Volunteers arrange themselves in orderly formations; among the visual displays created was “TC48” which symbolised the 48th anniversary of Tzu Chi. (Photo by Chen Jia Hui)
“I pay homage to all the Buddhas, who abide in a glorious sea of true wisdom, may all beings be liberated and together, attain the pure state of the Buddhas…” the voices of 7,500 people sang out in unison, their pious praise of the Buddha.
On 11 May 2014, the three events of Buddha’s birthday, Mother’s Day and International Tzu Chi Day were jointly celebrated at the Yio Chu Kang stadium. A totem display was put up by 3,663 people who arranged themselves into formations of two Bodhi leaf motifs and the symbols“TC48,”which signified that Tzu Chi had entered its 48th anniversary since establishment.
As the melody of the“Incense Praise” filled the air, 123 Buddhist leaders and elders slowly walked into the midst of the totem formation teams. Gazing upon the lucite Buddha statues, they lead everyone in singing the “Sutra Opening Verses”followed by the Buddha bathing ritual. The pious strains of praises to the Buddha followed soon after.
Acting Minister for Social and Family Development and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing and Taipei Representative in Singapore, Mr Hsieh Fa-da and his spouse, together with representatives from various local community groups and grassroots leaders graced the occasion with their presence. Religious representatives from seven major faiths (Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Hindu, Baha’i, Jain and Sikh) also lead the stadium in a silent one-minute prayer for world peace.
Great Love Knows no Borders
Venerable Phra Panyadhamvides from Wat Anada Metyaram temple remarked that Tzu Chi’s religious assembly does not exclude other faiths and both Mahayana and Hinayana monastics can jointly participate. This year, the Venerable himself lead 30 Thai monks and they arrived at the venue by chartered bus. Mr Gurmit Singh, representative of the Sikh faith on this occasion shares his opinion that both Buddhism and Sikhism have many points in common as they advocate one to abandon arrogance and watch over their thoughts with care. He pointed out that the only difference is that while Buddhism is centered solely on the Buddha’s teaching, in Sikhism, there are ten guiding Sikh gurus.
By and large, Singapore society, a melting pot of diverse races and cultures, is peaceful and harmonious. At this year’s interfaith prayer ceremony, there was an increase in the number of participants from different races, and they were also willing to observe a vegetarian fast prior to attending the event.
Participant Neqqi, of the Muslim faith, is from a family currently in straitened circumstances; his two siblings are still studying in secondary school and the family lost their financial support when his father was injured in an accident. With a firm belief that education is the sole means of changing the family’s fortune, he puts a lot of effort into his studies, and goes for classes seven days a week under an accelerated programme. To take part in the interfaith ceremony, he not only set aside time from his packed schedule, he also had his long hair neatly pulled back, presenting a neat appearance as he participated in the ceremony with full sincerity.
Neqqi expressed how seeing for the first time in his life, so many people praying, had brought a sense of quietude to his heart which had been burdened by his recent family circumstances. Having successfully applied for welfare subsidies, he also receives transport and meal subsidies from Tzu Chi. He made silent aspirations during the event to graduate quickly, find a job and support his family.
Swiss volunteer Henry is 95 year old this year, and with his towering stature and deep-set features, stands out from the crowd. Last year, Henry sat with the audience, but this year he took up the offer to be part of the totem formation team. Ever-youthful at heart, he perfected the steps required during the ceremony and learnt all five songs, taking pains to follow the hanyu pinyin transliteration of the songs carefully. Henry shared that at the moment he raised his lotus lamp towards the sky while singing along, a blissfulness filled his heart and he was very moved. The feeling was indeed hard to describe, hence even though he had been standing for two hours, he did not feel tired. He now aspires to participate again next year, as long as his two legs can still carry him.
In his speech, the guest of honour, Senior Minister of State Mr Chan Chun Sing expressed gratefulness for the peace that Singapore enjoys. He acknowledged Tzu Chi’s efforts in promoting religious harmony and in its charitable works and said that Tzu Chi’s next task was to transmit the right values to the next generation and nurture in them gratitude.
Seeding the Dharma in People’s Hearts
Master Cheng Yen once said that religion gives objective to one’s life and teaches one about life. It takes people to propagate the Dharma; the Dharma cannot propagate by itself.
