The 30th Ling Jiou Mountain (LJM) Water-Land-Air Dharma Assembly took place at the Taoyuan Arena August 16 - 23, 2023. A grandiose ‘Joint Religious Congregation for Blessing’ was staged on the eve of the inauguration to precede the 8-day Buddhist Dharma assembly, which is not only the annual event of religion and culture for the Taoyuan region but continues to function as a soothing remedy of people’s heart and mind for the post-pandemic New Normal. Taoyuan Mayor Chang Shan-Cheng, Council Speaker Chiu Yi-Sheng, and a group of visiting dignitaries consisting of interfaith representatives, executives of local religious establishments of temples and shrines, as well as leaders of charity groups, were present on the occasion to jointly pray from blessings for Taiwan, our planet Earth, and all sentient beings.

2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the LJM Buddhist Society and the 30th staging of its signature Water-Land-Air Dharma Assembly, which continues the tradition of the great vow that ‘A Millenniums of Water-Land Ritual Warrants A Myriad Generations of Compassion’ observes the LJM core philosophy of Compassion, Austerity, and Equality in its execution of the Dharma event. It is expected that all parties involved should participate by practising precepts and repents, as well as by reciting sutras and chanting mantras to consolidate people’s collective positivity that facilitates reconciliations amongst all suffering sentient beings and participants of the LJM Water-Land-Air Dharma Assembly that ultimately manifests itself as positive energies accessible to a world in need.

The rain poured down in buckets in the morning of the 16th as if an invisible force was at work to rinse the enchantment for the Water-Land-Air Dharma Assembly. The rainfall lessened in the afternoon, rendering it quite agreeable to conduct rituals for blessings. For the first time, the Joint Religious Congregation for Blessing was relocated to where the Dharma Assembly’s Inner Shrine is for its implementation. All 32 representatives of participating entities, including Archbishop Tsai Guang-Ssu of The Lord of Universe Church, representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, some 20-plus chief executives of temples and shrines of the Taoyuan area, and Honorary Chairman Lu Chao-Fu of the Confederation of PTA Associations among other public bodies, Wan Mei-Ling and Lu Yu-Ling alongside a dozen or so Taoyuan City councilmen, and local dignitaries such as Board Chairman Su Jia-Ming of the Taoyuan City Bank of Trust. All visitors proceeded as previously informed and it was an august sight to behold.

The Water-Land-Air Dharma Assembly opened with a drums performance entitled ‘Drumbeats from the Earth To Pray for Blessing’ by the Song-Kun Traditional Arts, and it was a combination of traditional folklore and modern technology to display animated strength and beauty to sym bolize the collective good of the joint religious prayer for blessings. LJM Founding Abbot, Master Hsin Tao, Taoyuan City Mayor Chang Shan-Cheng, Speaker Chiu Yi-Sheng, and all VIP guests paid tributes of respect and humility to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas via the offering of burning incense and lighting up oil lamps.

The ritual proper was initiated via the reputable ‘One-Minute Chan Meditation of Tranquility’ led by Master Hsin Tao to inject positive energies of tranquility and peace to permeate the site. The entire body of all VIP guests at hand then recited the Prayer for Peace in its brief entirety which reads “Let it be that people become positive, and life is auspicious and peaceful, where happiness and bliss abound and the communities are harmonious and all businesses prosper to contribute to the prosperity of all countries, so that all faiths are harmonious and all sentient beings are mutually complimentary in a symbiosis, and popular benefits are available to all so that peace and harmony exist on Earth to warrant that calamities stay far away and the world enjoys lasting peace”. LED-lit sky lanterns were then set off to rise up to the skies to manifest the observance of ancient rituals of ‘reflecting luminaries of Buddhas’, and the sight of the scene was a rare Dharma bliss indeed.

Former Premier and the incumbent Taoyuan City Mayor Chang Shan-Cheng expressed gratitude that the Master Hsin Tao-led LJM Buddhist Society as its main seat and staple monasteries in Gong Liao of New Taipei City to hold its signature annual event of the Water-Land, and Air Dharma Assembly for 30 consecutive years to amplify that fact that LJM also established charity foundations and a famous Museum of World Religions. Mayor Chang praised LJM for its dedication to worthy causes such as its reach-out efforts for people to appreciate the power of religion to the extent that the notion of positivity continues to spread out to help contribute to harmonious communities.

Speaker Chiu Yi-Sheng said to the effect that he’s greatly honored to head up the executive commission for this year’s Joint Religious Congregation for Blessings and that he’s grateful that both religion and politics side-stepped differences to contribute to a common effort. Chiu is of the opinion that Water-Land Dharma assemblies are the unsung heroes that Taoyuan enjoys peace and galloping progress, while Taiwan stays peaceful and prosperous, while disasters stay away. Chiu concluded his remarks by inviting everybody to join the strong following of Grand Master Hsin Tao to pray for blessings for Taiwan year after year.

Master Hsin Tao shared the insight that religion is a power that stands guard to bring people faith and stability, and as such, religion’s mission is to amplify compassion and lead people in optimizing their innate positivity to benefit all sentient beings. And the present Dharma Assembly serves to unite the collective strengths of people’s compassion and to consolidate our positive Karmas which will hopefully transform into a cleansing energy that is capable of change - so that adversities disappear and calamities turn into auspices. In sum, the Dharma Assembly functions to achieve peace and reconciliation for all lives. The Water-Land, and Air Dharma Assembly that began to unfold this evening carries the hope that we all maintain our positivity and mindfulness in our purified enchantment, so as to be able to eradicate all obstacles in our lives to collectively achieve immeasurable virtues and merits by way of, and throughout, the unfolding Water-Land, and Air Dharma Assembly.