Becoming a Buddhist - Lotus Pond Temple, Lantau Is. Hong Kong 30th March, 2019

After a few false starts I finally took the plunge and officially became a lay Buddhist this weekend. I flew to Hong Kong on Friday afternoon, stayed overnight at the Lotus Pond temple on Lantau Island, and at 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning the community of monks and nuns took me through a ceremony to become part of the Plum Village Buddhist family. It practises in the Zen tradition of the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. I had been fiddling at the edges for years, looked at different traditions, went on a pilgrimage to northern India, and done some study, reading and meditation, so I thought it was about time to take this step and be part of something positive. It will also give me support as I continue in the practice. I will need it!

Every religion has a ceremony of some sort. The usual thing here is to Take Refuge in the Three Jewels (the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) and to undertake one's best to recite and live according to the Five Mindfulness Trainings (generally known as the Five Precepts).

It was terrific. The brothers and sisters were lovely to me. We enjoyed eating meditation, sitting meditation, singing, and walking meditation together. The ceremony, in which they were all present, went for almost an hour, and at several points I had to "touch the Earth" which means literally touching my forehead to the ground. Later I received a certificate setting out the details of the event and the lineage of my teacher. The Dharma name given to me is "Radiant Sincerity of the Heart".

There were one or two minor challenges in getting there. The plane from Taiwan arrived an hour late and the taxi driver couldn't exactly find the temple, so it took a quick phone call to figure it out. 

Another pleasant surprise was that the Lotus Pond Temple is just a short walk away from the  huge world famous Buddha statue (Tian Tan) on Lantau Island. So walking around the hills and seeing that area was a definite bonus. Although I was unable to take any photos during the ceremony (since nobody was available to do that), I did get some afterwards which I hope you will enjoy. It was an amazing experience!

The Meaning of 'Buddha Vandana'

Buddha Vandana, or ‘worshipping the Buddha’ is one of the devotional practices performed daily by Buddhists. It is done as part of a reverential recollection of the Triple Gem, consisting of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. In this way, followers build their confidence in the Triple Gem. The Buddha encouraged such recitations in times of fear or disturbance so that these can be vanquished, since the Buddha is free from all kinds of defilements, like greed, anger and ignorance.
Buddha Vandana begins by recalling the supreme accomplishments of past, future and present sammasambuddhas. It then continues by making a statement that the Enlightened One is a person’s sole and supreme refuge, and that one wishes to attain enlightenment through taking refuge this way. It concludes by humbling oneself before the holy feet while asking for forgiveness of any transgressions, and stating one’s continued reliance on the Buddha until reaching enlightenment.