25 July 2012

Alms-Giving Ceremony for bhikkhuni



It has been another auspicious day at Manelwatta Temple.

Beginning at 10 am, there was a ceremony for the inauguration of an  Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva shrine. Although Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was once popular in Sri Lanka, it was usually presented in a male image. The new Avalokiteshvara Boddhisattva shrine at Manelwatta Temple is presented in a Chinese, female image.

Around noon, an Alms-Giving Ceremony for Bhikkhunis, sponsored by Jiuhuashan Daxinshan Nunnery, took place. It is estimated that nearly 1,000 bhikkhunis attended the ceremony.

Following the Alms-Giving Ceremony for Bhikkhunis, a graduation ceremony for the second group of nun-students who had completed the training programme at Manelwatta Temple. Their dipomas were presented by the head bhikkhuni of Jiuhuashan Daxinshan Nunnery of Taiwan, who sponsored the training programme.

For more pictures, please click here.