Buddhist Events Buddha Bathing Festival of Falun Temple in Kongtong Mountain
In April 8th lunar month, it is the traditional Buddha Bathing Festival. A great celebration of Buddha Bathing Festival is going on grandly Falun Temple in Kongtong Mountain. After traveling craze of Labor Day, Kongtong Mountain greets a peak of popularity again.
According to legend, Buddha Shakyamuni can walk when he was born. At the 7th step, he pointed to the sky by one hand, the other hand pointing to the earth, saying, “ I’m the most honorable between sky and earth. At the moment, it rains sweet raining, the dragons spit water to bathing prince, the world is filled with joy. In order to commemorate the Buddha’s birth, Buddhism followers hold Buddha Bathing celebration at this day every year. Shakyamuni statue is bathed imitating the scene at that moment in the past. Therefore, Buddha’s birth day is also called as Buddha Bathing Festival.
Buddha Bathing Festival has two purposes. One is to commemorate Buddha’s great spirit of helping the world, being a monk, enlightening, even living again, spreading innumerable means earnestly. Therefore, Buddha Bathing Festival, on the other hand, is to pay back to Buddha’s kindness. The other is to make people wipe off the dirt, obsessiveness, annoyance, unhappiness, making people cool, refreshing and comfortable mentally and physically. And put Buddha’s mercy spirit into practice, making everyone benevolent. Purifying society, waking and guiding the world is the real significance of bathing Buddha.
The Falun temple today has palaces in the following: Tianwang palace, Daxiong palace, Yufo palace, Dizang palace, Weituo palace, Jialan palace. The most valuable in this temple is the Lingyun tower built in Tang dynasty. Its height is more than 30 meters built by structure of seven steps and eight angles totally with sticks. There are 88 Buddha statues consecrated in this temple, which represent 88 Buddha, looking solemn.