A public gathering organized by the Taiwan-based Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation to pay tribute to Buddha, parents and all living things, has been scheduled for next Sunday, Mother’s Day, the organizers said yesterday.
Lee Yi-huei (李怡慧), a spokeswoman for the Tzu Chi Daan Branch in Taipei, said May is considered Piety and Tzu Chi month. The combination of Vesak, Mother’s Day and Tzu Chi Day on May 11 “is really meaningful for us [Tzu Chi believers],” she said.
Lee further explained in a press release that Vesak Day, an annual holiday observed by practicing Buddhists, is devoted to a symbolic washing away of sins and a self purification with the Dharma’s pure water of wisdom.
“As all of us have the same translucent nature as Buddha ... with pure water, we hope to bring the light of wisdom to all corners of the world,” Lee said.
Lee said the event was aimed at awakening people’s awareness in the nature of Buddha and “to be able to respect all beings all the time and to repent of the five evils of greed, we pray for one and all with gratitude and that the extensive flow of charity and compassion will purify us all.”
The event will take place at the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall in Taipei between 6:15pm and 8pm next Sunday. All participants are advised to wear white long sleeved shirts and dark colored trousers.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
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Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
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