Charity | Xing Wu Zen Temple volunteers gave food to the homeless

January 7, 2025, Laba of the lunar calendar, is the day when Sakyamuni Buddha became enlightened. Master Shi Xing Wu of Canada’s Xing Wu Zen Temple and his disciple volunteers braved the cold weather to go to the streets of downtown Vancouver to distribute food, fruits and steaming coffee to homeless people.

The homeless people were very happy with the arrival of Master Xing Wu and his disciple volunteers. They lined up in an orderly manner to receive the Master’s alms. Since Master Xing Wu and his disciples and volunteers often give alms to homeless people in this area, they seemed to see old friends and took the initiative to chat with the Master and express polite thanks.

When Master Xing Wu personally delivered every piece of food, hot coffee, and fruit to them, everyone was filled with joy and expressed polite thanks. The streets in winter are cold and drizzling, but the small warmth in the scenes touches each other and reaches people’s hearts.

Xing Wu Zen Temple has been adhering to loving charity for many years, forming good relationships, and allowing more people to feel the compassion and joy of Buddhism.

Adhering to the Buddha’s teachings, making offerings and giving with kindness, we hope that there will be more compassion and kind thoughts in the world, and that all living beings will be free from suffering and find happiness. Poor people can get help from kindhearted people to tide over their difficulties temporarily.

Giving is a practice method in the Six Perfections of Buddhism. No matter what kind of giving or what you give, as long as you can let go of yourself and wholeheartedly benefit and help all sentient beings, that is the most ultimate and perfect giving

–Laba Festival–

It is said that on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Sakyamuni saw stars at night and became enlightened. The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the day when the Buddha Sakyamuni became enlightened. It is also known as the “Dharma Treasure Festival”, “Buddha’s Enlightenment Festival”, “Enlightenment Meeting”, etc.–Laba Festival–

In order to commemorate the Buddha’s enlightenment and enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Buddhist disciples made porridge with various fragrant grains and fruits as offerings to the Buddha. As it was passed down through the generations, it gradually became a folk festival. Laba porridge, also known as Qibao and five-flavor porridge, is a porridge made from a variety of ingredients.

The significance of Laba porridge is not only to commemorate the Buddha’s enlightenment, but also to provide an opportunity for people in the world to cultivate blessings. Every year when the winter lunar month approaches the twelfth lunar month, some believers and Buddhist believers begin to prepare porridge materials and offer them to the temple to prepare for the porridge needs. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the temple cooks rice, chestnuts, dates, nuts and other ingredients into Laba porridge and offers it to the Buddha, and distributes it to devotees from all over the world.