On August 5, 2007, the True Buddha School's Lineage Root Guru, Living Buddha Lian-sheng accepted his disciples' invitation to host a Golden Mother of the Primordial Pond Puja at the Rainbow Villa. 

It was a nice day at Rainbow Villa as everyone started arriving in the afternoon.  With their presence, it livened up the Rainbow Villa from its usual quietness.  Everyone was busy paying homage to the Buddha, meditating, chanting mantras, preparing offerings and registering for the puja.  Volunteers were assisting to provide the sponsorship of offering items for the puja, setup seating arrangement, and setup the audio-visual equipment, as well as photos being taken.  

Shi Zun and Shi Mu During Puja

Shi Zun continued speaking on austerities (ascetic practices), the topic from the previous night’s Dharma teaching.  He explained, "In the Buddha's first turn of the Dharma (law) wheel, He talked about the four axioms or truths (suffering, aggregation, extinction, and path), and the twelve-nidanas. This focused on "existence".  The discourses of the Buddha, the sutrapitaka, is "Abhidharma Kosa".  In the second turn of the Dharma (law) wheel He talked about "prajna (wisdom)".  This focused on "sunya (emptiness)".  The sutrapitaka is "Maha prajna sutras", which is represented by Manjushri Bodhisattva.  In the third turn of the Dharma (law) wheel he talked about "existence and sunya (emptiness)."  The sutrapitaka is "Sandhinimocana-suttra", which is represented by Maitreya.  The highest realm for ascetic practice is Arhat.  The causes of pain can be found in wealth, form, reputation, food, and sleep.  Therefore, an Arhat does not request these five objects of desire.  Today, is our spiritual cultivation a happy contentment?  There is a cause of pain in happiness.  We should be aware of the wisdom and the immaterial nature of Tathagata.  Sunya (emptiness) comes from existence.  Emptiness (sunya) cannot be separated from existence.  Existence cannot be separated from emptiness (sunya).  To become a bodhisattva with bodhicitta, we need to learn from Manjushri Bodhisattva and Maitreya.  During the puja, the Golden Mother of the Primordial Pond emitted brilliance and blessed everyone for purification, enrichment, magnetization, subjugation, deliverance and healing.  This also represented the meaning that the buddhas and bodhisattvas have never left the human world because they are always accompanying everyone all the time.  When they are being prayed to, everyone will be blessed thereafter.  For I am not the only one, who is also wishing everybody's wishes will be fulfilled.”

Following the puja, Shi Zun was compassionately blessing those who were requesting for additional blessings.  Individuals were lining up to receive the puja’s purifying smoke (this is symbolic to bless alignments and to receive additional purification).  Others were helping to put away all the offerings, clearing garbage, burning joss monies and lotuses. 

Shi Zun Performs Tai Chi