On February 16th, the 2019 Spring World Peace Prayer Ceremony was held in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, United State. His Holiness the Vajra Master Jinke Xuanlei of Sino Esoteric Buddhism presided the ceremony. People from different countries, including China, United States, Indian, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Canada, Italian, Iceland, and others, as well as representatives of overseas Chinese, and hundreds of Buddhist disciples participated in the prayer ceremony.

 

        During the prayer of Sanskrit mandala chanting, the master blessed every guest and disciple by sprinkling water for purification and benediction, planting in them the Bodhi seed of wisdom, healing their mind and removing all afflictions. The meditation hall at the Temple was filled with auspicious energy.   During the Prayer Ceremony, Temple’s disciples in Dharma robes held lotus lamps to welcome the Vajra Master to lead the Dharma service. Together, the Master and other guest representatives lit the lotus lamp symbolizing wisdom, peace and great love. The master then formed mudras with his hands and chanted mantras to supplicate: “May the merit of our practice adorn Buddha’s pure Lands, Requite the fourfold kindness from above, Relieve the suffering of the three life-paths below. Dispel all warfare and disasters. May our lands be bountiful and our Nations prosperous; May our people be happy and the world in peace. Let the boundless love of our heart spread to every corner of the world. May there be no more hatred or hostility. May all sentient beings feel the boundless love that has been brought forth by this auspicious connection we share.”  

 

        The prayer ceremony marks the opening of the first Sino Esoteric Buddhist Temple in the United States. Jack Wang, one of the representatives from Jinyin temple said, “In view of the warm expectations of people from all walks of life in the United States and overseas Chinese, the Vajra Master Jinke Xuanlei and his disciples at home and abroad build the Jinyin Temple of Sino Esoteric Buddhism in Pennsylvania to establish a World Peace Mandala. The purpose is to bring the ancient Eastern Sino Esoteric Mandala culture to the United States, to spread the spirit of kindness and compassion with friendly people from all over the world, and to pray for East Stroudsburg! Pray for Pennsylvania! Pray for world peace! Let exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations serve as a link for world peace. We hope that Jinyin Temple will be a holy place for spiritual purification, the center of pilgrimage, the center of culture, the center of longing, and the center of peace for all peoples!”  

 

        Pennsylvania senator Mario Scavello, Pennsylvania Congressman Rosemary Brown, as well as the Smithfield town mayor Annette Atkinson gave speeches, expressed their pleasure for the invitation from Jinyin temple of Sino Esoteric Buddhism and the establishment of the World Peace Prayer Mandala in Pennsylvania. They commented that: the Sino Esoteric Buddhism is extensive and profound and shows the great love of eastern civilization; people from the local areas and beyond welcome the Vajra Master to Pennsylvania and are very happy for visitors from all over the world to come here.  

 

        The vice-president of World Buddhist Fellowship and the chairman of the Buddhist revival society of Bangladesh Ven. Suddhananda Mahathero was present that day. He said, “The Vajra Master Jinke Xuanlei is a great achiever of deep and hard cultivation. He integrates all his life and spirit into the realm of selfless love and gives all his wisdom, compassion, merits and wishes to countless sentient beings. I am very impressed!” The 88-year-old Venerable expressed that he was honored to be here with the Vajra Master to pray for world peace.  

 

        J. C. Herbert Bryant, who accompanied President Nixon when the president visited China, expressed that it was his pleasure to have the opportunity of participating in such a holy ceremony with the honorable Vajra Master Jinke Xuanlei to pray for world peace together. He is a veteran who hates war, for every conflict would deprive hundreds and thousands of innocent lives. He hoped the evil wars would end forever. Such prayers have significant meanings for promoting world peace and he felt a special blessing from the Master.  

 

        Richard Jordan, the representative of the NCO association of the United Nation, said, “I have promoted world peace for my entire lifetime. During the process of discovering and studying Buddhism, I found that Buddhism is a religion of peace. Master Jinke Xuanlei’s principles and practices are astonishing to me. This is the kind of spirit that I have spent my whole life seeking. It is a spirit of seeking truth, respecting and treasuring different religions.”  

 

        Other representatives delivered speeches, including Adanagara Royal Monastery of Sri Lanka, Venerable Wajira, the forecourt chief of Buddhist college of Theravada Buddhism, Cindy Croener, the representative of Public Association of Promoting Peace in Monroe County of Pennsylvania of of United State, Doctor Singh, the representative of Hinduism, and Lihua Qiao and Gusheng Zhou, the leaders of the overseas Chinese.  

 

        During his deep meditation in the mountains in Guangxi on September 15th, 2016, the Vajra Master Jinke Xuanlei's Dharmakaya was connected to the divine realm, where he had seen all the founders and saints of different religions gathered around the globe to protect the world. Our aim in showing this painting is to advocate for the union of humanity, working in solidarity, following the teachings of saints and sages. Together we shall promote world peace, resist wars, eliminate violence, protect the environment and create a blissful home for all.  

 

        After the Dharma Ceremony, guests were visited to the exhibition room to see the mandala art created by the Vajra Master and his disciples, including paintings, calligraphies, porcelains, sculptures, dance, music and Sanskrit chanting. The Master also demonstrated the process of writing Chinese calligraphy and wrote sacred mandala art for General Bryant. The method reflects the extraordinary and skillful methods used by the Master which is highly unconventional and left a strong impression on guests present.  

 

        The Vajra Master Jinke Xuanlei and his disciples purchased a 36-acre land in Pennsylvania in 2017 through fundraising and donations. Many of the Master’s disciples are accomplished entrepreneurs in China. They not only donated money but also contributed through many different ways. During the construction process, they lived on the construction site to oversee the project. Jinyin temple is still in the process of further improvement. They also plan to help build temples elsewhere in the United States.  

 

        The prayer ceremony was jointly sponsored by the World League of Sino Esoteric Buddhism Association (United States), Sino Esoteric Buddhism Association (Canada), and Jinyin temple of Sino Esoteric Buddhism. The Peace Promotion Association of the Monroe County Public Alliance of Pennsylvania, the Buddhist Institute of Harvard University, the Buddhist Association of the University of Chicago, the Union of the Overseas Chinese Association in New York USA, Greater Washington Guangxi Folks Association, Tianjin Commerce Association USA Inc, Traditional Chinese culture institute international, Fudan Entrepreneurs and Executive Club--USA(FEEC-USA). 

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