It was a joint celebration on Sunday, one that honored mothers and Buddha, with the message: “Great love knows no boundaries.”
Put on by Orange County’s Tzu Chi Foundation, the Buddha Day Ceremony welcomed Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike for a celebration and opportunity to learn more about the Buddha and commemorate Mother’s Day.
This is the first time the humanitarian organization has opened its Buddha Day event to the general public — and Sunday’s event was the first since the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary stop to the celebration a few years ago, said Cherry Lai, an Irvine resident who does community outreach for the Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center.
Volunteers and members of Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center walk to the table in a one-of-a-kind Buddhist ceremony to express their appreciation for Buddha’s teaching during Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
Students express their appreciation for the Buddha’s teachings and reflect on the impact of unconditional love at the Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
Volunteers and members of Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center hold candles during the Buddhist ceremony to express their appreciation for Buddha’s teaching at the Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
With the help of a Tzu Chi volunteer, four-year- old Sophie Wang holds a flower, symbolic of receiving Buddha’s teaching during Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
Jim Chung reads about Buddha at the exhibition on the Buddha’s Life and the Eight Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites during Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
The photograph of Master Chen Yen, Founder of Tzu Chi Foundation, flanked by the Buddha International flag, left, the United States flag and Tzu Chi flag at the Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
Participants bow and reflect on the impact of unconditional love and the teachings of Buddha at the Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
Detailed acrylic imagery on the table for participants celebrate Buddha’s birthday and his teaching during Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
Participants take a flower during the Buddha Day Ceremony to symbolize the receiving of his teaching at the Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
Volunteers and members of Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center hold candles at the start of the Buddhist ceremony to express their appreciation for Buddha’s teaching during Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
Participants give homage to Buddha and his teachings during Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
Family members take photos of their children as they express their appreciation for the Buddha’s teaching during Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center’s 2023 Buddha Day ceremony held at Irvine High School on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, 2023. The event features a formal ceremony and Buddha bathing procession, as well as fun and interactive ways of learning about the Buddha’s life. (Photo by Frank D’Amato, Contributing Photographer)
“One of our messages this year is ‘great love knows no boundaries.’ We think this is especially important post-COVID and with everything that has been going on around the country and around the world,” Lai said.
While traditional celebrations feature a Buddha bathing procession — where water is poured over Buddha statues as a symbol of cleansing the spirit and mind — at Sunday’s event at Irvine High School, participants were able to place flowers and lamps before a Buddha statue. This method of paying homage to the Buddha was chosen, Lai said, because of the celebration’s focus on interfaith participation.
Tzu Chi was founded in 1966 and has become known for its international humanitarian work, including disaster relief and medical care.
While the birthday of Siddhartha Gautama, whose teachings the Buddhist religion is based on, falls at various times in different cultures, in Taiwan it coincides with Mother’s Day. Buddha Day is the most significant holiday for Buddhists.
“We want to take this opportunity to show our appreciation for all the sacrifices that mothers make for their families,” said Cindy Kao, director of the Tzu Chi Orange County Service Center. “We hope that this ceremony will bring joy and peace to the hearts of all mothers and remind them of how much they are loved and appreciated.”
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