2019. Building Dreams Buddhist Retreat, PEI.
The air stood still as Teacher Zhen-Ru walked down the stage.

Immediately, one of the Venerables recited, “Seeing a downhill road, may all beings be humble and develop an enlightened base of virtue.” As Teacher Zhen-Ru circled the Prajna tower in the corner of the gymnasium, another Venerable fluently recited, “Circumambulating the stupa, may all beings act without offense and develop omniscience.” Wherever Teacher Zhen-Ru goes, the Venerables would take turns reciting phrases from the Chapter on Purifying Practice in the Flower Ornament Sutra.

The crowd broke out in a round of applause.

Afterwards, Teacher Zhen-Ru gave a lecture on the One-Hundred Fifty Praises. Out of the three gates of body, speech, and thought, to take refuge in the Three Jewels through speech is to praise the Buddha’s merits through words. “Why would we still need to praise the Buddha through words when we’ve already decided to take refuge in our minds?” Some may ask. By praising the Buddha, we’ll slowly learn to appreciate the small happenings in life. By learning to voice our care and admiration for one another, others will receive strength and warmth as well.

After class, one of the Venerables led everyone in reciting the Chapter on Purifying Practice together out loud. Every single one of the 141 phrases contained the Buddha and Bodhisattva’s greatest aspiration. Everyone was deeply moved.

To pass on this joy to more people, GWBI will be releasing a daily phrase from the Chapter on Purifying Practice starting from June 24 on GWBI Facebook and GWBI Official LINE. We invite you to share it with your friends and loved ones. Let us soar with the Buddha and Bodhisattvas together!