8) Amitabha Buddhist Association

Transcript

My very first memory of the Amitabha Buddhist Association of New South Wales was when I was  sitting at the back of one of the study rooms in a Mandarin  Buddhist class. The other young people in the room were all black-haired, small and younger  children who I don’t see around anymore or recognise. I felt a bit alone, not knowing how to  properly speak Mandarin, despite having learned it for four years in high school, because l was  too afraid to speak the language. A part of me always felt like I didn’t belong anywhere or quite fit  in. But also, a part of me felt happy to try something new; to take the courage to be a part of a new  community.  

Every school holiday, our Association holds what are called Thrice Yearning Ceremonies. At a  Thrice Yearning Ceremony, we pray for our ancestors and the deceased to go to the Western Pure  Land- which is our ‘Heaven’ or the afterlife -by chanting the Amitabha Buddha’s name. My Mum  and the Elders of our Association encouraged me to attend the ceremonies every school holiday.  

On one particular Ceremony, amid the July 2022 school holidays, a lotus  flower sprung.  

The air was cold and the sky was gloomy with white clouds. It was an overcast winter’s day. My  bangs were cut short, covered snuggly underneath a wooly gray cap, and I wore my big fluffy  black Uniqlo jacket to keep myself warm. I accompanied my Mum to the halls of Bankstown  Public School, where the sacred ceremony unfolded with each chant of the Amitabha Buddha’s  name. The devoted chants echoed, reverberating like a gentle hymn.  

The Aunties at the front gave us a chanting book before entering the hall. They offered chanting  books in Chinese, Vietnamese, and English. As l am not confident in my reading skills in Chinese  or Vietnamese, I always requested for the English-translated version.  

As I step into this sacred hall, I feel a lotus flower planted at the seat of my feet. We lined up  neatly beside other participants in brown prayer robes.  

I do my best to follow along with the chants – which are in Mandarin – by reciting the sounds of  the words, following along with the Venerable Master monk leading the ceremony, and with  everyone else. We chant together in deep unison as though we sing together in a choir or  orchestra ensemble. Chanting together with our community makes me feel strong, supported,  and connected with others, a sense of inner peace.  

With each visit to the Association and Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, I gradually began to build a  greater understanding of why we chant, pray and practice Buddhism. As I turned each page of  the chanting book, I also did my best to follow along with the English translation.  

At some point during this chanting ceremony in the middle of winter in 2022, I realised the reason  why we chant. With each chant of the Amitabha Buddha’s name, I felt a lotus flower spring in  my mind, its petals opened to reveal the path to the Western Pure Land. It is not a distant  realm, but a state of being attainable within the depths of our own consciousness. Through the  Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, I learned that the true Pure Land resides not in the external world,  but within the sanctuary of our minds

As I walked through the halls, accompanied by the gentle echo of chants, I felt a sense of peace  washing over me, as if I had finally found my place in the world. Within these walls, where blue  rectangle posters of the Amitabha Buddha adorn the walls, I find not just A community but a  family of kindred spirits where I feel a deep sense of connection, reverence, and finally belonging, with not just Buddha,  others, and the world, but also myself. I no longer feel afraid of being lonely, because through  studying and practising Buddhism, I have learned to become my own best company

After the chanting concluded, my Mum and l exited the hall of Bankstown Public School. Near  the toilets, I spotted Uncles distributing white cardboard boxes adorned with pictures of pink  lotus flowers. These boxes contained chanting machines.  

A chanting machine plays chanting tracks that repeat or sing  a word or phrase continuously. -The more you pray the Buddha’s  name, the closer you become to attaining enlightenment and returning to the Western Pure Land  where Buddha forever resides.  

The chanting machines the Uncles were distributing were solar-powered and shaped like lotus  flowers. Eagerly, I expressed my desire for one to my Mum. Uncle Henry, stationed at the table,  beamed with delight upon hearing my request

[Track 4 of Venerable Master Chin Kung chanting “Amitoufo” fades in.  

The chanting machine featured 28 chanting tracks of the soothing voice of Venerable Master Chin  King. a Chinese Buddhist monk. Venerable Master Chin Kung passed away in the same month of visit to the Association was an extremely special, admired, and  important leader 

At this time, I felt a sense of grief experienced differently by everyone; my Mum felt a sense of  profound sorrow; the Elders came to the understanding and acceptance that their leader had  moved on into the afterlife, and the great sense of loss blanketed the whole school

However, Il looked at the opportunity to purchase the chanting machine with hope and positivity.  After giving Uncle Henry fifteen dollars in cash with two of my hands, I received one of the boxes.  Holding the box felt like I was holding a real lotus flower in my palms. It made me feel happy,  as I felt its delicate petals open, unfurling in a symphony of colours. 

Although the master has left us, he has left wisdom. We took the machine back home and placed the chanting tracks outside our prayer room. Over  time, dust and cobwebs have settled upon it, marking a testament to the passage of days,  months; a year and a half since he passed away. Yet, the voice of Venerable Master Chin Kung  persists, softly echoing every morning as l enter the prayer room to commune with the Amitabha  Buddha and feel the lotus flower blooming within and without.