THE third World Buddhist Forum and the Grand Blessing Ceremony for worshipping Buddha’s parietal-bone relic began yesterday in Hong Kong.

    Jointly organized by the Buddhist Association of China, the Hong Kong Buddhist Association and the China Religious Culture Communication Association, the three-day event is the biggest international Buddhist conference held in Hong Kong.

    Under the theme of “Common Aspirations and Actions Towards a Harmonious World,” eminent monks and well-known scholars from more than 50 countries and regions will participate in seven sub-forums and several TV forums in the three-day forum, discussing how to spread Dharma teachings and protect Buddhist scriptures, exchanging ideas on the development of Buddhist education and promoting Buddhist charity.

    Apart from the third World Buddhist Forum, the Grand Blessing Ceremony for worshipping Buddha’s parietal-bone relic is also being held in Hong Kong from Wednesday to April 30.

    This is the first time the Buddha’s parietal-bone relic being moved out of the mainland since it was unearthed in June 2010 in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province.

    The relic was enshrined in the Hong Kong Coliseum for public worship yesterday. It was the largest and most spectacular Buddhist ritual ceremony ever held in Hong Kong.

    So far, more than 260,000 tickets have been distributed with the help of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association.

    According to the organizers, tight security measures are being taken on a 24-hour basis for the safety of the sacred parietal-bone relic.

    As a Chinese city, Hong Kong’s dominant religion is Buddhism. It is estimated that out of the 7 million population, 1 million are Buddhists.

(Xinhua)