Hundred auspiciousness of arriving of New Year, thousand auspicious cloud assemblies represents the reaching in early spring. The first day of year 2018, the Buddhist community and Calligraphy and Painting association organized a charity auction: accurately helping the poor and not forgetting the initial mind as a main issue – Compassion and Calligraphy – the 2018 New Year Painting and Calligraphy Charity activities were commenced at Nanputuo Temple, Xiamen. At the site held at the Blessing Praying Ritual, Charity Auction of painting and calligraphy work, and providing consolation fund ceremony.
At 9:30 a.m., the Most Ven. Ze Wu, Ven. Master Dingheng, Ven. Master Jiexiang, Ven. Master Fayun, Ven. Master Jingxin, Ven. Master Neng Yuan, Ven. Shi cheng, Ven. Ren Ci, Ven. Master Ming de were invited to host the Blessing Praying Ritual and performed the sprinkle water purification on charity work of painting and calligraphy; simultaneously, prayed for kind people and difficult people who participated in this event. Subsequently, participation of great master or venerable, leaders, and distinguished guests provided the consolation fund and things of New Year to 479 difficult people from six communities.
At the opening Ceremony of Painting and Calligraphy, the Most Ven. Ze Wu delivered a speech: “The great loving kindness with no discrimination, the great compassion with no condition, it is the practice of Buddhism for more than a thousand years on the path of Bodhisattva with full effort. The core momentum is doing the charity work and it is also the nature of mind of human beings and the quality of the Buddha. We respond positively that the spirit of 19th National Congress of China calls upon –accurately helping the poverty alleviation; therefore, we organized the ‘Compassion, Painting and Calligraphy charity activities on New Year’. With the supporting and blessing from great masters, artists, amateurs of painting and calligraphy, and kind people provided the good condition and opportunity. We expect that there will be many people who engage in common welfare or philanthropy to public. Because of compassion ‘When there are many people seeking for help, the Bodhisattva helps all of them and always utilizes boat to save them from suffering Ocean.’ We should promote actively the altruistic career and be considerate in order to function positively such as beautifying our country, benefit all the sentient beings, overcome the poverty alleviation, and work together on peaceful and harmonious society and world peace.”
Helping accurately, we deliver each loving mind to the people who are most needed for help.
A total of more than 600 paintings and calligraphic works were presented at the charity auction this year. The assistance of poverty covered 600 difficult families and 5331 environmental cleaning workers of six communities in Xiamen. Till now the total of assisting fund has already reached two millions and thirty thousand Yuan among which one million is donated by Nanputuo Charitable Foundation in Xiamen to assist this charitable activity.
In order to implement the precise help and assistance, a month prior to the event, nearly 200 volunteers from Nanputuo Volunteer Service, led by community staff members, visited the families of the needy people and knew more about the difficulties of the living conditions and needs of the people. They feedback to the organizers, truly from the actual needs of the masses, and effectively improve the lives of people in difficulty, and let them have a good year.
Practice generosity or offering (dāna), applying wisdom of the Buddhism to increase the spiritual wealth.
The charity auction also carries out generosity on self-conduciveness and altruistic concepts of Buddhism. The event included: offering Dharma, offering financial facilities, and also offering fearless thought. During the activity, Xiamen Medical College, Huaxia College and Minnan Normal students of the University (who are assisted by Xiamen Nanputuo Temple Charity Association), provided professional services such as classification of garbage practice, oral nursing, and legal consultation in Nanputuo Temple. They contribute to the society in the way they have learned from public service. Department of Pharmacy, Xiamen Medical College, Ms. Zheng (student) and her partners make use of their spare time to utilize olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil and other natural oils as the main ingredient, in order to create a green handmade soap product which were presented for the charity sale activities in this year. Ms. Zhaeng said: "We hope that through this event, more people will be able to support the use of green products and the money of green products can be contributed as the fund of charity."
The intercommunication between the monastics and lay people: a great impression and impact can be made by Buddhist paintings and calligraphy work on us.
During the period of activities, “the work of art (ink and pen), charity and generosity” intercommunication between the monastics and lay people were held. Ven. Zheng Xing (Vice General Secretary of Charitable Foundation of Nanputuo Temple), Mr. Liu Dui Lai (Chairman of Calligraphy Association), and Mr. Huang Jin Ding, (Vice President and General Secretary of Charity Federation in Xiamen) participated the charitable activity for the purpose of showing how they think about the way to do paintings and calligraphic charitable activities and experience of participation over the years. Ven. Zheng Xing said: “We write the painting and calligraphy work or Buddhist music which is not only an artistic work. Due to the unlimited power of Dharma or the power of Dharma is immense, when we see these, we will have the deep impact and impression which make us calm, happy and comfortable; therefore, we could encounter the daily lives easily.
In four years, more than 1100 paintings and calligraphy works were sold, helping several thousand people in difficulty.
Since 2014, every New Year, the Buddhist circles in Xiamen and the painting and calligraphy community with people from all walks of life organized – Charity action of painting and calligraphic activity. It become a charity symbol of Xiamen “Welcome Spring and delivery warmth” Over the past four years, more than 1100 paintings and calligraphic work have been presented in the charity auction, raising more than three million Yuan to help several thousand people in poverty.
This activity is guided by the Bureau of Ethnic & Religious Affairs of Xiamen, Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs and Xiamen Federation of Literary Art Circles; mainly organized by the Buddhist Association of Xiamen, Xiamen Calligraphers Association, Xiamen Charity Federation and Xiamen Daily; undertaken by the Nanputuo Charitable Foundation of Xiamen and the Painting & Calligraphy Academy of Minnan; assisted by the Xiamen Bank, Zhang Xiao-han Arts Research Association of Xiamen and Non-Party Intellectuals Sociable Association of Xiamen.
The leaders of Xiamen city and guests attended the opening ceremony as follows:
Guests who presented at the opening ceremony included: Mr. Zhang Canmin (the General Member and the Director of the United Front Work Department of CPC Xiamen Municipal Committee), Ms. Guo Guirong (the Vice Mayor of the Municipal People's Government of Xiamen), Mr. Chen Changsheng (the Vice Chairman of the Xiamen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), Mr. Yang Jinxing (the former Vice Chairman of CPPCC of Xiamen and the current President of the Xiamen Charity Federation), Mr. Zhan Cangzhou (the former Vice Chairman of the Xiamen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), Ms. He Xiuzhen (the General Vice Director of the United Front Work Department of CPC Xiamen Municipal Committee), Mr. Zou Bingming (the Director Member of the Chinese Oversea Committee of CPPCC of Xiamen), Ms. Wang Liling (the General Member and the Director of the Ethnic & Religious Affairs of the Xiamen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), Ms. Huang Jiaoling (the President of the Bureau of the Ethnic & Religious Affairs of Xiamen), Mr. Li Yuhui (the President of the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs), Mr. Lin Yuefeng (the Secretary of the Xiamen Federation of Literary Art Circles), Ms. Chen Huiying (the former Director of the Chinese Oversea Committee of CPPCC of Xiamen), Mr. Guo Xingda (the former Director Member of the Chinese Oversea Committee of CPPCC of Xiamen), Ms. Wu Xiumei (the Vice President of the Xiamen Charity Federation), Mr. Huang Jinding (the Vice President and the Secretary of the Xiamen Charity Federation), Mr. Shen Zhongyong (the Director of 1st Department of the Bureau of Ethnic & Religious Affairs of Xiamen), Mr. Zhang Bin (the Director of the Management Office for Municipal Environmental Health and the President of its Labor Union), Mr. Ke Xiping (the President of Xiamen Chamber of Commerce and the Chairman of Hengxing Group Co,.Ltd), Mr. Wu Shiqun (the President of the Xiamen Bank)，Mr. Zhang Yonghuan (the Chief Supervisor of the Xiamen Bank), and Ms. Liu Huijuan (the Director of the News & Interviewing Centre of the Xiamen Daily.
The Buddhist Masters attended the opening ceremony: Most Ven. Ze Wu (the Vice President of Buddhist Association of China, the President of the Buddhist Association of Xiamen, the President of the Nanputuo Charitable Foundation of Xiamen, the Abbot of the Nanputuo Temple), Ven. Ding Heng (the Vice President of Xiamen Buddhist Association), Ven. Jie Xiang (the Vice President of the Buddhist Association of Xiamen), Ven. Fa Yuan, Fa Yun, Ven. Jing Xi, Ven. Neng Yuan, Ven. Pu Rui, Ven. Shi Cheng, Ven. Ren Ci, Ven. Ming De, and Upāsikā Pu Yuan.
The Calligraphers and artists are: Mr. Lin Cen (calligrapher), Mr. Chen Meixiang, Mr. Zhang Chengjin, Mr. Liu Duilai, Mr. Li Shibin and Mr. Cai Jinsong.
