| Spiritual
Life Program and Activities
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 Meditation Practice |
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The objective of meditation is to practice one-pointedness
of mind and to explore one’s inner potential in order to develop
harmonious interpersonal relationships and build a pure land on earth.
Those are who are interested in Buddhist meditation, and are mindfully
and physically healthy with good morals between the ages of 18 and 70
years are welcome to participate in one of our five-day, three-day,
weekend, or one session retreats during weekends. The meditation centre
is situated on the 3rd floor of Tathagaka Hall, another two
smaller meditation rooms catered for the general public are at basement
of Tang Hsin Lou (devotees building). |
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Amitabha Chanting |
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The
aim of chanting is to cultivate one’s kindness, compassion,
sympathetic joy and equanimity through chanting in order to generate a
pure and calm nature and create harmony and happiness for a pure land on
earth. A seven-day program is held in the first week of each month and a
shorter one is held on every weekend.
Aside from the monthly retreat, from Tuesday to Sunday at
10:00am, 14:00pm and 19:00pm, the nuns in-charge of the Amitabha
Chanting Hall will also be conducting chanting to request for joy in
society and peace on earth. The Chanting Hall is situated on the 7th
floor of the Jade Buddha Building. |
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Cao jing literally means to handwrite a sutra onto a fresh copy. Normally it is written with ink and brush as calligraphy. One may rewrite the whole sutra or a verse, and with every stroke one mindfully contemplates what the Buddha or an eminent Master taught. |
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The Sutra Calligraphy Hall is situated on the first floor of
Hsi-jing (the left side of the Main Shrine) overlooking the greenery in
the Historical Park and is opened six days a week – Tuesday through
Sunday, from 9am to 5pm. You are provided with calligraphy paper, brush
and ink free of charge. But, if you wish give a donation or to purchase
paper and ink for the benefit of others, please approach the
staff-in-charge of the Sutra Calligraphy Hall. |
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Prostrations are performed (1) as a show of respect and gratitude to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas (2) remove mental blocks and negative karma (3) assist us in gaining a correct view of reality (4) create the positive potential for realizing our innate Buddha nature. |
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Prostrations aid us in realizing that there is something more meaningful than ourselves. In this way we can purify the false pride that we have accumulated through countless lifetimes: "I am right," "I am better than others," "I am the most important one." During countless lifetimes we have developed false pride that is the cause of our negative actions and accumulated the karma that is a source of our problems and suffering. The aim of prostrations is to purify this karma and to change our mindset. Prostrations allow us to rely on something more meaningful than our false pride and ego clinging. In this way, through full confidence and devotion, we get rid of everything we have gathered because of false pride. When we do prostrations, we act at the level of body, speech and mind. The result of doing them is a very powerful and thorough purification. This practice dissolves all impurities, because they were all accumulated through our body, speech and mind. Prostrations purify on all three levels. Through the physical aspect of prostrating we purify our body. We offer our body to the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) and to all sentient beings, wishing that their beneficial wishes were fulfilled. |
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Some may wonder how can eating be a way of practice. What we learn from school normally emphasizes intellectual education, but eating can be part of the experiential category. In a Chinese monastery, we call eating in the Main Dinning Hall gou tang, literally having come and left mindfully. |
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While we are waiting for
everyone to come into the dinning hall, we are taught to have patience.
If we want more food, we also have patience for the server to come to
us. When we chant before
meals, we make our offering to the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, all Arhats and
sentient beings, a way of sharing our food with all.
We learn to have a repentant heart, especially toward the servers
who are under no obligation to offer such service. Therefore, we need to
reciprocate this service and make positive contributions to everyone in
society. The most important thing in eating is to develop a heart of
appreciation, as we realize food does not come easily and should learn
to appreciate it. Though a simple meal in the monastic style, we focus
on the five meal contemplations: First, I contemplate on
how precious this meal is, and learn to appreciate it. Second, I assess my
virtues, am I deserving of others’ offering? Thirdly, I contemplate and
control my faults, greed in particular. Fourth, I realize that the
meal is like medicine that gives me strength. |
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In a traditional Chinese temple, every morning and at night, they will strike a bell 108 times for peace throughout the world, prosperity in our country and for all citizens to live free from fear. |
The sound of
the bell spreads blessings universally, bringing the joy of Dharma to
family, friends and oneself. In Fo Guang Shan, the bell is struck at
5:40 in the morning and at 21:50 at night by designated monastics.
However, at the Ksitigarabha Bodhisattva Shrine, every visitor can
strike the vow bell to request blessings for oneself and others. Abiding
by the Bodhisattva’s great vow,
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The Buddha established the eight-precept retreat in order to let lay people have an opportunity to learn the life of a monastic. Lay people, who have very limited time but are eager to experience life in a monastery, can leave behind their family life and social chores for one day and a night to stay in the monastery observing the eight rules which generate the positive roots of a monastic. This retreat is held every fourth weekend of the month starting at 14:00 on Saturday and ending the next afternoon. Dedicated ones with correct views and who are sincere in wanting to experience monastic life are welcome to participate. Please bring your own hai-qing (black robe), man-yi (brown robe), personal effects and a drinking cup. |
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This program is held twice a year during the summer and winter school vacations for lay Buddhist devotees and the general public to have an opportunity to experience monastic life for seven days in accordance with traditional etiquette and rituals. Healthy males and females who follow Buddhist morality, and who are willing to experience monastic life, can participate in this program. The program in winter is for single males and females ranging in age from 18 to 36 years. The summer program is for both male and female devotees ranging in age from 16 to 55 years. Food and lodging are provided free. The participant will pay a nominal education fee, and robes may be borrowed from the organizer. |
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This program is held twice daily during the Chinese New Year. If you come in a group it can also be held on other days. You can approach the Reception Center to arrange this humble, spiritual practice. You will proceed with three steps and make one prostration to repent any past negative behavior, to reinforce commitment to you vows, to purify your mind and find joy. |
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Light
symbolizes a bright path to wisdom and a place of peace.
By offering light at the shrines, we hope that wisdom and peace
will shine universally upon all living beings including one’s family,
relatives and friends. As a
Buddhist Sutra says, "A light lights up a room no matter how long
it has been in darkness". You
can make an offering of light at any shrine, and have your name put
beside a lit bulb at the shrine for one year of blessing and protection
in your everyday service. |
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