On June 21, 2026, despite a chilly, overcast winter morning in Melbourne, warmth and spiritual vitality filled Yen Ming Temple as devotees gathered for the annual pre-celebration of the Buddha’s Birthday and the Bathing the Buddha ceremony. While April 8th of the lunar calendar is widely known as the Buddha’s Birthday, True Buddha School follows the guidance of Grand Master Lu, who revealed that the Buddha’s actual birth date is the 16th day of the 5th lunar month. Consequently, the lineage celebrates the event on or just before this specific date each year. To mark the occasion, volunteers meticulously handmade exquisite Lotus Lamps for devotees to purchase and offer to the Buddha. In Buddhist tradition: The Lamp symbolises wisdom. The Lotus symbolises purity. Lighting a lotus lamp serves as a profound metaphor for awakening the light of consciousness within oneself. At 11:00 AM, heralded by the traditional ring of bells and drums, Reverend Shi Lian-jie led the congregation through the Shakyamuni Buddha Deity Yoga Practice. During meditation, attendees visualised the birth of Prince Siddhartha in the Lumbini Garden. The recollection of the Prince's declaration: “Above the heavens and below the earth, I alone am the honred one”—served as a spiritual awakening, shattering internal ignorance and reviving the seeds of enlightenment within everyone present. Following the deity yoga, the congregation harmoniously chanted the [Sutra on the Merits of Bathing the Buddha]. The collective chanting created a wave of spiritual warmth, effectively sealing out the winter cold from the main hall and …
On June 21, 2026, despite a chilly, overcast winter morning in Melbourne, warmth and spiritual vitality filled Yen Ming Temple as devotees gathered for the annual pre-celebration of the Buddha’s Birthday and the Bathing the Buddha ceremony.
While April 8th of the lunar calendar is widely known as the Buddha’s Birthday, True Buddha School follows the guidance of Grand Master Lu, who revealed that the Buddha’s actual birth date is the 16th day of the 5th lunar month. Consequently, the lineage celebrates the event on or just before this specific date each year.
To mark the occasion, volunteers meticulously handmade exquisite Lotus Lamps for devotees to purchase and offer to the Buddha. In Buddhist tradition: The Lamp symbolises wisdom. The Lotus symbolises purity. Lighting a lotus lamp serves as a profound metaphor for awakening the light of consciousness within oneself.
At 11:00 AM, heralded by the traditional ring of bells and drums, Reverend Shi Lian-jie led the congregation through the Shakyamuni Buddha Deity Yoga Practice. During meditation, attendees visualised the birth of Prince Siddhartha in the Lumbini Garden. The recollection of the Prince’s declaration: “Above the heavens and below the earth, I alone am the honred one”—served as a spiritual awakening, shattering internal ignorance and reviving the seeds of enlightenment within everyone present.
Following the deity yoga, the congregation harmoniously chanted the [Sutra on the Merits of Bathing the Buddha]. The collective chanting created a wave of spiritual warmth, effectively sealing out the winter cold from the main hall and fostering a deep sense of communal peace.
After the deity yoga, the ritual of Bathing the Buddha started. The focal point of the hall was a beautiful floral altar housing a golden statue of the infant Prince standing in a basin filled with specially prepared herbal fragrant water. Reverend Lian-jie initiated the ritual by pouring the fragrant water over the statue’s head while chanting sacred verses, followed sequentially by the devotees.
The act transcends a mere traditional ritual. As each ladle of water washes over the statue, it symbolises the cleansing of one’s own internal defilements—greed, anger, and ignorance.
Melbourne’s winter may be cold, but the warmth of the Dharma is timeless. The true essence of this celebration lies in its duality: **Bathing the Buddha is ultimately bathing the mind**, allowing every participant to step back into the world with a pure, bright, and awakened self.
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