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TAIPEI CAODAI CONGREGATION ATTENDED WEIXIN SHENGJIAO’S GRATIFICATION RITUAL IN NANTOU, TAIWAN

TAIPEI CAODAI CONGREGATION ATTENDED WEIXIN SHENGJIAO’S GRATIFICATION RITUAL IN NANTOU, TAIWAN

Updated 2020-06-28 11:08:38

(Report from Taipei, 27 June 2020. Pictures by Weixin Shengjiao)

Following the invitation from Weixin Shengjiao Taiwan, in the morning of June 26, 2020 (Lunar Calendar 5^th May, Year of the Rat), Religious Chief Nguyen Tuan Em, Acting Head of the newly founded Taipei Cao Dai Congregation and Mrs. Ly Thi Thuy Trang, Secretary of the Congregation, participated in the Gratification Ceremony on the Dragon Boat Festival held by Weixin Shengjiao in Nantou, Taiwan.

Other distinguished guests included Professor Wu Qing Ji, Former Minister of the Taiwanese Ministry of Education, Professor Lin Cong Ming, President of the Taiwanese Nanhua University; Daoist Study Professor Lee Fong Mao, Buddhist Study Professor Lee Yuchen from Taiwan National Chengchi University and Professor Taesoo Kim from Daejin University – Korean Daesoon Jinrihoe Organization. All together there were approximately 2,000 participants joining the ritual.

Being similar to the Lunar New Year Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival (Double fifth Day) is considered as one of the three most important festivals in the traditional life of the Taiwanese people.

The annually-held Weixin Shengjiao Gratification Ritual took place for four days from 22 June to 25 June 2020 in order to express gratitude to Heaven’s Mercy and to invite the Heavenly Jade Emperor, Wang Chan Lao Zu and other Divinities to descend to Taiwan for protection and to pray for world peace and for successful control of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic Covid 19, Weixin Shengjiao branches all together launched a 50-day ritual for dispelling the pandemic and collectively chanted scripture 6 million times in order to transfer the merits for solving the grievances. Currently, Weixin Shengjiao is proceeding to chant scripture 15 million times to pray for the whole world. (Thanks to this wholehearted dedication, the pandemic crisis in Taiwan is much less severe than other nations. The most updated statistics showed that there were only confirmed 477 cases in Taiwan, including 7 deaths and all social activities took place as usual during the pandemic).

In addition, many paper-made dragon boats have been consecrated by Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi and put into the heavenly heart pond that symbolizes the dharma ferry. The Jade Emperor will board on the ferry to come to Earth to save all sentient beings.

Cao Dai and Daesoon Jinrihoe Representative’s participation in this Gratification Ceremony held by Weixin Shengjiao on the Double Fifth Day once again showed the close relationship and friendship amongst the Three Religions in the Association of East Asian New Religions: Caodaism in Vietnam, Weixin Shengjiao in Taiwan and Daesoon Jinrihoe in South Korea. Also, this was a good opportunity for religious exchanges between Cao Dai Representatives and Distinguished Professors in Taiwanese Universities.

After the ceremony, His Eminence Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi and Professor Fiona Hsin-Fang Chang, Director, Research and Development Center for Religious Affairs at Weixin Shengjiao, held a friendly reception for invited guests. His Eminence Grand Master was very pleased to know about the recent establishment of a Cao Dai Congregation in Taipei.