On the occasion of Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Enlightenment Day, the Fo Guang Shan Chicago Buddhist Temple hosted a Guanyin Dharma Practice Service on the morning of August 2. Over 50 devotees attended, engaging in prostrations, sutra chanting, and making vows to learn the compassionate and altruistic spirit of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Abbess Venerable Yong Han and Venerable Miao Wei gave spiritual talks on “The Power of Guanyin’s Vows” and “Cultivation Through Prostrations,” respectively, encouraging the assembly to integrate Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s self-awareness of “I am a Buddha” into their daily lives and to continuously elevate their practice through vows and mindfulness.
In her address, Venerable Miao Wei highlighted the merits of “taking prostrations to the Buddha as the core of practice.” She noted that while methods of prostration may vary according to individual causes and conditions, the focus of cultivation lies not in external forms. She encouraged the assembly to cultivate respect and humility through prostration, overcome inner arrogance, observe their every single thought and mental activity, and make vows to practice diligently.
Abbess Venerable Yong Han guided the assembly to reflect on the true meaning of “enlightenment,” encouraging practitioners to act as wholesome friends to one another on the spiritual path, offering mutual reminders and growing together. She inspired everyone to emulate Guanyin Bodhisattva’s compassionate spirit in the Universal Gate Chapter—”gazing upon all sentient beings with eyes of compassion”—filling their hearts with gentleness and care to transform their own character. Citing worldly suffering such as earthquakes in Japan, Venerable Yong Han illustrated that all living beings are interdependent, forming an interconnected community of shared destiny. By practicing Guanyin’s compassionate vows of responding to the cries of suffering and practicing together through vow power, one can grow in wisdom and compassion, progressing toward the Bodhisattva realm to “attain the eye of wisdom, swiftly realize all Dharmas, reach Nirvana early, and cross over to the other shore.”
Devotee Jin Zhang and her mother participated in the service, sharing that amid the solemn chanting and Buddha’s name recitation, they rediscovered inner gentleness and peace. She noted that through the sincere recitation of the Guanyin Vow Verse, she felt a growth in wisdom and strength, reminding herself to practice “contemplating the mind in ease” in daily life. Expressing her profound gratitude, she prayed for the Buddha’s light to shine everywhere and for the temple’s Dharma propagation to flourish smoothly.
Hallie Smith, a first-time Western visitor to the temple, felt a sense of mental tranquility and inner calm while listening to the pure, solemn Buddhist chanting. She shared that the Buddha’s teachings are vast and profound, expressing her wish to visit the temple more often in the future to gain a deeper understanding of the wisdom and true meaning of the Dharma.