1  Beyond the Ritual of Worship

        On the eve of Vesak Day, Bright Hill Temple was packed with people.

      Elegant and beautiful lotus lanterns illuminated the pond, countless paper lotuses filled the exhibition hall, and Buddhist chants filled the air. The uneven hills were filled with a continuous stream of people. Orderly devotees calmly chanted sutras, taking three steps and bowing once, slowly moving forward…...

2  Three Steps, One Bow—Why?

      The ritual allows believers to outwardly express their devotion. Each participant may have their own reasons. Three steps, one bow, to pray for their parents' health, for world peace, for self-purification, or perhaps simply to challenge their physical limits.

      Leaving behind worldly affairs, I joined the crowd. Removing my shoes, I felt the earth beneath my bare feet. The steep uphill path quickened my heartbeat; the downhill slopes made it easy to lose my balance. The ground was sometimes flat, sometimes rough, sometimes muddy, sometimes watery. Three steps, wherever I was, I knelt down. Isn't life's journey the same? Prosperity and adversity, we must walk through them all. In prosperity, we must cherish our blessings. In adversity, we must remain calm. As long as we are mindful, each step can bring different insights. Each step is an awakening of wisdom, a gentle and earnest reminder.

      Kneeling down, in this age of inflated self-importance, one learns humility. The rhythm of the Buddhist chants unified the pace of the procession; the determination, individuality, and energy emanating from the people around me, young and old, men and women, urged and encouraged me forward. The power of the crowd is thus silently, vividly, and powerfully achieved.

      After kneeling, I gently flipped my hands that were pressed

to the ground, like a lotus blossom unfolding. Each unfolding of the lotus reminded me of the inherent goodness, purity, and unblemished nature of the heart.

3  May Every Kneeler Be a Lotus

        On the eve of Vesak Day, Bright Hill Temple was both calm and vibrant. The procession wasn't a hypnotic trance, nor was it a fervent, high-pitched surge of emotion. With each bow, I made a wish for my friends. In two hours, can you guess how many wishes I made?

       It's reasonable to believe that the crowd was brimming with an endless stream of good thoughts. Because of the continuity and extension of these good thoughts, a harmonious crowd of strangers was formed without noise or conflict, only peace.

      On the eve of Vesak Day, the lotuses blooming at Bright Hill Temple were not only by the pond or in the exhibition hall. I believe—

        Every kneeler holds a lotus in their hands; 

        Every kneeler has a lotus blooming in their hearts; 

        Every kneeler is a lotus themselves.

        Yes, it was a night filled with the fragrance of lotuses.