Lighting Festival for Amitabha Buddha’s Birth at Long Hoa Nunnery - Long An Province.

 Although the nun monastery was not large, the atmosphere was very warmly. At 7:00 p.m. sharp, the ceremony officially started. In recitation about The Amitabha Buddha's great fame from the masses, the rites board respectfully invited all Most Venerables, Senior Venerables, Junior Venerables, monks and nuns together to come to the rostrum on witness of the ceremony.

 The name of the Amitabha Buddha and belief in the Pure Land method was not strange to Buddhists. In responding to the miraculous teaching of Sakyamuni Buddha, the Pure Land method was the superior method established by the Amitabha Buddha, in oder to save the sentient beings who were universally suffering in the saha world. Although he became the Buddha from uncountable eons ago, from the 48 great power vows, his compassionate mind was still infinite to living beings. His deep vows are to support all sentient beings who, in the evil world, will be reborn in the Pure Land and practice the dharma until they become the Buddha.

 Meaning of ceremony is not only to remind the Buddhists to remember duration of cultivation and the power of vows from the Amitabha Buddha but it also increase their belief and desire of having a rebirth in the Pure Land. In the sparkling and marvelous light of candles, it represented the light of brilliant wisdom and warmly compassionate mind. All the monks, nuns and Buddhists observed their mind in the purity, and they very sincerely prayed for the peaceful world and joyful sentient beings.

These are some specific images: