Hsi Lai Temple Welcomes Faithful

December 17, 2008

Author: Richard Irwin

Source: The Buddhist Channel/SGVTribune.com

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=65,7539,0,0,1,0

The path to enlightenment begins with a single step. And 120 novices took that first step this week at the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple in Hacienda Heights. Thus begins a two-week journey of introspection and commitment to the monks' way of life.

With their close-shorn heads and flowing black robes, it was hard to tell the monks from the nuns as they marched with military precision onto the temple's central plaza on Dec. 11.

They stood as statues, their ranks forming precise, parallel lines. A warm breeze ruffled their common cloth as well as the brilliant red, white and blue of the American flag waving on the flag pole beside them.

The acolytes quietly awaited Master Hsing Yun, the founder and head of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order. He had flown in from Taiwan for the international ordination.

"The novices came from China, Taiwan, the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia," explained the Venerable Mioa Hsi, a director at the Hsi Lai Temple.

As the giant bell began to sound its deep, mellow greeting, smaller bells tinkled in the hands of brightly clad monks. Their saffron robes glistened in the sunlight as they surrounded the novices.

Seven Buddhist masters began the solemn procession through the ranks of the humbled novices. Their bright red sashes served as signs of their high rank.

The ordination ceremony dates back more than a thousand years. In their Tang Dynasty-style robes, the monks murmured traditional Chinese Buddhist chants.