The Castor Bay Presbyterian Church and hall will become a place of Buddhist worship and meditation

Home Asia Pacific Oceania New Zealand

Castor Bay, New Zealand -- A Buddhist organisation has bought the Castor Bay Presbyterian Church.

<< SOLD: the Castor Bay Presbyterian Church and hall will become a place of Buddhist worship and meditation.A Buddhist organisation has bought the Castor Bay Presbyterian Church.

The church and adjoining hall have been bought by the Auckland branch of a well-established Buddhist religious education society with other existing premises throughout the city.

Mairangi and Castor Bays Presbyterian Church property and finance convenor George Wyman said the church had been sold as the size of its congregations no longer warranted its own premises.

Congregation members will now integrate into the Mairangi Bay Presbyterian Church some two kilometres away or to the Anglican Church in neighbouring Milford.

The church will hold its final religious worship sessions over Easter in April next year. The sale of the Castor Bay Presbyterian Church was brokered by Bayleys Takapuna.

The two buildings have a combined floor space of 250 square metres with off-street car parking for eight vehicles, and sit on 1133 square metres of land with vast views over Milford Beach and the Waitemata Harbour.

The Castor Bay land and buildings have a capital valuation of $1.125milllion.

Bayleys Takapuna sales person Peter Christoffersen said that seven tenders were received for the Castor Bay premises after an extensive marketing campaign which embraced both the commercial and residential development potential for the land and buildings.

"Some of those tenders were for the commercial development of the site, while most were for development of a residential nature in line with its zoning of Residential 4 under the Auckland Council plan," Mr Christoffersen said.

"When the final round of tenders was assessed, the best deal put forward at the end of the process was that of the Buddhists. This sits well with the church's philosophy of encouraging spiritual worship, peace, and harmony and ensures the legacy created over almost 100 years in Castor Bay is maintained."

View the original article here

Ancestor worship goes hi-tech

Home Asia Pacific South East Asia Malaysia

Penang, Malaysia -- Ancestor worship prayer has gone digital with a Buddhist temple in Bayan Lepas putting up two 50-inch LCD screens to display names of the deceased.

<< Modern method: Than Hsiang Temple abbot Ven Wei Wu showing the digital ancestral tablets on a 50-inch LCD screen

The LCD screens are set up on both sides of the prayer hall displaying ancestral tablets to replace traditional ones.

The traditional way of ancestor worship is where names are written on pieces of paper and pasted on a wall.

The slides on the screen change every three seconds to display different names and the digitalised ancestral tablets take the form of lotuses which float towards the palm of Lord Buddha to symbolise the deceased having a rebirth in the Pureland of Buddha.
Than Hsiang Temple

Ven Wei Wu said the temple decided to launch the digital version of the worship prayer this year in a move to protect the environment.

“In the past, about 1,000 pieces of A4 size papers would go up in flames after the prayer sessions.

“We’re not against tradition but we have to do our part in protecting the environment.

“The temple also prohibits burning of joss sticks, joss papers and candles,” he said when met at the temple recently.

Ven Wei Wu also said the temple offered devotees LED rechargeable candles as it is not only environmental friendly but also safe.
Buddhism

He also said some traditions have certain values but most times, people blindly followed tradition without fully understanding its meaning.

The temple is believed to be the first in the country to launch the service and its first trial session on April 1 during the Qing Ming Festival puja was well-received by devotees.

Ven Wei Wu said although people were initially hesitant but most had adopted the idea.

He said the digital method doesn’t require a special software and the slides could be done with Microsoft PowerPoint.

Ancestor worship prayers are held twice a year at the temple, the first during the Qing Ming Festival and the other one during the seventh lunar month.

For details, call the temple at 604-6414822

View the original article here