Birth of Shakyamuni Buddha celebrated in Beijing

Chinese monks and masters from Han Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Southern Buddhism jointly celebrated the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha at Lingguang Temple in Beijing on Sunday.

According to Han Chinese Buddhism, the birth of Shakyamuni is celebrated on April 8 of the lunar calendar, while Tibetan Buddhists celebrate his birth on April 15 of the Tibetan calendar.

Monks and masters from the three branches of Buddhism took turns to chant sutras in front of the small statue of Shakyamuni, standing in the center of a large bowl filled with water and flower petals. They then used the water to bathe the statue and celebrate the birth of the founder of Buddhism.

Ambassadors from Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka, as well as diplomats from Thai, Indian, Laos and Afghan embassies in China, took part in the celebration, held at the temple which is famous for its shrine to the tooth of Shakyamuni, which has been worshiped for more than 900 years.