Wat Phra Dhammakaya organizes an online 2 million lantern lighting ceremony in homage to the Lord Buddha and the monks throughout the world join together in chanting, group meditation, and loving kindness sharing for all around the world to get in peace and stay safe from COVID-19.
Ven. Phrakru Samusanitwong Wuttiwangso, Director of the Communication Department, stated that on Friday, February 26, 2021, Wat Phra Dhammakaya and the Dhammakaya Foundation, together with the World Buddhist Organization, International Buddhist Society under the patronage of His Holiness Somdej Phra Maha Rachamangkalacharn, Centers for the Promotion of Morality domestically and internationally, Preservation of the Five Precepts Project of Pathum Thani, Volunteer Organization for Peace (V-PEACE), devotees of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, and other affiliate organizations collaborated to organize the online 2 million lantern lighting ceremony in homage to the Lord Buddha together with chanting, meditation and spreading loving kindness to the entire world so people can live in peace and harmony and be safeguarded from Covid-19. In this ceremony, the monks throughout the world joined together online in chanting and sharing loving kindness and dedicated all merit to His Holiness Somdet Dr. Dhammasen Mahathero, the 12th Supreme Patriarch of Bangladesh on his cremation ceremony. Additionally, the lay people celebrated the achievement of 3,200,001,250 Dhammacakka recitation rounds through electronic media, Zoom application (ZOOM Cloud Meetings). This event was complied with the strict measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The objective of this ceremony is to pay homage to the Lord Buddha, encourage Buddhists to adopt religious principles in their daily life and cultivate morality for children, youth, and people to reduce and abstain from addiction and abuse. Encouraging Buddhists to accumulate merit by candle lighting, observing the five precepts, and practicing meditation would be motivated for all Buddhists around the world and dedicate all merit to those who died from the spread of COVID-19,” said Ven. Phrakru Samusanitwong Wuttiwangso.
Magha Puja Day was an important day in Buddhism. Since it was the day when the Lord Buddha gave a sermon to 1,250 monks on the full moon day of the third lunar month at Weruwan Temple, Rajagaha, Bihar, all the priests were Arahants who attained the six super-knowledge(Apinya 6) and got ordained directly from the Lord Buddha. The assembly of monks took place without prior arrangement. The sermon on the Ovada Patimokkha that the Lord Buddha recounted in the monastic meeting was principle, ideology and method of action for the world’s benefits. In short, abstain from all misdeeds, perform only good deeds, and purify one’s mind.
Most recently, Wat Phra Dhammakaya organized several online events like the New Year’s Eve overnight chanting, lantern lighting ceremony, food offering to monks in the 9th Dhammayatra Project in homage to the Great Master Phramongkolthepmuni via ZOOM. A great number of Buddhists in Thailand and abroad happily attended and rejoiced in the merit from these auspicious events.
