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109-604: The temple is in the Pure Land tradition of Ling Yen Shan near Suzhou , Jiangsu , China . It is an offshoot of Lingyen Shan monastery near Puli, Nantou , Taiwan, which was founded by Master Miao Lien in 1984. Located on No. 5 Road in Richmond near Williams Road, the Lingyen Mountain Temple is located within a 20-minute drive from Vancouver, parts of Richmond and other Metro Vancouver municipalities with

218-475: A "pure vision" of this realm as being the pure realm of the deity, along with the visualization of their chosen deity . To fail to do this at all times is a deviation from the tantric practice and the esoteric view taught in the tantras . As explained by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche : Mandalas , especially sand mandalas , are 'Pure Lands' and may be understood as Nirmāṇakāya , as are all murti , thangka and sacred tools that have consecrated, dedicated and

327-411: A Chinese-style coat, get your kids tiger-head hats and shoes, and decorate your home with some beautiful red Chinese knots, then you will have an authentic Chinese-style Spring Festival. During the festival, people around China will prepare different gourmet dishes for their families and guests. Influenced by the flourished cultures, foods from different places look and taste totally different. Among them,

436-546: A form of a blessing and to suppress both the ageing and challenges that were associated with the coming year, to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers. Business managers may also give bonuses in the form of red packets to employees. The money can be of any form, specifically numbers ending with 8 (Mandarin: ba 八), which sounds similar to fa (Mandarin: 发 ), meaning prosperity, but packets with denominations of odd or unlucky numbers, or packets without money are usually not allowed due to bad luck. The number 4

545-421: A glutinous new year cake ( niangao ) and send pieces of it as gifts to relatives and friends in the coming days. Some families visit local temples hours before midnight to pray for success by lighting the first incense of the year. Today many households hold parties. Traditionally, firecrackers were lit to ward off evil spirits. The household doors are sealed and not reopened until dawn in a ritual called "opening

654-469: A longer Chinese New Year holiday will celebrate and welcome the gods that were previously sent on this day. This day is the god of Wealth's birthday. In northern China, people eat jiaozi , or dumplings, on the morning of powu (Chinese: 破五 ; pinyin: pòwǔ ). In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on the next day (the sixth day), accompanied by firecrackers. It is also common in China that on

763-564: A new year. The money was called sui nian qian ( 随年钱 , "money based on age"). In the chapter, "Ending of a Year" ( 歲除 ) in Wulin jiushi ( 武林舊事 ), concubines of the emperor prepared a hundred and twenty coins for princes and princesses to wish them longevity. New Year's celebrations continued under the Yuan dynasty , when people also gave nian gao ( 年糕 , "year cakes") to relatives. The tradition of eating Chinese dumplings jiaozi ( 餃子 )

872-537: A process of the development of lotus ( padma )-symbolism in Pure Land Buddhism. The final outcome of the thought was as follows: the aspirants of faith and assiduity are born transformed ( anupapāduka ) in the lotus flowers. But those with doubts are born into the lotus-buds. They stay in the calyx of a lotus ( garbhāvāsa ) for five hundred years without seeing or hearing the Three Treasures. Within

981-536: A red string, and the money is called Ya Sui Qian ." The term is still used by Chinese people today. The money was presented in two forms: coins strung on red string or colourful purses filled with coins. In 1928, the ruling Kuomintang party decreed that the Chinese New Year would fall on 1 Jan of the Gregorian Calendar, but this was abandoned due to overwhelming opposition. In 1967, during

1090-654: A schema of five main Buddhas (called the Five Tathāgatas ). In this schema, which is popular in Esoteric Buddhism and is organized as a mandala , there the five Pure Lands of the five key Buddhas are: In Chinese Buddhism , the Pure Land was commonly seen as a transcendent realm beyond the three realms (the desire realm, form realm and formless realm) into which one can be reborn after death. This view

1199-514: A significant Buddhist population. It is a 2-minute walk away from the high school of Richmond Christian School . The temple is on a stretch of Richmond's No. 5 Road that is thick with regional temples, churches, mosques, and associated schools, which has been dubbed Richmond's "Highway to Heaven". The area is within British Columbia's Agricultural Land Reserve . The temple is one of few religious establishments there to have complied with

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1308-508: A significantly smaller Main Buddha Hall, at a maximum height of 25.9 metres (85 feet). This represents a decrease of 53% from the first proposed expansion. The expected size of the monastery has also been reduced, from an expected 147 resident nuns to 60. The new temple buildings will be the tallest religious buildings in the area, and are expected to be built to LEED Gold standards. It is already getting expanded now. For more, please check

1417-753: A similar function to pure lands in Buddhism. This pure land is the realm of Tàiyǐ Zhēnrén also known by the longer title Heavenly Venerable Taiyi Savior from Suffering, the Great Emperor of Azure Radiance (青華大帝太乙救苦天尊). Taiyi, like Amitabha, is also said to provide salvation for all sentient beings in the 10 directions, with a different incarnation for each direction. Chinese Manichean texts also contain depictions of pure lands. There are various Pure Land worlds described in various texts of various Chinese folk religions and Chinese new religions . Chinese New Year Chinese New Year , or

1526-676: A special breakfast on this day in some Chinese homes. The concept of the "La month" is similar to Advent in Christianity. Many families eat vegetarian on Chinese New Year eve, the garlic and preserved meat are eaten on Chinese New Year day. On the days immediately before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their homes a thorough cleaning. There is a Cantonese saying "Wash away the dirt on nin ya baat " (Chinese: 年廿八，洗邋遢 ; pinyin: nián niàn bā, xǐ lātà ; Jyutping: nin4 jaa6 baat3, sai2 laap6 taap3 (laat6 taat3) ), but

1635-410: A special public hearing of their land use application, to allow them to address all public concerns in their planning for the proposed expansion. The neighbouring Richmond Bethel Mennonite Church, which has both English and Chinese congregations, and four ideally situated acres, had rejected the temple's proposal to purchase their property and relocate them. In 2010 new expansion plans where submitted to

1744-473: A substitute, large-scale fireworks display have been launched by governments in Hong Kong and Singapore. The second day, entitled "a year's beginning" (simplified Chinese: 开年 ; traditional Chinese: 開年 ; pinyin: kāinián ), oversees married daughters visiting their birth parents, relatives and close friends, often renew family ties and relationship. (Traditionally, married daughters didn't have

1853-620: A symbol of good luck, and people started sending them to friends on New Year's Day, calling them by a new name, bai nian tie . The Chunlian (Spring Couplets) was written by Meng Chang , an emperor of the Later Shu (935–965 AD), during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period ：" 新年納餘慶，嘉節號長春 " ("Enjoying past legacies in the new year, the holiday foreseeing the long-lasting spring"). As described by Song dynasty official Zhang Tangying in his book Shu Tao Wu , Volume 2: on

1962-481: A synthesis of these various views on the nature of the pure land. East Asian Buddhist thinkers taught various schemas which outlined different types or levels of the pure lands. One of the most influential of these was that taught in the Tiantai school which outlined four pure lands: In Japanese Pure land Buddhism meanwhile, a common distinction is between two main lands that Pure Land devotees can be reborn in:

2071-456: A thriving view." The practice of worshipping ancestors on New Year's Eve is maintained by Chinese people to this day. Han Chinese also started the custom of visiting acquaintances' homes and wishing each other a happy new year. In Book of the Later Han , volume 27, a county officer was recorded as going to his prefect's house with a government secretary, toasting the prefect, and praising

2180-463: A variance to height restrictions currently in place on Assembly Use and Agriculturally designated land. Though never completed, in 2005 an initial development application was submitted to the City of Richmond. There has been opposition from area residents, primarily due to concerns about height of the main temple and increased traffic from visitors. On 2005-09-06, at the temple's request, the city deferred

2289-538: A weekend, as in the case of 2013, where the New Year's Eve (9 February) falls on Saturday and the New Year's Day (10 February) on Sunday. Depending on the country, the holiday may be termed differently; common names in English are "Chinese New Year", "Lunar New Year", "New Year Festival", and "Spring Festival". For New Year celebrations that follow Chinese-inspired calendars but are outside of China and Chinese diaspora (such as Korea's Seollal and Vietnam's Tết ), see

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2398-560: A wish to be reborn there. Other Buddhist monks, such as Xuyun , have also been known to have dreamt of going to the Inner Court of Tushita. Some Yiguandao followers claimed to have traveled there. The Inner Court of Tuṣita was historically a popular place for Buddhists to wish to be reborn in; however, the vast majority of Pure Land Buddhists today hope to be reborn in Sukhavati . Later Indian Buddhism developed

2507-437: A year-end rush of business prior to Chinese New Year. Homes are often decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets . Purchasing new clothing and shoes also symbolize a new start. Any hair cuts need to be completed before the New Year, as cutting hair on New Year is considered bad luck due to the homonymic nature of the word "hair" (fa) and the word for "prosperity". Businesses are expected to pay off all

2616-517: Is a Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and sustaining power . Pure lands are said to be places without the sufferings of samsara and to be beyond the three planes of existence . Many Mahayana Buddhists aspire to be reborn in a Buddha's pure land after death. The term "Pure Land" is particular to East Asian Buddhism ( Chinese : 淨土 ; pinyin : Jìngtǔ ). In Sanskrit Buddhist sources ,

2725-479: Is already pure, we cannot see the purity of the world due to our delusion and afflictions (as per the Vimalakirti Sutra ). However, on attaining the higher bodhisattva stages, the purified mind will be able to witness the purity of this world, along with the majestic displays of the jeweled ground, divine flowers, and so on. Furthermore, Tibetan Vajrayana deity yoga methods require the yogi to maintain

2834-536: Is also associated with the Lotus Sutra assembly over Vulture Peak (靈鷲山釋迦淨土). While Zhiyi was chanting the Lotus Sutra , he saw the meeting of Gautama Buddha and bodhisattvas there. Nanyue Huisi (慧思大師) said, "Only you can know that, only I can prove you". According to the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra , the whole universe is a vast pure buddha-field which has been purified by Vairocana Buddha. This

2943-461: Is also called "other direction" or "western direction" pure land. This view of the Pure Land as an actual realm or place was defended by masters of Pure Land Buddhism like Shandao . Another interpretation of a Pure Land is that it is non-dual with our world since the whole world is mind-only . The Vimalakīrti Sutra was widely cited by exponents of this non-dual view of the Pure Land, often called "mind-only" Pure Land (wéixīn jìngtǔ 唯心淨土). This

3052-683: Is ambiguous. It can refer to a way of practice which is found in most Mahayana traditions which employ various means to attain birth in a pure land. This specific concept is termed the "Pure Land Dharma gate" (Ch: 淨土法門, Pinyin: jìngtǔ fǎmén) in East Asian Buddhism . The English term can also refer to specific Buddhist schools or sects which focus on Pure Land practice. Specifically these would be termed Jìngtǔzōng (淨土宗) in Chinese and Jōdo bukkyō in Japanese. Pure Lands are also found in

3161-666: Is an array of billions of worlds in a lotus shape. Furthermore, Ghanavyūha (Dense Array or Secret Adornment) is considered to be the supreme pure buddhafield specific to Vairocana . It appears in Mahayana sutras like the Ghanavyūha Sutra . According to this sutra, by following virtuous teachers, hearing and contemplating Buddha Dharma, and letting go of all concepts and craving, one can be reborn there, achieve enlightenment, and manifest in countless ways to help all beings. In East Asian Esoteric Buddhist traditions, like Shingon ,

3270-450: Is auspicious into dumplings such as dates, which prophesy a flourishing new year; candy, which predicts sweet days; and nian gao ( 年糕 , "year cakes"), which foretells a rich life. In the Qing dynasty , the name ya sui qian ( 壓歲錢 , "New Year's Money)" was money given to children during New Year's. The book Qing Jia Lu ( 清嘉錄 ) recorded: "elders give children coins threaded together by

3379-636: Is considered an unlucky day to have guests or go visiting. Hakka villagers in rural Hong Kong in the 1960s called it the Day of the Poor Devil and believed everyone should stay at home. This is also considered a propitious day to visit the temple of the God of Wealth and have one's future told. In those communities that celebrate Chinese New Year for 15 days, the fourth day is when corporate "spring dinners" kick off and business returns to normal. Other areas that have

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3488-525: Is eaten for continued wealth and prosperity. For many Chinese Buddhists, this is another day to avoid meat, the seventh day commemorating the birth of Sakra , lord of the devas in Buddhist cosmology who is analogous to the Jade Emperor. Another family dinner is held to celebrate the eve of the birth of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven. People normally return to work by the eighth day, therefore

3597-414: Is envisioned to provide multi-purpose space and comprehensive services to allow the general public to delve deeply into Buddhism. The new buildings would include more dormitories for the lay practitioners, and a 140-foot (43 m) high hall to house a dining hall, prayer space and a gilded Buddha statue. The statue in the current hall is 15 feet (4.6 m) tall. The new proposed main temple would require

3706-404: Is especially unlucky , because it is sounded as si (Mandarin: 死 ), which means death. While fireworks and firecrackers are traditionally very popular, some regions have banned them due to concerns over fire hazards. For this reason, various city governments (e.g., Kowloon, Beijing, Shanghai for a number of years) issued bans over fireworks and firecrackers in certain precincts of the city. As

3815-610: Is far away and is called "Unsurpassable" (Chinese: Wúshèng 無勝). The Buddha manifests from his Pure Land into our world in order to teach the Dharma. Under the influence of the Lotus Sutra , Japanese Buddhist schools like the Tendai and Nichiren schools saw Śākyamuni's pure land as being continuous with this supposedly impure world. This pure land was called "Jakkōdo" (寂光土, Land of Tranquil Light). Śākyamuni Buddha 's pure land

3924-523: Is impure. Numerous Mahayana sutras , such as the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā prajñāpāramitā , Lankavatara , Vimalakirti , and Lotus Sutras , also state that this dualism between purity and impurity is illusory and instead state that even this world is a pure buddha-field. Thus, according to the Vimalakirti , this seemingly impure world is actually pure. It only appears impure because

4033-464: Is inhabited by people with enlightened pure minds then it is a Pure Land." Numerous Mahayana sources also connect the concept of a purified buddhafield ( pariśuddha - buddhakṣetra ) with the purity of one's own mind. Hence, the Vimalakirti sutra states: "the bodhisattva who wishes to purify his buddhakṣetra should, first of all, skillfully adorn his own mind. And why? Because to the extent that

4142-454: Is interfused with all worlds in the multiverse and indeed with all phenomena (dharmas). This view of the Buddha's Pure Land is inconceivable and all pervasive. Since for Fazang, the entire Dharma realm is visible within each particle in the universe, the Pure Land is therefore contained in every phenomena and is non-dual with our world. Later Chinese thinkers similarly attempted to synthesize

4251-403: Is observed as a public holiday in some countries and territories where there is a sizeable Chinese population. Since Chinese New Year falls on different days of the week each year, some of these governments opt to shift working days in order to accommodate a longer public holiday. In some countries, a statutory holiday is added on the following work day if the New Year (as a public holiday) falls on

4360-520: Is still a commonly-used translation for people of non-Chinese backgrounds. Along with the Han Chinese inside and outside of Greater China , as many as 29 of the 55 ethnic minority groups in China also celebrate Chinese New Year. Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines celebrate it as an official festival. The Chinese calendar defines the lunisolar month containing

4469-569: Is that bai nian tie was derived from the Han dynasty's name tag, men zhuang ( 門狀 , "door opening"). As imperial examinations became essential and reached their heyday under the Tang dynasty, candidates curried favour to become pupils of respected teachers in order to get recommendation letters. After obtaining good examination marks, a pupil went to the teacher's home with a men zhuang to convey their gratitude. Eventually, men zhuang became

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4578-579: Is the basis, ground, or "source" ( Tibetan : ཆོས་འབྱུང , Wylie : chos 'byung ; Sanskrit: dharmodaya ), the true nature of reality, out which all buddhas and buddhafields arise. Tibetan Buddhism also holds that this world is also a pure land, since samsara and nirvana are non-dual . Specifically, our world is the pure land of the Sambhoghakaya Vairocana Buddha, as stated in the Avatamsaka sutra . Though our realm

4687-493: Is the view of Pure Land which is found in the Chinese Huayan tradition. According to this view, our world is just one small part of this universal Pure Land which is named: "Ocean of worlds, whose surface and inside are decorated with an arrangement of flowers" (Sanskrit: Kusumatalagarbha-vyūhālamkāra-lokadhātusamudra ). It is also called the "Lotus Treasury World" (Chinese: 華蔵世界, Skt. Padmagarbha-lokadhātu ), since it

4796-455: Is usually accompanied with a dinner feast , consisting of special meats as a main course and an offering for the New Year. This meal is comparable to Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner. In northern China, it is customary to make jiaozi or dumplings which are eaten at midnight. Dumplings symbolize wealth because their shape resembles a Chinese sycee . In the South, it is customary to make

4905-639: The Cultural Revolution , official Chinese New Year celebrations were banned in China. The State Council of the People's Republic of China announced that the public should "change customs" and have a "revolutionized and fighting Spring Festival." Since people needed to work on Chinese New Year's Eve, they would not need holidays during the Spring Festival. In 1980, the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations were reinstated. Chinese New Year

5014-568: The Spring Festival (see also § Names ), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar . Marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring , this festival traditionally takes place from Chinese New Year's Eve , the evening preceding the first day of the year, to the Lantern Festival , held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on

5123-523: The Tang dynasty , people established the custom of sending bai nian tie ( 拜年帖 , "New Year's greetings"), New Year's greeting cards. It is said that the custom was started by Emperor Taizong of Tang . The emperor wrote " 普天同慶 " ("whole nation celebrates together") on gold leaves and sent them to his ministers. Word of the emperor's gesture spread, and later it became the custom of people in general, who used Xuan paper instead of gold leaves. Another theory

5232-607: The Warring States period (475 – 221 BC). In the Lüshi Chunqiu , in Qin state an exorcism ritual to expel illness, called "Big Nuo ", was recorded as being carried out on the last day of the year. Later, Qin unified China , and the Qin dynasty was founded; and the ritual spread. It evolved into the practice of cleaning one's house thoroughly in the days preceding Chinese New Year. The first mention of celebrating at

5341-934: The new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February. Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture . It has influenced similar celebrations in other cultures, commonly referred to collectively as Lunar New Year , such as the Losar of Tibet, the Tết of Vietnam, the Korean New Year , and the Ryukyu New Year . It is also celebrated worldwide in regions and countries that house significant Overseas Chinese or Sinophone populations, especially in Southeast Asia. These include Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,

5450-461: The winter solstice as the eleventh month, meaning that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the third if an intercalary month occurs ). In more than 96 per cent of years, the Chinese New Year is the closest new moon to the beginning of spring ( lichun ) according to the calendar. In the Gregorian calendar , the Chinese New Year occurs on

5559-683: The "three pure land sutras", the main sources for East Asian Pure Land Buddhism: the Smaller Sukhāvatī-vyūha (T 366), the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra , and the Amitayus Contemplation Sutra ( i.e. The Contemplation Sutra ). According to Mahayana scriptures, in his past life, Amitabha was a devoted king of a joyous kingdom in a distant eon who renounced his throne to become a monk and vowed to attain buddhahood . He made forty-eight vows which focus on

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5668-508: The 'deity' ( yidam ) invoked and requested to reside. Some namkha are Pure Lands. According to Nirmāṇakāya (as tulku ) theory, nirmanakaya spontaneously arise due to the intention, aspiration, faith and devotion of the sangha . Chinese Daoism adopted the idea of heaven realms similar to pure lands from Chinese Buddhism. One popular afterlife in Chinese Daoism is the pure land of eternal bliss (Chánglè Jìngtǔ, 長樂淨土). It has

5777-451: The 5th day people will shoot off firecrackers to get Guan Yu 's attention, thus ensuring his favour and good fortune for the new year. The sixth day is Horse's Day, on which people drive away the Ghost of Poverty by throwing out the garbage stored up during the festival. The ways vary but basically have the same meaning—to drive away the Ghost of Poverty, which reflects the general desire of

5886-433: The Chinese people to ring out the old and ring in the new, to send away the previous poverty and hardship and to usher in the good life of the New Year. The seventh day, traditionally known as Renri (the common person's birthday), is the day when everyone grows one year older. In some overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore, it is also the day when tossed raw fish salad, yusheng ,

5995-536: The City of Richmond can review the No. 5 Road back lands policy and better understand the needs of the community and the tolerances of the neighborhood. The review is slated to be completed in spring 2012 after consultation with all stakeholders. In 2014, a new expansion proposal was presented to the City of Richmond. The proposal was referred back to staff, so that the City Planners and Council could further consider

6104-488: The City of Richmond the revised plan was 76% larger than the plan in 2005. Richmond residents opposed the plans and submitted to the City Binders in support of their opposition which included exhibits and a brief to explain their opposition, the primary reason was the residents felt the 99,000 sq ft, 145 ' tall main temple and 98' tall twin monks dormitories where just too big for the single family neighborhood. A group

6213-451: The Dharma and where sentient beings can be reborn into (due to their good karmic acts). A buddha-field is a place where bodhisattvas can more easily progress spiritually on the bodhisattva path. Jan Nattier has argued that this idea became popular because the traditional understanding of the extreme length of the bodhisattva path seemed very difficult and training under a buddha in a buddha-field (especially prepared to train bodhisattvas)

6322-637: The Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is also prominent beyond Asia, especially in Australia, Canada, France, Mauritius, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as in many European countries. The Chinese New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The festival was traditionally a time to honour deities as well as ancestors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning

6431-579: The Pure Lands may be different, with a day in one Pure Land being equivalent to years in another. Mahayana sources speak of three kinds of buddha-fields: pure, impure, and mixed. An example of an "impure" field is often this world (called Sahā – “the world to be endured"), Sakyamuni's field. Purified fields include Amitabha's buddha-field of Sukhavati . Some sutras say that Sakyamuni chose to come to an impure world due to his vast compassion. However, not all Mahayana texts agree that Sakyamuni's world

6540-645: The Transformed Land and the Fulfilled Land. Shinran (1173 – 1263), the founder of Jōdo Shinshū , discusses this theory, drawing on the teachings of Shandao . Shinran's schema is as follows: According to Hanshan Deqing (1546–1623), there are three kinds of Pure Lands (associated with the trikaya , the three bodies of the buddha): In Tibetan Buddhism, buddhafields (Skt. buddhakṣetra ; Wylie : sangs rgyas kyi zhing ) or pure realms (Wyl. dag pa'i zhing ) are understood as realms arising due to

6649-433: The ancient Chinese. Poet and chancellor of the Tang dynasty , Lai Gu, also described this tradition in his poem Early Spring ( 早春 ): " 新曆才將半紙開，小亭猶聚爆竿灰 ", meaning "Another new year just started as a half opening paper, and the family gathered around the dust of exploded bamboo pole." The practice was used by ancient Chinese people to scare away evil spirits, since bamboo would noisily crack and explode from firing. During

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6758-477: The arising of a purified buddha-field, which is the manifestation and reflection of a Buddha's activity. Mahayana sources state that bodhisattvas like Avalokiteśvara and Manjushri will obtain their own buddha-fields after they attain full buddhahood . In the Lotus Sutra , Buddha's close followers, such as Śāriputra , Mahākāśyapa , Subhuti , Maudgalyāyana and Buddha's son Rāhula are also predicted to attain their own Pure Lands. The relative time-flow in

6867-497: The article on Lunar New Year . For other countries and regions where Chinese New Year is celebrated but not an official holiday, see the table below. Red couplets and red lanterns are displayed on the door frames and light up the atmosphere. The air is filled with strong Chinese emotions. In stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and other cities, products of traditional Chinese style have started to lead fashion trend[s]. Buy yourself

6976-655: The celebration of the New Year vary widely, and the evening preceding the New Year's Day is frequently regarded as an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner . It is also a tradition for every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. Another practised custom is the decoration of windows and doors with red paper-cuts and couplets . Popular themes among these paper-cuts and couplets include good fortune or happiness , wealth, and longevity. Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red envelopes . In Chinese,

7085-428: The city's fortune through kau cim . The third day is known as "red mouth" (Chinese: 赤口 ; pinyin: Chìkǒu ). Chikou is also called "Chigou's Day" (Chinese: 赤狗日 ; pinyin: Chìgǒurì ). Chigou , literally "red dog", is an epithet of "the God of Blazing Wrath" (Chinese: 熛怒之神 ; pinyin: Biāo nù zhī shén ). Rural villagers continue the tradition of burning paper offerings over trash fires. It

7194-549: The city's requirement that a certain portion of the properties be actively farmed. They have established an orchard of apple and pear trees and berries. With 10,000 worshippers and over 8,000 community and school group visits over the years, the Temple is proposing an expansion of the temple on its land in addition to the current facilities. The new facilities are to better serve visitors, worshippers and practitioners as an all-encompassing international Buddhist centre. The new facility

7303-629: The closed lotus-flowers they enjoy pleasures as though they were playing in a garden or palace. Sukhāvatī ("The Blissful") is by far the most popular pure land in East Asian Mahayana Buddhism . It is also the main goal of Pure Land Buddhism , which is centered around faith and devotion to Amitābha Buddha as the means of attaining rebirth in his pure land. It is also a popular pure land in Tibetan Buddhism as well. The key canonical teachings on Sukhāvatī are found in

7412-465: The color red and loud noises. Then the tradition grew when New Year was approaching, and the villagers would wear red clothes, hang red lanterns, and red spring scrolls on windows and doors and used firecrackers and drums to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu , an ancient Taoist monk. Before the new year celebration

7521-421: The cured meats of Chinese New Year are known as larou (simplified Chinese: 腊肉 ; traditional Chinese: 臘肉 ; pinyin: làròu ). The porridge was prepared by the women of the household at first light, with the first bowl offered to the family's ancestors and the household deities. Every member of the family was then served a bowl, with leftovers distributed to relatives and friends. It's still served as

7630-598: The day of New Year's Eve, the emperor ordered the scholar Xin Yinxun to write the couplets on peach wood and hang them on the emperor's bedroom door. It is believed that placing the couplets on the door to the home in the days preceding the new year was widespread during the Song dynasty . The famous Northern Song politician, litterateur, philosopher, and poet Wang Anshi recorded the custom in his poem " 元日 " ("New Year's Day"). 爆竹聲中一歲除， 春風送暖入屠蘇。 千門萬戶曈曈日， 總把新桃換舊符。 Amid

7739-406: The debts outstanding for the year before the new year eve, extending to debts of gratitude. Thus it is a common practice to send gifts and rice to close business associates, and extended family members. In many households where Buddhism or Taoism is observed, home altars and statues are cleaned thoroughly, and decorations used to adorn altars over the past year are taken down and burned a week before

7848-560: The deities are also considered taboo. Normal traditions occurring on the first day involve house gatherings to the families, specifically the elders and families to the oldest and most senior members of their extended families, usually their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, and trading Mandarin oranges as a courtesy to symbolize wealth and good luck. Members of the family who are married also give red envelopes containing cash known as lai see (Cantonese: 利事 ) or angpow ( Hokkien and Teochew ), or hongbao (Mandarin: 红包 ),

7957-499: The deities into reporting good things about the family. Prior to the Reunion Dinner, a prayer of thanksgiving is held to mark the safe passage of the previous year. Confucianists take the opportunity to remember their ancestors, and those who had lived before them are revered. Some people do not give a Buddhist prayer due to the influence of Christianity, with a Christian prayer offered instead. The day before Chinese New Year

8066-425: The deities of the heavens and Earth on midnight. It is a traditional practice to light fireworks, burn bamboo sticks and firecrackers, and lion dance troupes, were done commonly as a tradition to ward off evil spirits. Typical actions such as lighting fires and using knives are considered taboo, thus all consumable food has to be cooked prior. Using the broom, swearing , and breaking any dinnerware without appeasing

8175-411: The deluded and impure minds of sentient beings perceive it like that. As Paul Williams explains: "The impurity that we see is the result of impure awareness, and also the Buddha's compassion in creating a world within which impure beings can grow. Thus the real way to attain a Pure Land is to purify one's own mind. Put another way, we are already in the Pure Land if we but knew it. Whatever the realm, if it

8284-519: The deluded hope to be born in a faraway land in the west, while the wise who know their nature is empty seek the Pure Land by purifying their minds. These two views of the Pure Land led to many debates in Chinese Buddhism . In a similar fashion, according to the Huayan school patriarch Fazang , the ultimate view of the Buddha's Pure Land (derived from the Avatamsaka sutra ) is that it

8393-414: The door of fortune" (simplified Chinese: 开财门 ; traditional Chinese: 開財門 ; pinyin: kāicáimén ). The tradition of staying up late on Chinese New Year's Eve is known as shousui (Chinese: 守岁 ). It is still practised and believed to add to parental longevity. The first day, known as the "Spring Festival" (simplified Chinese: 春节 ; traditional Chinese: 春節 ) is for the welcoming of

8502-514: The dual mandalas of the Vajradhatu and Garbhadhatu mandalas are considered to be the representation of the buddhafield of Mahāvairocana Buddha, the supreme cosmic Buddha. The "Inner Court of Tushita" (兜率內院) is Maitreya's pure land, which is actually located in the deva realm of Tuṣita. Some Buddhist scriptures have noted that Maitreya is currently teaching at the Inner Court of Tuṣita. Some Buddhist Masters, such as Xuanzang , expressed

8611-515: The equivalent concept is called a buddha-field ( buddhakṣetra ) or more technically a pure buddha-field ( viśuddha-buddhakṣetra ). It is also known by the Sanskrit term buddhabhūmi (Buddha land). In Tibetan Buddhism meanwhile, the term "pure realms" (Wyl. dag pa'i zhing ) is also used as a synonym for buddhafield. The various traditions that focus on attaining rebirth in a Pure Land are often called Pure Land Buddhism . The English term

8720-409: The festival is commonly known as the "Spring Festival" (traditional Chinese: 春節 ; simplified Chinese: 春节 ; pinyin: Chūnjié ), as the spring season in the lunisolar calendar traditionally starts with lichun , the first of the twenty-four solar terms which the festival celebrates around the time of the Chinese New Year. The name was first proposed in 1914 by Yuan Shikai , who

8829-499: The greatness of his future pure land, pledging that he would not accept buddhahood if any of these vows went unfulfilled. The vows are dedicated to establishing a pure realm accessible to all beings who aspired to be reborn there. This monk would ultimately become Buddha Amitabha. His vows were grounded in hearing his name ("Amitabha"), establishing virtue, and dedicating merit toward rebirth in this pure land. Some Mahayana sutra teachings say that after Amitabha attains final nirvana ,

8938-473: The intention and aspiration of a buddha or bodhisattva. They are also understood to manifest effortlessly and spontaneously from the Buddha qualities. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is generally held there are two main types of pure lands or buddhafields: All buddhafields are understood as ultimately arising from the Dharmakāya , the foundational aspect of the "triple body" of Buddhahood ( trikaya ). The Dharmakāya

9047-474: The messengers. Business people of the Cantonese dialect group will hold a 'Hoi Nin' prayer to start their business on the second day of Chinese New Year, blessing business to strive in the coming year. As this day is believed to be The Birthday of Che Kung , a deity worshipped in Hong Kong, worshippers go to Che Kung Temples to pray for his blessing. A representative from the government asks Che Kung about

9156-505: The mind of a bodhisattva is pure is his buddhakṣetra purified." Nakamura (1980, 1987: p. 207) establishes the Indian background of the padma imagery of the field which is evident iconographically, as well as in motif and metaphor: The descriptions of Pure Land in Pure Land sutras were greatly influenced by Brahmin and Hindu ideas and the topological situation in India. There was

9265-468: The most well-known ones are dumplings from northern China and Tangyuan from southern China. On the eighth day of the lunisolar month prior to Chinese New Year, the Laba Festival , a traditional porridge, Laba porridge (simplified Chinese: 腊八粥 ; traditional Chinese: 臘八粥 ; pinyin: làbā zhōu ), is served in remembrance of an ancient festival, called La , that occurred shortly after

9374-456: The new moon that falls between 21 January and 20 February. According to legend, Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the Nian (a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains) during the annual Spring Festival. The Nian would eat villagers, especially children in the middle of the night. One year, all the villagers decided to hide from the beast. An older man appeared before

9483-679: The new year starts on Little New Year , to be replaced with new decorations. Taoists (and Buddhists to a lesser extent) will also "send gods back to heaven" (Chinese: 送神 ; pinyin: sòngshén ), an example would be burning a paper effigy of the Kitchen God , the recorder of family functions. This is done so that the Kitchen God can report to the Jade Emperor of the family household's transgressions and good deeds. Families often offer sweet foods (such as candy) in order to "bribe"

9592-538: The non-Buddhist traditions of Taoism and Bon . The Mahavastu defines a buddha-field as a realm where "a tathagata , a holy one, fully and perfectly enlightened , is to be found, lives, exists and teaches the Dharma , for the benefit and happiness of the great body of beings, men and gods." The Indian Mahayana sutras describe many buddha-fields. Mahayana sources hold that there are an infinite number of buddhas, each with their own buddha-field where they teach

9701-497: The opportunity to visit their birth families frequently.) The second day also saw giving offering money and sacrifices to the God of Wealth (Chinese: 财神 ) to symbolize a rewarding time after hardship in the preceding year. During the days of imperial China, "beggars and other unemployed people circulate[d] from family to family, carrying a picture [of the God of Wealth] shouting, " Cai Shen dao !" [The God of Wealth has come!]." Householders would respond with "lucky money" to reward

9810-413: The practice is not restricted to nin ya baat (the 28th day of month 12). It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that the newly arrived good luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their homes, doors and window-frames a new coat of red paint; decorators and paper-hangers do

9919-574: The prefect's merit. During the Jin dynasty (266–420), people started the New Year's Eve tradition of all-night revelry called shousui ( 守歲 ). It was described in Western Jin general Zhou Chu 's article Fengtu Ji ( 風土記 , 'Notes on Local Conditions'): "At the ending of a year, people gift and wish each other, calling it Kuisui ( 饋歲 , 'time for gifts'); people invited others with drinks and food, calling it Biesui ( 別歲 , 'sending off

10028-462: The proposed building height, agricultural compensation, traffic impacts, and clarifications to the proposed dormitory use. The owners of the temple then hired a new architect, DA Architects + Planners , to revise the proposal. The most recent iteration of the expansion plans were presented to the City of Richmond in 2016, and were given second and third readings by Richmond City Council at a Public Hearing on June 20, 2016. The approved proposal includes

10137-456: The same in the Chinese language. After gunpowder was invented in the Tang dynasty and widely used under the Song dynasty , people modified the tradition of firing bamboo by filling the bamboo pole with gunpowder, which made for louder explosions. Later under the Song, people discarded the bamboo and started to use paper to wrap the gunpowder in cylinders, in imitation of the bamboo. The firecracker

10246-507: The sound of firecrackers a year has come to an end, The spring wind has wafted warm breath to the Tusu wine. While the rising sun shines over each and every household, People get rid of the old couplets and put up the new ones. The poem Yuan Ri ( 元日 ) also includes the word bao zhu ( 爆竹 , "exploding bamboo"), which is believed to be a reference to firecrackers, instead of the previous tradition of firing bamboo, both of which are called

10355-674: The start of a new year was recorded during the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). In the book Simin Yueling ( 四民月令 ), written by the Eastern Han agronomist Cui Shi (崔寔), a celebration was described: "The starting day of the first month, is called Zheng Ri. I bring my wife and children, to worship ancestors and commemorate my father." Later he wrote: "Children, wife, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all serve pepper wine to their parents, make their toast, and wish their parents good health. It's

10464-616: The successors of Amitabha in Sukhāvatī will be Avalokiteśvara , followed by Mahāsthāmaprāpta . There are numerous East Asian texts discussing the various experiences of Pure Land Buddhists who have gone to the Pure land or had a vision of Sukhavati. Some Buddhists and followers of other religions claimed to have seen Sukhavati and numerous East Asian popular faiths and cults also discuss Sukhavati. The Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra states that Śākyamuni Buddha has his own Pure Land which

10573-489: The temples website. The temple has regular celebrations of events during different seasons. During the celebration of Buddha's birthday and Chinese New Year , the building is surrounded with 1000 special lanterns. Paramita Ball prayers are also set out on occasion. https://www.udcdesigns.ca/ling-yen-mountain-temple-richmond-bc/ 49°08′25″N 123°05′28″W  /  49.14035°N 123.09108°W  / 49.14035; -123.09108 Pure Land Pure Land

10682-442: The two ideas. Yúnqī Zhūhóng (1535–1615) saw the Pure Land as an actual place which is a useful upaya (skill means) created by the Buddha. Once beings reach this realm, they realize that it is just the Buddha mind, and that the Buddha's wisdom was not ever separate from their own mind. Real sages can see that both ideas are interconnected and thus can affirm both without any conflict. Similarly, Hānshān Déqīng (c. 1546–1623) taught

10791-405: The villagers went into hiding and said that he would stay the night and would get revenge on the Nian. The old man put red papers up and set off firecrackers. The day after, the villagers came back to their town and saw that nothing had been destroyed. They assumed that the old man was a deity who came to save them. The villagers then understood that Yanhuang had discovered that the Nian was afraid of

10900-481: The winter solstice. Pickles such as Laba garlic, which turns green from vinegar, are also made on this day. For those that practice Buddhism, the Laba holiday is also considered Bodhi Day . Layue (simplified Chinese: 腊月 ; traditional Chinese: 臘月 ; pinyin: Làyuè ) is a term often associated with Chinese New Year as it refers to the sacrifices held in honour of the gods in the twelfth lunisolar month, hence

11009-402: The year'); on New Year's Eve, people stayed up all night until sunrise, calling it Shousui ( 守歲 , 'guard the year')." The article used the phrase chuxi ( 除夕 ) to indicate New Year's Eve—a phrase still used today. The Northern and Southern dynasties book Jingchu Suishiji describes the practice of firing bamboo in the early morning of New Year's Day, a New Year's tradition of

11118-627: Was at the time the interim president of the Republic of China . The official usage of the name "Spring Festival" was retained by the government of the People's Republic of China , but the government of the Republic of China based in Taiwan has since adopted the name "Traditional Chinese New Year". The festival is also called "Lunar New Year" in English, despite the traditional Chinese calendar being lunisolar and not lunar . However, "Chinese New Year"

11227-728: Was commonly defended by masters of the Chan / Zen school, but was also accepted by some figures of the Pure Land school and the Yogacara school . Another sutra which teaches the view that the pure land is mainly a kind of pure mind or wisdom (i.e. the five wisdoms ) is the Buddhabhūmi-sūtra (Scripture on the Buddha Land, Ch: 佛說佛地經, Taishō Tripitaka no. 680). In the Platform Sutra for example, Huineng states that only

11336-514: Was established under the Ming dynasty at the latest. It is described in the book Youzhongzhi ( 酌中志 ): "People get up at 5 in the morning of new year's day, burn incense and light firecrackers, throw door latch or wooden bars in the air three times, drink pepper and thuja wine, eat dumplings. Sometimes put one or two silver currency inside dumplings, and whoever gets the money will attain a year of fortune." Modern Chinese people also put other food that

11445-576: Was established, ancient Chinese gathered and celebrated the end of harvest in autumn. However, this was not the Mid-Autumn Festival , during which Chinese gathered with family to worship the Moon. In the Classic of Poetry , a poem written during Western Zhou (1045 BC – 771 BC) by an anonymous farmer, described the traditions of celebrating the 10th month of the ancient solar calendar , which

11554-444: Was formed by the neighbors called C.A.L.E. Committee Against Lingyen Expansion their purpose was to organize an opposition to the plan and convince the City of Richmond to deny the application. C.A.L.E. also requested meetings with the temple directors to ask for a meeting to work out a compromise for a smaller expansion that would be in harmony with the neighborhood. As of December 2010 the expansion plans have been withdrawn so that

11663-412: Was in autumn. According to the poem, during this time people clean millet-stack sites, toast guests with mijiu (rice wine), kill lambs and cook their meat, go to their masters' home, toast the master, and cheer the prospect of living long together. The 10th-month celebration is believed to be one of the prototypes of Chinese New Year. The records of the first Chinese new year celebration can be traced to

11772-455: Was seen as a faster way to buddhahood, known as stream winning. Sentient beings who are reborn in these pure buddha-fields due to their good karma also contribute to the development of a Buddha-field, as can bodhisattvas who are able to travel there. These buddha-fields are therefore powerful places which are very advantageous to spiritual progress. According to Indian sources, the bodhisattva path, by ending all defilements , culminates in

11881-457: Was still called bao zhu ( 爆竹 ), thus equating the new and old traditions. It is also recorded that people linked the firecrackers with hemp rope and created the bian pao ( 鞭炮 , "gunpowder whip") in the Song dynasty. Both bao zhu ( 爆竹 ) and bian pao ( 鞭炮 ) are still used today to celebrate the Chinese New Year and other festive occasions. It was also during the Song dynasty that people started to give money to children in celebration of

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