21/5/1999 Midnight
Midnight Chime

This year, for the first time in Hong Kong, Lord Buddha's Birthday is declared a public holiday by the SAR Government. At the same time, we will escort the tooth relic of Buddha Sakyamuni from Beijing to Hong Kong with the kind permission of the Central Government. This national treasure will be enshrined in the Hong Kong Coliseum for public worship for seven consecutive days. Faithful from Hong Kong, China and overseas are welcome to attend.

"Midnight chime" which ushers in the Birthday celebration. Bells in all Buddhist establishments will be struck at the beginning of 22nd May (8th day of the 4th moon in the lunar calendar) and the faithful will pray together to welcome Lord Buddha's Birthday. The Ven. Kok Kwong will lead Buddhists in Hong Kong for the chiming ceremony on screen from the Kwun Chung Monastery. TVB will broadcast this solemn moment live.

Traditionally, the bell and the qing (the inverted bell) are used in Buddhist rituals and for reporting time. Their resounding tone has a thought collecting power and serves to awaken the mind. According to Baizhang Rules of Pure Living, when the bell is struck in the morning, it signals the break of dawn and arouses people from sleep. When it is struck in the evening, it reaches to the dark realms and awakens our lethargy. Thus the sounding of the bell and the qing is symbolic of the wakening power of the Buddha's teaching. The resounding tone helps us to recollect our mind and to drive away our afflictions.

The Avatamsaka Sutra(Flower Ornament Sutra) states the mind, Buddha and sentient being are synonymous. An awakened mind is the Buddha mind. A deluded mind is an ordinary man's mind. Wisdom will naturally arise when one possesses awareness, and then one can make the right judgment. An aware and wise person can benefit both himself and others. On the other hand, a deluded mind will breed afflictions and make us do things detrimental to ourselves and society. If we want to purify society and to build a pure land on earth, we have to awaken people's mind.