Three Acts of Goodness Inspire Young Hearts During Buddha’s Birthday Celebration

During the Buddha’s Light Children Blessing Ceremony & Homecoming Gathering Ceremony, parents and children recite the prayer together. (Photo by Wei Yixuan)

[Reported by Cixuan Hu, North Carolina, USA] Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, North Carolina and the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) North Carolina Chapter held a series of Buddha’s Birthday celebrations on May 23 and 24, 2026, featuring the Buddha’s Light Baby Blessing Ceremony, Bathing Buddha Dharma Service, family-friendly challenge games, and a vegetarian charity fair. Through Buddha bathing rituals, Three Acts of Goodness education, and parent-child activities, the events fostered gratitude, kindness, and joyful family interaction in a warm and festive atmosphere.

Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, North Carolina and BLIA North Carolina Chapter jointly held the Buddha’s Light Children Blessing Ceremony & Homecoming Gathering Ceremony on May 23, 2026. A total of 30 children between the ages of 0 and 12 took refuge in the Triple Gem and became Dharma children of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. (Photo by Wei Yixuan)

The Buddha’s Light Children Blessing Ceremony & Homecoming Gathering Ceremony were presided over by Venerable Miao Jou, superintendent of Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, North Carolina. Participants recited the Heart Sutra together, while 30 children between the ages of 0 and 12 formally took refuge in the Triple Gem and became Dharma children of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.

Drawing from Fo Guang Shan Founding Master Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s A Prayer for Buddha’s Light Children, Venerable Miao Jou encouraged parents to guide their children with compassion and wisdom. In addition to loving care, parents should help children learn to face challenges, solve problems, and cultivate healthy character and a positive outlook on life.

Gee Chia, president of the BLIA North Carolina Chapter, presents awards to the winners of the I Love the Earth Children’s Art Competition. (Photo by Wei Yixuan)

The celebration also included the Three Acts of Goodness Creative Lantern Painting Contest and the I Love the Earth Children’s Art Competition award ceremony, encouraging children to express creativity and environmental awareness through art.

In the “Nine-Grade Lotus” game area, parents and children happily toss balls into scoring holes, enjoying quality family time together. (Photo by Wei Yixuan)

Interactive family challenge games became one of the highlights of the event. Parents and children learned about the Buddha’s life and Humanistic Buddhism through stations such as “Bathing the Buddha,” “Meeting Siddhartha,” and screenings of The Life of the Buddha. The activities combined education with entertainment, filling the venue with laughter and joy.

A special Life of the Buddha exhibition was also presented along the cultural corridor, accompanied by a “Buddha Life Challenge” spinning-wheel trivia activity that attracted enthusiastic participation from families and deepened understanding of the Buddha’s teachings and life story.

The Joyful Vegetarian Fair charity sale organized by the BLIA North Carolina Chapter attracted large crowds eager to sample the food. More than 15 varieties of handmade vegetarian specialties were offered, including Vietnamese round cakes, spicy wontons, crispy rice cakes, vegetarian popcorn chicken, Chinese toon pancakes, wisdom cakes, snow fungus sweet soup, and bubble tea. (Photo by Jingky Gilbert)

The Joyful Vegetarian Fair organized by the BLIA North Carolina Chapter, also drew large crowds. More than 15 varieties of handmade vegetarian specialties were offered, including Vietnamese round cakes, spicy wontons, crispy rice cakes, vegetarian popcorn chicken, Chinese toon pancakes, “wisdom cakes,” snow fungus sweet soup, and bubble tea. Visitors lined up to sample the popular dishes. The BLIA Young Adult Division of North Carolina also debuted its charity dessert, mango pomelo sago, which sold out shortly after sales began, showcasing the YAD group’s enthusiasm and unity.

Children attending the award ceremony stop to take photos with the statue of Prince Siddhartha. (Photo by Wei Yixuan)

Children and adults gather at the prize redemption area to exchange points earned from the games for their favorite gifts. (Photo by Wei Yixuan)

During the Bathing Buddha Dharma Service held on May 24, 2026, Venerable Miao Jou explained that when the Buddha proclaimed at birth, “In the heavens above and on earth below, I alone am the honored one,” the “I” did not refer to the Buddha as an individual, but to the pure Buddha nature inherent in all beings. Bathing the Buddha, she noted, is not merely an external ritual, but a practice of cleansing one’s inner afflictions and purifying the mind.

During the Buddha’s Light Children Blessing Ceremony & Homecoming Gathering Ceremony, venerable place blessed wrist cords on the children, symbolizing peace and auspiciousness. (Photo by Wei Yixuan)

Venerable Miao Jou, superintendent of Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, North Carolina, guides children in the Buddha bathing ritual and encourages them to practice the Three Acts of Goodness. (Photo by Hai Kuo)

Before the Bathing Buddha Dharma Service begins, devotees line up in two rows to make offerings before the Buddha, celebrating the Buddha’s Birthday with sincere devotion and gratitude. (Photo by Hai Kuo)

BLIA North Carolina Chapter board member Luo Sijing shared that seeing her child sincerely participated in offering rituals and Buddha bathing, while reciting the Three Acts of Goodness verses together, deeply highlighted the importance of both verbal instruction and leading by example. Devotee Zeng Xiuhua added that while watching the purified water gently flow over the image of Prince Siddhartha during the Buddha bathing ceremony, she felt an immediate sense of peace and clarity, with her worries naturally dissolving away.