TIMA member Sister Anne from Malaysia managed to invite ten of her relatives residing in Singapore to participate in the event this year. Even her cousin’s husband who had not shown much interest in Tzu Chi all along, decided to involve his family of four in the totem formation team after attending a parent-child bonding class organised by Tzu Chi.
Since she entered the fold of Tzu Chi, Sister Anne has abandoned harsh speech and restrained her volatile temper and this had been witnessed by her family and colleagues. She also started to treasure the time she has with her parents. With the recent demise of her father, volunteers in Malaysia spent time with her mother and encouraged her to walk out of her sorrow. Within a few months, her mother started attending volunteer training and took on the responsibility of leader of the house visit team, even making the effort to receive Dharma teachings every day. On this day, mother and daughter took part in the Buddha bathing ritual held in two different lands, and together they made aspirations to walk the bodhisattva path.
Local businessmen Shen Xi Zhou and Huang Quan Shuang together managed to invite 430 people to take part in the totem formation, which was a significant increase over the previous year. On the other hand, Businessman Lin Zhen Qiang who now works overseas, had earlier convinced more than 30 of his colleagues to be part of the totem formation team.
Sincere Piety Moves the Heavens
With four years of experience in hosting the interfaith prayer ceremony outdoors, Tzu Chi has accumulated much valuable experience. At 3.30pm in the afternoon, dark clouds started to gather overhead and thunder could be heard. It had even started raining in some other regions of Singapore. Putting down all their tasks at hand, the working committee prayed earnestly that the event could proceed smoothly. Seeing how the skies were darkening rapidly with the weather so unpredictable, the coordinating team held an emergency meeting and decided to change the location of the shuttle bus disembarkation point, and hurriedly ensured that 6,000 umbrellas would be available for use. Blessedly, the skies started to clear after 5pm and with a cool breeze blowing, the event was able to conclude at 10pm under good weather conditions.
As day gave way to night, the lucite Buddha statues seemed to become even more brightly aglow, just like everlasting lamps that light up the true path for all beings. VIPs and religious leaders alike were touched by the sanctimonious scene of a sea of lotus lights held by countless pairs of hands.
Venerable Chuan Xian from Leng Foong Prajna Temple praised the spirit of sanctity of the event, saying that it was the result of the combined efforts of many volunteers. The Venerable who was attending the event for the fourth time, humbly stated that he had come with the attitude of learning from others and just like how the Dharma is not spread by words alone, he is touched by the efforts of Tzu Chi.
Seeing the way the event had unfolded across various countries, Master Cheng Yen remarked that the power of harmonious cooperation is great indeed and such a dignified Dharma assembly, repeated across the world that day, was very moving. When one sees these scenes, one sees also hope in a harmonious society.
At noon, as dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed and thunder roared overhead,Tzu Chi volunteers prayed sincerely for clear skies.(Photo by Chua Teong Seng)
Tzu Chi Foundation (Singapore) CEO Low Swee Seh leads VIPs and representatives of seven major religions in Singapore in prayers. (Photo by Tan Cheng Hwa)
Acting Minister for Social and Family Development and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing delivers his address during the event. (Photo by Chai Yu Leong)
A solemn and moving moment captured for posterity as 123 religious leaders and elders lead everyone in paying homage to the Buddha. (Photo by Chua Teong Seng)
On this special day which was a joint celebration of Buddha’s birthday, Mother’s Day and Tzu Chi Day, 7500 people transcended differences in religion and race to participate with hearts filled with gratitude for the kindness they had received. (Photo by Chua Teong Seng)
With mobile Buddha-bathing stations made available, elderly participants and those with mobility difficulties could participate in the ritual as well under the guidance of volunteers. (Photo by Pua Poo Toong)
Representatives from seven major religions in Singapore lead the whole stadium in offering a one-minute silent prayer for world peace. (Photo by Chang Yu Ping)
Venerable Phra Panyadhamvides (second from right) from Wat Anada Metyaram temple lead a procession of 30 Thai monks in attending the event this year. (Photo by Lee Kwong Seng)
Neqqi (second from right), who is of Muslim faith,took time out from his busy schedule to practice walking in formation for the event. He even observed vegetarianism and tied his long hair back neatly in order to attend the event with a heart full of piousness. (Photo by Mai Yue Yuan)
Swiss volunteer Henry, aged 92, participated in the event for the first time; he respectfully circumambulated the Buddha and joined the rest in chanting, even making a vow to be part of the totem team next year. (Photo by Chua Teong Seng)
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