On May 3rd, 2017, the Eighth day of the Fourth Month in Lunar Calendar, the long anticipated 9th Wesak Festival Vegetarian Banquet of Cham Shan Temple finally took place.

At 7 pm, the masses waited respectfully, palms joined, chanting the Great Compassion Mantra, for the respectable masters to perform purification ceremony in the main venue, the Premiere Ballroom. Among the respectable masters are Ven. Dayi Shi, Rev. Jianzong from Toronto Ching Kwok Buddhist Temple, Rev. Boyu from Fu Sien Tong Buddhist Temple, Lama Tashi Dondup, Lama Tenzin Dakpa, Ven. A. Rathanasiri, Ven. Dr. Bhate Saranapala, Ven. Ashin Kawwida, and Ven. Huiming. The masters chanted the Heart Sutra and prayed for the Buddha's blessing for everyone in the audience, which officiated the commencement of the gala in a peaceful and joyful vibe.

2017 marks the 50th anniversary since Ven. Lok To, Ven. Sing Hung, Ven. Shing Cheung first came to Canada to promote Buddhism and Buddha's teaching. Since it is also the 150th birthday of Canada, the 9th Wesak banquet nevertheless bears even more importance. Representatives from Canadian government, celebrities from different social circles and Buddhists in Toronto joined together to celebrate the Wesak Festival and Buddha's birthday.

On behalf of The Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple, Ven. Dayi Shi presented the opening speech. He welcomed the politicians, senior masters from different temples and all distinguished guests. He narrated the story of Sakyamuni Buddha and the profound meaning of celebrating Buddha's Birthday. He hoped that everyone can benefit from Buddha's teaching of compassion and equality.

Next, a video on the Development of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada was presented, which also introduced the events that took place in 2016. Ven. Sing Hung and Ven. Dayi Shi led a pilgrimage to the Four Great Famous Buddhist Mountains in China and acquired the "incense and flames" from these sacred places. They also followed the footsteps of Ven. Tan Xu and visited the ancestral monasteries of the Tiantai Sect. Meanwhile, Cham Shan Temple hosted its signature large-scale events, the Grand Ceremony of Water and Land and the 2nd Canada-China Buddhist Cultural Exchange Week. 2016 also witnessed the construction progress in Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada. At the end, the video showed the updates on the Buddhist Forum and a series of events that will be held in June 2017, which is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Buddhist Propagation. These events will certainly create great impact on the spread of Buddhism in North America.

The politicians in the audience included Hon. Michael Chan, MPP (Minister of International Trade) Ontario, Hon. Reza Moridi, MPP (Minister of Research, Innovation and Science) Ontario, Laura Albanese, Steven Del Duca, MPP（Minister of Transportation）Ontario, MPP Soo Wong, MPP Han Dong, MPP Raymond Cho, Joe Li, Markham Regional Councilor, Markham Councilor, Alan Ho, Amanda Yeung Collucci, Scarborough Councilor Chin Lee, Richmond Hill Councilor Godwin Chan, Vaughan Councilor Sandra Yeung Racco, Chief Eric Jolliffe of York Regional Police, Superintendent Niel Corrigan of York Regional Police, Adam J. Grant Deputy Fire Chief & CEMC of Markham Fire and Emergency Services, Scott McFadden, Mayor, Township of Cavan Monaghan, Heather Stauble, councilor of City of Kawartha Lakes, wife of Geng Tan, MP Representative. They acknowledged and applauded the efforts that Cham Shan Temple has put forward in promoting multiculturalism, social harmony and cultural exchange, and emphasized the importance of Buddha's teaching in the modern world. Deputy Consul General Mr. Xu Wei expressed wishes that Cham Shan Temple will make greater contribution to the cultural exchange between China and Canada.

Since its start, the Wesak Festival Vegetarian Banquet has been acknowledged and supported by three levels of government and people from all walks of life. The banquet has now become a sacred gathering, a most looked-forward-to event, a platform for cultural exchange and networking activities, a fundraising event which also promotes the Buddhist precepts of no killing and protection of all sentient beings.

I now bathe all Thus Come Ones,

Who are adorned with pure wisdom,

Who have amassed merit and virtue.

May living beings of the five turbid realms be led from filth,

And together realize the pure Dharma body of the Thus Come One.

Accompanied by the Praise of Bathing the Buddha, Ven. Sing Hung and Ven. Dayi Shi, masters from three traditions of Buddhism, politicians and guests performed "bathing the Buddha" ceremony, which purifies our minds.

Through the act of pouring flower-scented water over Buddha's statue, we are offering upmost respect to the Buddha and praying for improvement of our wisdom. It is also a reminder to us that we should stay away from dirt that contaminates our body and filth that pollutes our mind. If our body and mind constantly maintain their purity, our compassion and wisdom will be improved. While we benefit from pure body and mind, we should also vow to help other beings to attain the same goal. Buddha's birth has marked the beginning of the mind-purification journey. Only when we reach the shore of enlightenment can we live up to the blessing from this superior ceremony.

The gala reached its peak when Ms. Jing Shan Yuan and Mr. Huo Feng, two famous Chinese artists presented their performances. Ms. Jing Shan Yuan was the actress of Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in the movie New journey to the West. Both of them performed their most well-known songs, and the audience was overjoyed.

Without suspense, the auction was the highlight of the night. All of the auction items were collections of masters of Cham Shan, including Jade Guanyin Bodhisattva (Avalokitesvara) Sprinkling Holy Water collected by the late Elder Master Lok To, Jade Maitreya Buddha collected by the late Elder Master Shing Cheung, Black Jade Gong collected by Ven. Dayi Shi, Auspicious Golden Vase Tapestry collected by Ven. Sing Hung, Two Jade Pendants (Twin-ring Peace Pendants) and two pieces of Elder Master Sing Hung's Calligraphy. The auction was well liked and enthusiastically bid by the audience. The auction raised $248,000 CAD, which will be all used in the construction of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden in Canada.

The auction was followed by a donation ceremony where JCY donated a portrait of Ven. Sing Hung made of precious stones, and Mr. Zhihua Yang and Ms. Jing Yang donated a wooden Buddha Head sculpture from Ming Dynasty (worth $25,000-40,000 CAD) and a wooden Buddha statue from Beiqi Dynasty (worth of $10,000 CAD). Both items will be curated in the Buddhist Museum in Canada in Niagara Falls.

The Banquet closed the curtain with a song performance "Love and Care" by Ms. Zixuan Wang. Every attendee was blessed with Buddha's teaching and the joy continued to linger. The splendid performance of the Banquet left the guests full of anticipation of the series of events that will take place in June.

What will happen in the June events? Spoiler alert! There will be gourmet vegetarian meals, grand performance from famous and top-notch artists against the backdrop of Chan atmosphere. The audience will be able to meet with the artists, indulging in various types of traditional music over tea, classical music and elegant aura of incense. It aims to create the same landscape where people get together and share their talents in ancient China. What will that be like?

We shall see you on June 16 and June 19 events.