The Flower Lantern Festival Commemorating Buddha Amitabha at Quoc Thoi Pogoda – Ben Tre.

In the joy towards the ceremony of Amitabha Buddha"s birth, on January 4th, 2015 ( 14/11 Horse Year), the ashrams of Quoc Thoi Pogoda, An Hoa Hamlet, Long Thoi Village, Cho Lach District, Ben Tre Province held a solemn dignified flower lantern festival commemorating the Buddha Amitabha.

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By the permission of Senior Venerable Thich Chan Tinh, as\r\nwell as the invitation of the Abbot Venerable Thich Tam Hung, Hoang Phap\r\nPogoda’s monks arrived here to support the organization of the festival night.

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For practitioners on The Pure Land Sect, it is probably the\r\nmost important day among the celebrations. This is an opportunity for everyone\r\nin the same mind of the Buddha, towards enlightenment transcendence of supreme\r\none with 48 great vows to save sentient beings.

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At 18h, the night ceremony officially began. Opening the\r\nprogram, Junior Venerable Thich Tam Hung, the Abbot of Quoc Thoi Pagoda, chief\r\norganizer was proclaimed the opening speech. Then, with all devotion, Buddhists\r\nwere towards the stately and serene statue of the Amitabha Buddha for listing\r\nflavor.

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Next, the program continued with rituals transmitting\r\nlights. Candles of compassionate wisdom were lit by the Most Venerable from the\r\nBuddha table and from his first candle, the abbot Junior Venerable slowly\r\nspread to the Buddhists, which is the symbol of lantern posting rituals. The candle\r\nbrings light of love, of understanding, of faith, hope and salvation, and it\r\ncontinues to be transmitted to other Buddhists as if to remind one thing that\r\nthrough the candle lofty values of ethics which will always maintain and exist\r\nto let our life uplifting, happy.

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Also in the night of the ceremony, Buddhists were able to\r\nlisten to the 48 great vows of Amitabha Buddha; knowing His highly loves for\r\nsentient beings.

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At the end of the ceremony, Most Venerable Thich Giac Minh,\r\non behalf of managing committee of Vietnam’s Buddhist Church of Ben Tre\r\nProvince, gave the dharma instructions to the public.

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In the program of this day, there is the performance of the\r\nsingers, artists: The Vu, Diep Tu Hong, Chung Tu Long, Hong Hanh, Dinh Phong,\r\nTan Beo comedy group, Tan Bin, Pham Anh Thu, Vu Luan, etc, with songs and\r\nsinging offering to the Buddha.

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Late at night when the moon high rose, the ceremony ended in\r\njoy of all.

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Some images as below:

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