Politicians gathered yesterday outside the Presidential Office to celebrate the 2,552nd anniversary of the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha.
The sunny weather attracted thousands of people including diplomats, religious leaders and politicians across party lines to the gathering on Ketagalan Boulevard.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday the birthday was an important day for the Buddha and all mothers. If it were not for Buddha’s mother, Queen Maya, who gave birth to Prince Siddartha, the Buddha’s teachings would not have enlightened the world and benefited mankind, he said.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, AP
Ma said he was “touched” by how Taiwanese Buddhist groups had endeavored to promote Buddhism to families at home and abroad over the past 60 years, giving “Taiwanese culture” a new definition.
“It is touching to see once again the Taiwanese demonstrate their longstanding tradition of tolerance and respect,” he said.
Ma said he was happy to see religious groups from all around the world come together on this day. It symbolized that “the Republic of China is a country with religious freedom and is a nation that is open and diverse.”
“Over China’s long history, there was never a war caused by religious conflict,” he said. “It is a remarkable contribution to world culture.”
As it was also the Bathing Buddha Festival, Ma said he hoped the public would cultivate kindness, benevolence, respect and righteousness.
Before his speech, Ma performed the “bathing Buddha” ritual. He was followed by politicians, including Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄), who also serves as honorary president of the Buddha’s Light International Association, the event organizer.
Holding a wooden ladle, Ma poured water over a small statue of the Buddha three times while reciting: “May I eliminate all evil thoughts” on the first wash, “May I cultivate good deeds” on the second and “May I help save all living beings” on the third.
Bathing a statue of Buddha symbolizes a fresh start in life and the care given to newborn babies. Many other countries celebrate Buddha’s birthday on May 2.
Legend has it that when Prince Siddhartha was born, there were auspicious signs heralding his birth.
They describe the sky as blue and clear on his birth, with dragons spurting purified water to bathe him. Since then, Buddhists have celebrated his birthday by using fragrant water to bathe the image of Buddha.
With the Democratic Progressive Party set to stage a march and sit-in protest on Ketagalan Boulevard next Sunday, Wu said yesterday the venue had been the origin of many demonstrations.
The KMT chairman said yesterday’s gathering showed public support for the Ma administration’s efforts to improve the economy, which he said showed signs of recovery.
“What we need right now is unity, not hullabaloo,” he said. “Both the ruling and opposition parties should make a joint effort to improve the economy and make this land a better place.”
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS