Buddhists, politicians and others yesterday gathered outside the Presidential Office to celebrate the birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha and Mother’s Day.
Rain did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of people gathering on Ketagalan Boulevard, including diplomats, religious leaders and politicians from across the political spectrum.
It marked the second time the annual event was held in front of the Presidential Office. The legislature approved in 1999 a proposal to designate the birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha — which falls on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar — a national holiday and to celebrate the special occasion concurrently with International Mother’s Day, which is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.
PHOTO: PATRICK LIN, AFP
After President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) gave a speech, he led participants in making the “Three Acts of Goodness” pledge. They pledged to do good things, say good words and think good thoughts in a bid to foster greater social harmony.
Ma said to practice the “three acts of goodness” was not enough. It would bring more “confidence, joy, hope and convenience” to the world if there was concord in all families, respect for each other, order in society and peace in the world.
“If we reach such a state, we will be in Sukhavati, or Pure Land,” he said. “I hope the annual event will help us get closer to the Pure Land one step at a time. I believe you are as confident as I am that we will eventually reach the destination.”
PHOTO: CNA
As it was also Mother’s Day, Ma encouraged children to visit their mother, give her a hug and tell her that they love her and need her.
Marking the Bathing Buddha Festival, Ma also led participants in performing the “bathing Buddha” ritual where he held a wooden ladle and poured water over a small statue of the Buddha.
Bathing a statue of the Buddha symbolizes a fresh start in life and the care given to newborn babies. Many other countries celebrate the Buddha’s birthday on May 2.
Legend has it that when the historical Buddha, Prince Siddhartha, was born, there were auspicious signs heralding his birth. They describe the sky as blue and clear on his birth, with dragons spurting purified water to bathe him. Since then, Buddhists have celebrated his birthday by using fragrant water to bathe the image of Buddha.
At the event yesterday, Buddhist Master Hsing Yun (星雲法師) described Ma as the “king of the people” and Buddha the “king of dharma [Buddhist teachings, or the principles that order the cosmos].” He asked participants a question: what would happen if the “king of the people” came across the “king of dharma.”
“I think we already have an answer,” he said. “The ‘king of the people’ has been very kind and modest to provide the square in front of his office and allow the people to celebrate his [the ‘king of dharma’s’] birthday.”
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS