PETALING JAYA, May 6 – Come tomorrow Buddhists in Malaysia will observe Wesak Day unlike any other year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the pandemic swept across the nation and the globe, places of worship had to quickly pivot and Malaysians prepared for a new norm under the Movement Control Order to curb the spread of the virus.
At the Buddhist Maha Vihara (BMV) in Brickfields, there would normally be 10,000 devotees visiting the temple to receive blessings and participate in various religious activities.
This year will be vastly different.
“This is the first time in our 126 year history that the BMV will be celebrating Wesak with locked gates,” BMV honorary secretary Tilak Leslie Jayawardena told Malay Mail.
The temple’s candlelight and float procession, as well as free food distribution, has been cancelled but everything else has gone virtual.
“As the saying goes, in hardships evolves ingenuity and innovation.
“We started to slowly assimilate and acclimatise to the idea of praying and promoting spirituality from home,” Tilak said.
Wesak Day observes the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha.
Beginning today, the eve of Wesak, BMV will be live streaming the lighting of the first Wesak oil lamp by the temple’s chief monk Datuk K. Dhammaratana on its official and public Facebook pages.
They will also be live-streaming a blessing service and a Wesak sermon.
Wesak Day online activities will begin at 7am tomorrow with a message from the chief monk and the Buddhist flag raising ceremony followed by a blessing service.
Devotees who wish to participate in the eight precepts programme can join the web session at 7.30am tomorrow while regular programmes such as sponsoring oil lamps and Aspiration Tree messages are also conducted online.
BMV’s English-language dharma sermons will be streamed on Facebook by monks based in the United States and Canada at 9am, 4pm and 8.30pm.
“In our living memory, this is the first time Wesak will not be celebrated with open gates.
“Even during World War II when the Japanese were occupying Malaya, the temple gates were open,” Tilak said.
Similarly, the Wat Chetawan Thai temple in Petaling Jaya is encouraging devotees to pray online while activities in the main shrine’s hall will be on Facebook Live.
Devotees can make oil lamps and phapa robes offerings on WhatsApp and online banking, and the temple’s reverends will perform the offerings on their behalf.
The famous Thai temple which was built in 1957 and opened by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, typically welcomes thousands of devotees on Wesak Day.
Wat Chetawan honorary secretary Datuk Sa Wai said the experience of spending Wesak with other temple-goers might be missing but staying at home is a good opportunity to self-reflect and practice the teachings of the dharma.
“Look at this period as if it’s a retreat and use it wisely to do as the Buddha had taught, such as avoid evil, do good and purify the mind,” he said.
“I have a Buddha statue in my house and I can perform prayers in front of him at the altar – it’s still the same, what is important is the mind and heart.”
He added that Covid-19 was an opportunity to help those in need.
As one of the oldest and largest temples in South-east Asia, Thean Hou Temple is harnessing the convenience of online groups for devotees to take part in Wesak activities.
Thean Hou is working closely with the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia to bring puja and chanting sessions, dharma talks and the bathing of the Buddha statue online.
“Wesak Day is a very important day in the Buddhist calendar and we are also learning to do things differently,” Thean Hou Temple religion department executive Ho Yoke Mui said.
“We hope this year’s puja will end the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Wesak Day celebrations in previous years normally begin three days prior with chanting and the 108 Procession for Great Repentance, drawing up to 2,000 devotees and visitors.
“During the actual date, we have the ‘three-step one-bow’ which is unique to Thean Hou Temple beginning from the bottom of the hill up to the shrine,” Ho said.
The temple, a well-known place of worship and popular tourist spot in Kuala Lumpur, has shut its gates since the outbreak.
“It’s the first time ever we’re experiencing something like this – we even stopped our marriage registration and are saddened by the situation.
“We hope things go back to normal soon,” she said.
