Homage to Mongalyana, the Great Bodhisattva of Filiality
How great and wonderful is the sacrifice of our mothers, is the burden of our fathers
For the growth and life of their children they devote all their lives
Dear friends and fellow practitioners,
One of our ways to pay respect and filiality to our parents is to have them in our prayers wishing that our living parents are safe and at peace, or that our deceased parents are transformed and liberated to the Pureland of Amitabha Buddha. On the occasion of the celebration of Ullumbana, the grateful day to our parents, we cordially invite you to come to the temple and join us in our prayers.
We are hosting the Ullumbana on Sunday, August 30 of 2009 at 10:00 am
In the observation of Ullumbana we also set a ceremony of “Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels and Receiving Five Precepts” for those who have committed to take refuge in the three jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) and to take the vows of receiving the five lay Buddhist’s precepts. The Refuge ceremony will be held on:
Saturday, August 29 of 2009 at 10:00 am
(Note: If you plan to take refuge, please complete the Taking Refuge form by 8/27/2009)
A special entertainment program in the spirit of offering to Ullumbana with the theme of “Thank You Mom” will be hosted at An Lac Temple on Saturday night, August 29, 2009, at 7:00pm. The musical performances include of the local Vietnamese Singers of Indy, the Youth choir of An Lac Temple, Vietnamese School Rahula, and special performance of the “Ten Thousand Eyes Ten Thousand Arms Kwan Yin Bodhisattva” from Truc Lam Temple of Chicago. These performances will reflect the symbols of Buddhist Culture.
“Thank You Mom” is as a gift that we respectfully offer to parents, as a gift of filial children on the day of Ullumbana. Our parents devote their lives in raising us and experience hard work and difficult times in their lives to make us be as ourselves today.
We invite you to this great festival so that we all can share our wholesomeness in our prayers for our parents and all sentient beings in peace and happiness.
May the three jewels bless you and your family with body and mind in peace and allow you to cultivate your practice in observation of the Grateful season to parents this year.
Homage to Amitabha Buddha,
Sincerely
Sangha of An Lạc Temple |
The building of An Lac Temple’s Buddha Hall was temporarily considered as finished last year (2008). Due to the shortage of construction funds, the construction project of the main temple’s gate has been stopped. All the iron gates and building supplies of the temple’s gate that were ordered and shipped from Vietnam (added to the shipment of the statues last year), are now almost rusted and damaged. Consequently, we must urgently proceed with the main temple’s gate project. However, we are in the financial dilemma of not having enough funds to build the gate and pay for the fees.