Prior to the Liberation Ceremony on the Full Moon Day of the Lunar January, the year of the Cat (February 5th , 2023), Venerable Tuong Van (the founder and builder of Dai Tong Lam Hoa Sen) delivered a speech to all attendees in front of the four-faced statue of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, Chapter 25 states that: "All beings are suffering from various kinds of pain and suffering, and the compassionate gaze of Avalokiteshvara is full of the ability to relieve suffering for all beings. Looking through the Great Compassion, looking through the Great Wisdom, one should always aspire to contemplate it. Avalokiteshvara is the embodiment of transparency and brightness, dispelling darkness like the sun, and burning brightly to dispel disasters. His radiance illuminates the entire world".
With great compassion, the Buddha's disciples have focused their minds on reciting prayers, beseeching the Three Jewels for their grace and the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara for assistance, while the ten directions of Buddhas radiate their compassionate light to receive, aid, and deliver all beings who have passed away and been reborn onto the path of virtue. At the same time, they also sincerely remember the spirits, the deceased, the ancestors, the relatives, and friends who have passed away, and the aborted fetuses, with deep compassion in their hearts.
With a sincere and resolute heart, we beseech the ten directions of Buddhas and Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara to bear witness to our virtuous deeds and help us attain liberation for all those who have passed away without having practiced the path and are now trapped in the realms of suffering. Each saved life is like a seed of goodness sown by the Buddha's disciples, and this merit is dedicated to all beings in the universe, wishing that all may ultimately attain the enlightenment of the Buddha's path.
The spiritual and human values that the Luna January full moon brings will become the luggage for the Buddha's disciples to confidently enter the new year of the Year of the Cat with an optimistic mindset, trusting in the goodness of things to come.
The energy of the collective practice days at Dai Tung Lam Hoa Sen Pagoda has spread the message of compassion and wisdom that helps transform suffering, worries, and uncertainty in the spiritual life of each Buddhist practitioner. All of this will be aided by the compassionate power of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and the ten directions of Buddhas to dissolve all afflictions and obstacles, bringing about a peaceful and harmonious life in the new year.
Below are some solemn and compassionate images, capturing the joyous atmosphere of the releasing ceremony on the full moon day of the first lunar month in the Year of the Cat:
