Buddha Bathing Ceremony
By the ceremony of washing the Buddha image with fragrant water, we pray to confess and reflect on ourselves, to purify our body, speech and mind, to completely eliminate the self-obsession, greed, anger, jealousy, arrogance, lies and ignorance, to wish for the growth of our mind and the purification of our soul, and to restore our original pure nature.
(Please) join your hands together (in a praying gesture), perform a bow of respect, and sincerely chant the sacred name of “Namo Shakyamuni Buddha” three times;
(II) Recite the Sutra of Bathing the Buddha:
「 I now bathe all the Buddhas,
Purifying the wisdom adorned with the sea of merit, The five turbid masses of living beings are free from dust and impurities, And together they realize the pure Dharma body of the Buddha.」
(III) Take three ladles of fragrant water, pour them over the top of the image of the Buddha, and make a vow:
First ladle “May I cut off all evil”
Second ladle “May I cultivate all good”
Third ladle “May I liberate all living beings”
(IV) Then press the hands together, bow and leave.
