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Due to the participation of Venerable Wu Shin, Venerable Wu He, Venerable Wu Ling,
the friends from the Amitabha Buddhist Society of Houston, Texas, and the Amitabha
Buddhist Library of Washington, D.C., the celebration of the libraryˇ¦s third
anniversary was a resounding success. The three-day program that began with a two-day
Buddha-name chanting retreat was concluded on the third day with the Thrice Yearning Ceremony.
Besides local friends, participants included those came from Houston, Texas, Washington, D.C.,
Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Four of the friends from Washington, D.C., drove over twelve hours,
and a Vietnamese friend from Houston, Texas, took a Greyhound bus for thirty-six hours to join
the program. Their sincerity and thrilling enthusiasm deserves deep praise and admiration.
The celebration started the afternoon of 5/25/2006. Volunteers greeted arriving friends at O'hare
Airport, brought them to the library, and helped them check in to the hotel. After dinner, everyone
gathered to chat with the venerables and listen to their respective upcoming teaching plans. The
venerables also shared with us many interesting and fun stories when serving venerable Master Chin Kung.
The evening ended in a very relaxing and pleasant atmosphere.
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Venerable Wu Shin lectured after the Buddha-name chanting.
Venerable Wu Ling lectured for Western friends after the Buddha-name chanting.
Director General, Mr. & Mrs. Cheng, Venerables, Director Li-Su Tan and friends from Chicago and Houston.
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On May 26 and 27, Buddha-name chanting was held in the library. There were sixty to seventy attendees
on both days. The participants, all wearing haichings (chanting gowns), chanted and practiced walking
and sitting meditation as one. Venerable Wu Shin gave a talk in the evening and then answered questions.
On May 28, the Thrice Yearning Ceremony was held in the gym of Kennedy Jr. High School. The gym was very
roomy and the setup was orderly, formal and very beautiful. Over 100 people attended the day-long ceremony.
The Director General of Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Chicago, Mr. Thomas Cheng, also attended
the first section of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony. The instrument team's playing and the participant's
singing blended into a deeply moving rhythm as the deceased were encouraged to repent their karmic obstacles
and to vow to be born in the Pureland.
On May 29, the library treated Dharma friends to a one-day city tour of Chicago that included a boat ride
on Lake Michigan. In the evening, the farewell party was held at the home of Director Li-Su Tan and Co-director
Bert Tan. This completed the three-day celebration.
ˇ´ Eleanor Wang
ˇ´ Translated by Bert Tan
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