Hosted by Grandmaster JinBodhi, the 2020 Medicine Buddha’s Birthday Blessing Ceremony was held on November 14th at the Bodhi Meditation Center in Taichung, Taiwan. The event attracted more than a thousand practitioners from all over Taiwan, and hundreds of thousands of netizens from more than 50 countries gathered on live broadcast platforms in various languages to participate in this extraordinary event.
During the ceremony, Grandmaster JinBodhi expounded the compassionate wishes of the Medicine Buddha, and summarized them as the five requirements that best create human happiness in real life: inner illumination, economic prosperity, protection from negative impact, finding the right direction, physical health and perfection, and avoidance of disasters and unjust punishments. These blessings are essential for human survival. Grandmaster JinBodhi then led everyone to chant The Medicine Buddha’s Heart Mantra. At the close of the ceremony, Grandmaster JinBodhi blessed everyone under the compassionate light of Medicine Buddha. His hope was that everyone could chant with their utmost sincerity on such an auspicious day and receive the blessings and protection of Buddha and bodhisattvas, thereby enjoying the fulfillment of all their wishes and dreams.
Medicine Buddha’s great wishes to meet all human needs
Grandmaster JinBodhi taught us that when the Medicine Buddha was practicing the bodhisattva path, he made 12 specific and great wishes, including five major aspirations, that all meet the physical and spiritual needs of daily life.
The first category is the wish for inner illumination. When one’s mind is dark, the sight of anything causes pain. Therefore, the Medicine Buddha vowed to radiate the light of inner compassion and illuminate the hearts of all sentient beings, in order that everyone face the world brightly and be willing to do more giving and offering. Grandmaster JinBodhi said that the process of helping others is also a process of regaining self-confidence. Once a person is confident, his or her heart will shine and be full of the courage needed to create and build. Eventually, he or she will become someone who creates the world and radiates the dazzling light of compassion.
The second category is the great wish of economic prosperity. There are many poverty-stricken places in the world. The lack of government protection, medicine shortages, malnutrition, fatigue, and a dearth of basic knowledge, along with many other factors, have led to diseases and mortality for many, including children. Seeing this, the Medicine Buddha vowed that all sentient beings shall get everything they ask for financially and stay away from poverty. Regarding this, Grandmaster JinBodhi reminded everyone: “As a self-cultivator, I hope that you will understand this great wish, but not become overly attached to it. Use your money wisely and reasonably.”
The third category is the wish to stay away from evil ways. With the continuous evolution of modern technology, many influential but potentially detrimental ways of thinking and doing are constantly introduced into society. Recreational activities such as mahjong games on the cellphone may seem common and harmless, but once you get addicted, the addiction will affect your health and even ruin your family relationships. In addition, misleading viewpoints such as “world destruction” have also led many people onto a wrong path. Thus, one of the great wishes of the Medicine Buddha is to enter the hearts of those who have strayed in a negative direction, so that they can be instantly liberated and return to the compassionate right way of benefiting all sentient beings.
The fourth great wish is for physical health and perfection. The Medicine Buddha vowed that anyone with defects and imperfections, whether physical or mental impairment, would be restored and have the basic needs of life met upon hearing the Buddha’s name. Grandmaster JinBodhi said that many people wish to be perfect and accepted by others. With the accumulated merits and virtues that come through cultivation and chanting to the Buddha, one’s facial features and complexion will change, as these are the reflections of the inner self. Grandmaster also reminded us that people who seem to have a strong body may not be totally free of disease. Therefore, they should always chant the Medicine Buddha’s name or The Medicine Buddha’s Heart Mantra to pray for longevity and enhanced physical health. Long-term chanting can even enhance one’s charisma.
The fifth category is staying away from calamities and punishments. One of the Medicine Buddha’s wishes is to immediately liberate those who have been punished or imprisoned. The more important meaning of this wish is to correct people’s behavior in advance so that they will not commit crimes and be punished for them. If you chant the Buddha’s name frequently and gradually accumulate merits and virtues, you will be blessed to resolve disasters in advance and avoid committing crimes. Also, you will become kind, compassionate, empathetic, considerate, and tolerant, which also helps with accumulating merits and virtues. When an opportunity comes forth, whether it is to make a fortune or get promoted, your own energy can be matched with the chance given to you.
Wholehearted chanting, compassionate blessings, dharma bliss
After Grandmaster JinBodhi’s teaching, he led everybody in chanting The Medicine Buddha’s Heart Mantra. Throughout the blessing ceremony, all seats were filled, and even the walkways were occupied by practitioners. Everybody was chanting wholeheartedly and some practitioners were even in tears. The atmosphere was solemn and extraordinary.
During the chanting, Grandmaster JinBodhi lit the offering lights and prayed for all the Bodhi Meditation Centers and netizens around the world, hoping that the vast sea of lights would eliminate obstacles and confusion for all sentient beings and deliver auspiciousness, safety and health. At the same time, tens of thousands of lights were lit at Bodhi Meditation Centers around the globe, bringing auspiciousness and illumination to the world.
Next, Grandmaster JinBodhi blessed everyone with Buddha-light, fulfilling their wishes and removing all kinds of ailments such as dampness, athlete’s foot, and even heavy-heartedness. The blessing incantation filled the ceremony venue and resonated through the internet. Global netizens were simultaneously blessed and many of them left messages expressing joy at the easing of their pain and stress. They were grateful for Grandmaster JinBodhi’s blessings.
Grandmaster JinBodhi also reminded everyone not to consume cold drinks, not to use foul language, and not to get angry during the next three days, while remembering to praise at least three people every day for a week. He also wished for everyone to be blessed and protected by Medicine Buddha and experience the fulfillment of their dreams. After receiving the auspicious blessings, all practitioners were smiling and filled with dharma bliss.
Perfect completion
This day was also the completion day of the Along With Buddha Online Chanting Class. From the start, netizens all over the world had expressed that the online class was helping them in all aspects, including the regaining of health. Some of them shared miraculous occurrences, such as the body exuding a sweet natural fragrance and the practitioner suddenly being able to hear otherworldly sacred music. These wonderful results brought a perfect completion to the online chanting class.
[ The live sharing session of the online chanting class on the Grandmaster JinBodhi YouTube Channel and Facebook of Grandmaster JinBodhi premiered on November 19th. ]
