During the weekly sharing of the Dharma on 13 September 2007 and as a prelude to the Buddhist Mass Wedding to be held in Than Hsiang Temple on the following Sunday, Venerable Zhen Xin shared her thoughts: “You may have wondered why Than Hsiang Temple, a Buddhist organization that promotes Buddhism, a religion that places very high regard for sangha members who uphold celibacy, is organizing an annual mass wedding to be held in a Buddhist fashion. Well, in the first place, one should clear the misconception that Buddhism encourages devotees to renounce the world to become sangha members, other than those whose conditions permit them to do so. Buddha has explained categorically that the Mahasangha consists of the four fold members namely, the bhikshu, bhikshuni, the upaska (lay male devotee) and upasika (lay female devotee).”

“What then is the purpose of conducting a wedding ceremony with a Buddhist ritual?” asked Venerable Zhen Xin. “It is to remind the would-be newly-wed of the teachings of the Buddha on the roles of both husband and wife. The Sigalovada Sutra, which has stood the test of time for over two thousand years, provides a guide for the husband and wife relationship. Further, with blessing of the Triple Gem, the couple would hopefully begin a new chapter in their lives on a firm footing.”

This year's Mass Wedding was organized by Than Hsiang Mitra Welfare Centre in collaboration with the Chinese newspaper Kwong Wah Yit Poh. As the auspicious day arrived, relatives and friends of the five couples began arriving intermittently as early as 9.00am . The blessing ceremony was held at the Main Shrine Hall on the 6 th floor. At 10.00am, all the five pairs of bride and bridegroom, in their most beautiful, handsome and gorgeous moment of their lives, were solemnly ushered into the Main Shrine Hall; facing the benevolent statue of the Buddha to bear witness to their auspicious union. Venerable Wei Wu, the Abbot of Than Hsiang Temple, entered the hall after them.

The ceremony began with the chanting of “Lu Siang Chan”. Venerable Wei Wu then gave some useful pointers to the bridal couples on how to build a happy and successful marriage. “To begin with,” taught Venerable Wei Wu, “all Buddhists should steadfastly uphold the Five Precepts of non-harming beings, not taking what is not given, no sexual misconduct, no false speech and avoidance of intoxicants. However, if one were to further develope and transform the negative aspects into the positive aspects of the precepts by actively partaking in the protection of lives, practicing generosity, truthful speech, loving speech, loving kindness and compassion, we will definitely generate a harmonious and peaceful environment for inter-human relationship in general and matrimonial relationship in particular.” Lastly, Venerable Wei Wu wished all the newly weds a blissful future.

Venerable Wei Wu led the congregation in chanting the Medicine Buddha Sutra and the prayer for longevity, peace and prosperity. The couples were also blessed with the sprinkling of holy water. Each couple made an offering to Venerable Wei Wu, who in turn presented each of them with a souvenir. Before proceeding to the fifth floor for the wedding luncheon, the newly-weds gathered to have a group photograph with the venerable Sangha members as well as with family members and friends.

The wedding luncheon comprised eight courses of scrumptious vegetarian dishes for an estimated 400 guests. An entertainment programme of songs and dances were presented by the Than Hsiang Dharma Choir group, the Than Hsiang Youth group and the Than Hsiang Kindergarten. Before the last course was served, all the couples were invited on stage for the wedding ring exchange and vows-taking ritual. The cutting of wedding cakes and the toasting of the wedding couples with the triple cheering of Yam Seng marked the finale of the event.