Compiled by C.ARUNO AND ALLISON LAI
THOUSANDS of Buddhists gathered at the Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom, Selangor, to witness the enshrinement ceremony of relics belonging to late Buddhist master Ven Hsing Yun, China Press reported.
The ceremony, held in a solemn atmosphere accompanied by chanting and drumbeats, was led by Fo Guang Shan’s Chief Abbot for Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, Ven Jue Cheng.
The relics were flown in from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and arrived in Malaysia on Friday before being temporarily placed at the temple’s main hall.
On Sunday, devotees joined a procession around the temple grounds before the relics were enshrined at the Patriarch Hall.
The event formed part of a global initiative by Fo Guang Shan to distribute the relics to 12 temples across five continents.
Among those present were former Penang chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and MCA Youth chief and Johor executive councillor Ling Tian Soon.
On Saturday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke received the relics at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.
He described Ven Hsing Yun, founder of Fo Guang Shan, as a key promoter of humanistic Buddhism whose teachings influenced people worldwide.
Ven Hsing Yun, who died on Feb 5, 2023, had told disciples not to search for relics in his ashes.
Following his cremation, however, followers reportedly found several pearly relics but left them within the ashes in accordance with his wishes.
The ashes containing the relics were later enshrined at the 12 temples.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
