It was raining in the evening. Prior to the float procession the next day on May 5th, Than Hsiang Temple held a Cleansing Ceremony for the float at the Great Compassion Hall at 8 p.m.

Venerable Wei Wu, abbot of Than Hsiang Temple led the Cleansing Ceremony for the float. The ceremony was then followed by the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Repentance Chanting Session. About 70 devotees participated in the ceremony.

Eighty-Eight Buddhas Repentance Text is actually the combination of 35 Buddhas and 53 Buddhas. This is also a part of the daily routine for many Mahayana Buddhists. Repentance is one of the most important daily practice in Buddhism. It is undeniable that we have created lots of unwholesomeness through the three doors of body, speech and thought throughout our lives in the cycles of birth and death. Furthermore, we are still creating them every day. Thus, the only way to eradicate those unwholesomeness is by practising repentance.

Tonight, Venerable Zhen Jue, a lecturer at the International Buddhist College delivered a Dharma talk on the origin and significance of the Bathing Buddha Statue Ceremony.

The Eighty-Eight Buddhas Repentance Ceremony ended around 9 p.m.