On August 30, 2026, the eighteenth day of the seventh lunar month and the sacred birthday of the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond, Melbourne had already begun to welcome the arrival of spring, yet the morning sky remained heavily overcast. The gloomy weather, however, did nothing to deter the devotion of the faithful. From early morning, devotees from across Melbourne made their way to Yen Ming Temple, bringing with them an abundance of carefully prepared food and offerings. They gathered from all directions with one shared purpose—to celebrate the sacred birthday of the Golden Mother and participate in the special Golden Mother Sacred Birthday Feast Offering. Upon entering the temple’s main shrine hall, devotees were greeted by a magnificent and solemn altar adorned with an abundance of offerings. Beautiful fresh flowers blossomed in vibrant arrangements, while fresh fruits, delicate pastries, and a wide variety of delicious foods were elegantly displayed before the sacred alter. The gentle fragrance of flowers and fruits mingled with the aroma of sandalwood incense, filling the shrine hall with a serene and auspicious atmosphere. The temple had also thoughtfully prepared special offering sets for devotees, each containing a **golden lotus, a Dipper Lamp, and a longevity peach**, symbolising **purity, illumination, and auspicious blessings** respectively. Devotees enthusiastically made offerings, each hoping to share the Golden Mother’s blessings with themselves and their families. Before the Feast Offering began, Reverend Shi Lian Jie, Abbot of Yen Ming Temple, compassionately gave a Dharma teaching explaining the extraordinary merits and …
On August 30, 2026, the eighteenth day of the seventh lunar month and the sacred birthday of the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond, Melbourne had already begun to welcome the arrival of spring, yet the morning sky remained heavily overcast.
The gloomy weather, however, did nothing to deter the devotion of the faithful. From early morning, devotees from across Melbourne made their way to Yen Ming Temple, bringing with them an abundance of carefully prepared food and offerings. They gathered from all directions with one shared purpose—to celebrate the sacred birthday of the Golden Mother and participate in the special Golden Mother Sacred Birthday Feast Offering.
Upon entering the temple’s main shrine hall, devotees were greeted by a magnificent and solemn altar adorned with an abundance of offerings. Beautiful fresh flowers blossomed in vibrant arrangements, while fresh fruits, delicate pastries, and a wide variety of delicious foods were elegantly displayed before the sacred alter. The gentle fragrance of flowers and fruits mingled with the aroma of sandalwood incense, filling the shrine hall with a serene and auspicious atmosphere.
The temple had also thoughtfully prepared special offering sets for devotees, each containing a **golden lotus, a Dipper Lamp, and a longevity peach**, symbolising **purity, illumination, and auspicious blessings** respectively. Devotees enthusiastically made offerings, each hoping to share the Golden Mother’s blessings with themselves and their families.
Before the Feast Offering began, Reverend Shi Lian Jie, Abbot of Yen Ming Temple, compassionately gave a Dharma teaching explaining the extraordinary merits and significance of the Tsok practice.
Reverend Lian Jie explained that a Feast Offering is an extensive and all-encompassing form of offering. With its abundance of offerings, the recipients extend from the **Root Guru, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma Protectors to the earth deities and sentient beings of the Six Realms. As such, the merit generated through a single Feast Offering can be many times greater than that of ordinary offerings, enabling practitioners to swiftly accumulate blessings and merit.
Reverend Lian Jie further explained that through the merits of the Tsok practice, positive transformations may arise in one’s appearance, career, family life, and circumstances, helping conditions become more harmonious and favourable. The practice also incorporates repentance and purification, through which negative karma may be purified while virtue and positive merit are cultivated and increased.
Reverend Lian Jie then explained important details of the ritual and its visualisation practices, teaching participants how to first purify the offerings through mantra recitation and then, with utmost sincerity and devotion, present them as offerings to Grand Master, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all sacred beings.
The principal deity of the day’s Feast Offering was the Golden Mother of the Jade Pond. Reverend Lian Jie specially referred to the teachings of Grand Master Living Buddha Lian Sheng, explaining that the Golden Mother is not only Grand Master’s heavenly mother, but also the Sovereign of the Immortals and one of his Three Principal Deities.
Grand Master has taught that without the Golden Mother, there would be no Living Buddha Lian Sheng, and without Living Buddha Lian Sheng, there would be no True Buddha School.
Following the Dharma teaching, Reverend Lian Jie led everyone into the solemn Feast Offering ritual.
The sacred melodies of Buddhist chanting and the resonant sounds of mantra recitation filled the shrine hall. With minds united in sincerity and devotion, the participants transformed their heartfelt prayers and offerings into an immeasurable offering extending throughout the Dharma Realm.
Upon the successful completion of the Feast Offering, Reverend Lian Jie compassionately performed the **Vajrasattva Broom Purification** for everyone present, praying that accumulated karmic obscurations and ignorance from countless lifetimes might be swept away and purified.
Then came a particularly remarkable moment. As the Feast Offering began, the dark clouds that had covered Melbourne’s sky throughout the morning gradually parted. The mist and gloom dispersed, and warm rays of sunlight broke through the clouds and streamed into the shrine hall.
Bathed in the gentle sunlight, the magnificent altar, flowers, fruits, lamps, and offerings seemed to glow with renewed brilliance. To those gathered in the shrine hall, the sudden transformation from an overcast morning to radiant sunshine felt like an auspicious sign—the compassionate Golden Mother shining her light upon all beings and bestowing her blessings.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, everyone joyfully shared the delicious food that had been offered and blessed during the Tsok Feast. Warm smiles filled the hall as devotees enjoyed the offerings together, their hearts overflowing with Dharma joy.
This extraordinary gathering—bringing together faith, devotion, offering, purification, and auspicious signs—came to a joyful and fulfilling conclusion on a spring day in Melbourne.
As the clouds parted and sunlight illuminated the temple, the celebration left more than a beautiful memory. It planted within the hearts of all who attended a lasting seed of light, faith, auspiciousness, and the compassionate blessings of the Golden Mother.
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