In the beginning of the Chinese New Year, everything is refreshed. During the Spring Festival, Fo Guang Shan and Buddha Memorial Center will organize the Kaohsiung City Lantern Festival of Light and Peace for one month based on the theme of “The Noble Steed Gallops into a Bright Future.”

At Fo Guang Shan, we would like to wish you a wonderful New Year with traditional lanterns. You can participate in the Light-offering Dharma Service, Thousand Buddhas Dharma Service, and Great Compassion Dharma Service, sound the peace bell, visit shrines, or do pilgrimage to enhance your merit and wisdom.

　　 Along the Fo Guang Avenue, it will be eye-opening to see the theme lantern of the Noble Steed, 10 meters high, at the Mandala Garden, lanterns of the 12 zodiac horoscopes, creative garden area, Avalokitesvara riding a dragon, a 200-meter lantern tunnel named “Where is the Paradise,” auspicious dragon offering blessing, lantern stages, stories of the Buddha, wall of peace lanterns, aquarium, tea pavilion, etc.

　　 A plenty of activities will be held at the Buddha Memorial Center. Venerables at the Golden Buddha Shrine and Jade Buddha Shrine will lead devotees to pay respects to the Buddha for blessing. Special performances, such as Henan variety show, will be held at the Great Enlightenment Auditorium of the Main Hall.

　　 Lantern parades will be organized and fireworks will be set off from the first to the 17th of the Chinese New Year. On Feb. 4th, the Final Underground Palace Treasures Enshrinement Ceremony and Ven. Master Hsing Yun’s Lecture on the Essence of the Dharma will be held.

　　 When you come to Fo Guang Shan to celebrate the Chinese New Year, you can bring home with you joy, happiness, and wisdom. We would like to wish you “to enhance merit and wisdom, be carefree in your body and mind, and enjoy every good day and every auspicious moment.”

To implement the ideal of purifying the mind and building a Pure Land on earth, Fo Guang Shan was the first Buddhist temple that held the “New Year Festival of Light and Peace” during the Chinese New Year in 1980. Over the past 30 years, each year is set with a new theme and design for decorating the lanterns. Furthermore, with the innovation expanding each year, the Festival of Light and Peace provides a diverse spotlight suitable for all ages. Unlike other lantern festivals that focus solely on entertainment, the Festival of Light and Peace differs in that it provides comfort to the minds of all beings.

“Light of Peace” is also known as “light of blessing.” Lighting up a light of peace is like planting the field of merits. “Light of Peace” symbolizes peacefulness and auspiciousness, which is capable of dispelling the darkness, and giving us the sublime meaning of illumination. Therefore, with the radiance of the Buddha’s light, it fills the world with warmth, happiness, brightness, and harmony. Coming to Fo Guang Shan during the Chinese New Year, you can make a light offering, and at the same time enjoy the lanterns. In the warm and cozy “ocean of lights,” you can make wishes with your family to maintain a harmonious family, bring peace to the community, and help achieve world peace. You can also experience the endless lights, and cherish the immeasurable happiness and Dharma joy.

The traditional customs and practices of light offering by Chinese can be traced back eons ago. They are closely associated with Buddhism. According to the historical records, in the 14th year of the Yongping era, Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty issued an edict for the entire nation to decorate their homes with lanterns and colored banners on the night of the 15th day of the first lunar month, in order to celebrate the prominence of Buddhism in China, and to express the highest veneration to Buddhism. Thereafter, on this particular day of every year, every household is to be decorated with lanterns and colored banners. Waves of people come to enjoy the lanterns, which is always delightful.

It is also recorded in the Buddhist text of the “Great Tang Records on the Western Regions” that monastics and devotees in Magadha, India gathered to watch the emission of light of the Buddha’s relics and the dispersal of flowers on the 15th day of the first lunar month of every year. Thus, the custom of lantern festival and light offering was popular in the Buddhist country for a very long history.

On the 1st day of every first lunar month, Buddhist temples will make light offering to the Buddhas, and hold Light Offering Dharma Services. People will typically visit the temples on this day to make light offering and make wishes on behalf of their families. ­Likewise, Fo Guang Shan will also make light offering on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year. This activity lasts for up to a month. During this month, we organize Light Offering Dharma Service every night to pray for a stable and prosperous nation and world peace.

　

◎Four Main Themes: “Faith, Inheritance, Arts, Innovation”

　

(一)Faith as the Cultivation of Blessing

　 At the moment of peace, faith is like a monolith, which let us share the joy of peace with others. In the moment of anguish, faith is like a light, which guide us out of the unease of darkness.
With the propagation of Humanistic Buddhism as the objective, Fo Guang Shan dedicates its effort and strength to provide a pure land on earth, by encouraging people to learn the Dharma, cultivating diligently, enhancing the level of faith, enriching the state of life, and developing the endowment of life.
During the New Year, come to Fo Guang Shan to make light offering, to sound the bell, to listen to the Dharma, to make heart-to-heart connection to the Buddhas, to be intimate with good and virtuous friend, and to be steadfast with right understanding and right view. Let the beautiful flowers and solemnness of the shrines help to settle the restless mind in order to inculcate the spirituality for a New Year.
At Fo Guang Shan 2014 Kaohsiung New Year Festival of Light and Peace, you are welcome to visit the Buddha Memorial Center to enjoy the “Light Shines on the Universe”, which is a 17-days of fireworks. You can also listen to the Dharma talks given by Venerable Master Hsing Yun at the Great Enlightenment Auditorium. In addition, you can ascend onto the Big Buddha Court, and come closer to pay homage to the Buddha. At both Fo Guang Shan and the Buddha Memorial Center, you can sound the bell of peace, in hoping to send your aspiration and wishes to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and praying for world peace. Make light offering to wish your family a good health. Furthermore, you can participate in the pilgrimage or tour around the shrines, allow you to bow in reverence for happiness, wisdom, purity, health and blessing.

　　

(二)Passing on the Wisdom

It is better have skill than property; it is better to pass on the religion and faith to the disciples; it is better to pass on the moral and diligence to the grandchildren; it is better to pass on education and knowledge to the next generations. With the fragrance of the books, ethics and faith to replace the inheritance of money, one can enjoy the benefit of an endless spiritual wealth in one’s lifetime.
With the objectives of Fo Guang Shan: “to propagate Buddhism through culture”, and “to nurture the talent through education”, these will plant the Bodhi seeds deep into everyone’s mind and heart. Through the practice of the Three Acts of Goodness, “doing good deeds, saying good words, having a good thoughts”, and Four Givings, “giving others confidence, giving others joy, giving others hope, giving others convenience”, we allow the compassion and wisdom of the Dharma to be able to realize the harmonies through “cultivating our minds, respecting others, maintaining a harmonious family, bringing peace to our community, and helping to achieve world peace”.
The most precious heirlooms are the imperceptible treasure of the dharma, go for a tour with your family at the Fo Guang Shan 2014 Kaohsiung New Year Festival of Light and Peace, and enjoy your happiness together. Let the wisdom pass on to your next generation, and merits to yourselves. In the New Year to come, may you use your inner wealth to resolve your external poverty. May you use your inner strength to face your external difficulties. In hoping that everyone will be at peace and auspiciousness, and be carefree and without obstructions.
You can tour around Fo Guang Shan and collect all the stamping seals of the “Eight Horses”, and wish yourself a “Noble Steed Gallops into a Bright Future”. You can also escorted the treasures into the Underground Palace to witness the wisdom of humanity and to have the inheritance of right view on faith. You can enjoy the warmest of the porridge and the tea, and to rejoice the blessing through giving. You can enjoy listening to the “Story of the Big Tree”, or sitting by the “Cloud and Water Mobile Library” to enjoy the reading given by the volunteers. Or you can recite the name of the Amitabha Buddha to make a heart-to-heart connection and to feel the blissfulness of the Western paradise. Moreover, you can transcribe the Dharma words, experience meditation, or simply settle your mind to let your body serve as a place for spiritual cultivation.

　　

(三)Purifying the Mind Through Arts

Since the beginning of Fo Guang Shan, Venerable Master Hsing Yun has set an objective “to propagate Buddhism through culture” and dedicate to the propagation of Buddhism on humanity, on life, and on arts. With the propagation of Dharma through arts and culture, we have lead many different sentient beings to learning Buddhism.
Since the beginning of Fo Guang Shan, Venerable Master Hsing Yun has set an objective “to propagate Buddhism through culture” and dedicate to the propagation of Buddhism on humanity, on life, and on arts. With the propagation of Dharma through arts and culture, we have lead many different sentient beings to learning Buddhism.
Fo Guang Shan 2014 Kaoshiung New Year Festival of Light and Peace has many diverse and exquisite performances that give delights and pleasures to our mind, and it is worth savoring. With all these great performances, you will be reluctant to take your eyes off while watching, and just can wait to visit Fo Guang Shan regularly during New Year.

(四)New Beginning Through Innovation

　

Turning Decadence into Magical
Have you ever wanted to celebrate a creative, and distinctive New Year? Come and participate in the Fo Guang Shan 2014 Kaohsiung New Year Festival of Light and Peace, and turn creativity into reality! The Lantern Festival is an event to call your creativity to make eco-friendly lanterns, and to join everyone to walk from darkness to a path of brightness. “Turning decadence into magical” is to give the unwanted waste materials a second life. The creativity of “Where is the Heaven” uses the environmental friendly materials and to design with the romance of the promenade lights, in which deserves a “thumb up”!
Vegetarianism ＆ Environmental Protection
Delicious vegetarian foods is also another highlights during the Chinese New Year. Venerable Master Hsing Yun promotes the idea of “Environmental ＆ Spiritual Preservation” for many years, through the promotion of vegetarianism, the nurture of contentment and joyfulness, and the cherish of life through compassion. And through the promotion of recycling, energy conservation, carbon reduction, and environment greening; all these have help conserve the beauty of our mother earth. As we beautifying our environment, at the same time we are also beautifying our hearts and minds.
Fo Guang Shan ＆ Buddha Memorial Center can be considered as one of the places with the highest density of vegetarian restaurants available. At these locations, there are 14 vegetarian restaurants and food stalls. In addition, during the 2014 Kaohsiung New Year Festival of Light and Peace, we offers a variety of authentic vegetarian foods and snacks at the food courts and the Fo Guang Boulevard. Coming to Fo Guang Shan and the Buddha Memorial Center, you can enjoy as many foods and snacks as possible. At the same time, you can also taste both the Eastern and Western style vegetarian foods, which is also among the first in Taiwan.
The second floor of the Front Hall provides a buffet style meal for only NT$100. There is also five different Water Drop Tea House at the Front Hall, Camphor Groves Tea House, and the 1st, 3rd and 5th floors of the Big Buddha Building, which offer the Fo Guang Noodle, porridge, and also foods recommended by Venerable Master himself – the Lima Bean Soup Noodle, and the Mixed Vegetable Fried Rice. Others such as the hamburgers, pizzas, and western-style snacks are suitable for all ages. All the foods are not only delicious but also allow everyone to experience the culinary at Fo Guang Shan.
If you want to taste the delicious and innovative vegetarian cuisine, there is the Grand Hi-Lai Vegetarian Restaurant and the Red Bean Dining at the Buddha Memorial Hall. Come and join us during the New Year at Fo Guang Shan and Buddha Memorial Center, we will allow your taste buds to flavor the real treat.
On the New Year’s Eve, you can also come to the Cloud Dwelling Building to enjoy the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner. It has many delicious foods, fabulous program and a warm atmosphere, so that you can join thousands of people to enjoy such unforgettable experience together. We welcome you and your family to enjoy such authentic vegetarian meals, and to enjoy a healthy and delicious meal.

Arriving at Fo Guang Shan, if you enter into the Pure Land Cave from the side of the Non-duality Gate, you will see the “Western Pure Land” with the lifelike landscape and characters. You can also visit the Great Buddha Land to draw a dharma word, and pray to the Bodhisattvas for guidance in life. If you seek for cultivation practice, choose the best option by coming to the Sutra Calligraphy Hall, which is located next to the Main Shrine. In addition, you can also visit the Great Compassion Shrine to pay homage to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, visit the Great Wisdom Shrine to seek for wisdom from Manjushri Bodhisattva, visit the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva at the Great Practice Shrine which remind us on practicing the Dharma, and come to the Great Vow Shrine to pay homage to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of the great endurance and vows.
When arriving at the Buddha Memorial Center, inside the Main Hall, there is the Mount Potalaka Avalokitesvara Shrine, and the golden Buddha statue which housed in the Golden Buddha Shrine to signify the harmonious exchange between the Mahayana and Theravada traditions. There is also the Jade Buddha Shrine which enshrine the Buddha’s tooth relic. On top of the base at the four corners are the Four Noble Truths Pagodas which represent the Four Noble Truths and the Four Universal Vows of the Bodhisattvas.
Whether it is at Fo Guang Shan or the Buddha Memorial Center, the Bodhisattva at every shrine awaits everyone to visit and pay homage to. At the moment of paying homage, we can seek for the joyfulness and carefreeness within ourselves. Thus, every shrine is like a spiritual power station and also a place for making good affinities. The happiness of every station awaits you to come and visit and to collect the stamping seal.