner Buddha or inner self. Lim added that the master believed that every person has a Buddha heart. This crystal heart becomes cloudy because of the negative experiences in the world that needs to be cleansed. The master views Buddhism not as a religion but as a way of life. And so she addressed that whatever one’s religion is, he must make it a way of living.
