Shaoin Delivering Laba Porridge on Buddha’ s Enlightenment Day

On January 7, 2025, the 8th day of the twelfth lunar month, is China’ s traditional Laba Festival, also Buddha’ s enlightenment day of Buddha Sakyamuni and “treasure festival””Thanks Giving Day” in Buddhism. On the same day, Shaolin Temple, temples of Shaolin lineage, overseas Shaolin cultural centers and others extensively delivered laba porridge, tasted Shaolin laba porridge together with Shaolin culture lovers from around the world to spread concepts of equality and compassion in Buddhism, integration and harmony and eco-environment protection, carrying forward traditional national culture.

In Buddhism, the Laba Festival is called the “Thanks Giving Day”, embodying simple wishes that believers are grateful to Buddha’ s moralization and pursue health and happiness. Buddhism spread into China, integrates with traditional Chinese culture. Laba is endowed with warmness, completeness, integration, inclusion, harmony, luckiness, health, cooperation, nutrition, simplicity, convenience, gratefulness, joy, connection and other rich connotations.

At 2 o’ clock on the morning, masters and volunteers of the Dinning Hall in Shaolin Temple had started boiling Shaolin wuxing laba porridge. Shaolin Temple’ s laba porridge is called wuxing laba porridge because the Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau follows wuxing doctrines in Buddhism medical to choose wuxing beans including red bean, soybean, green bean, black bean and white kidney bean corresponding to body’ s heart, spleen, liver, kidney and lung), supplemented with fine longan, lotus seed, Chinese yam, wolfberry and other kinds of materials totaling more than 20 boiled over slow fire and high heat, also mixing with Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau’ s secret-made medicine juice to adjust wuxing. The porridge not only tastes soft and fragrant, but also benefits energy or spirit and the spleen and stomach. Due to its complex process and precious medicine juice, the authentic “Shaolin wuxing laba porridge” could be tasted only on the day of the Laba Festival.

At nine o’ clock on the morning, abbot of Shaolin Temple the grand monk Shi Yongxin guided Buddhists to offer the first bowl of Shaolin wuxing laba porridge to sacrifice Buddha Sakyamuni. Then abbot Yongxin and Shaolin monks held the Laba blessing assembly at the gate of the Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau to pray for world peace, human happiness, good weather for the crops, and the country’ s prosperity and people at peace.

Then abbot Yongxin and masers of Shaolin Temple delivered laba porridge to believers, sent “fu”, and gave best wishes to friendly people for their happiness and wisdom. Visitors tasted laba porridge and got Chinese fu, sharing memories and stories about laba festival, with a warm and harmonious atmosphere on the scene.

On the morning, the Shaolin Pharmacy Bureau went towards the old people’ s home in Dengfeng for best wishes to them, grateful to them for their contribution to the society.

Yueshan Temple in Jiaozuo delivers laba porridge and sends “Fu”

Qingyun Temple in Shantou sends “Fu” during the Laba Festival

Tiangong Temple in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Shuiyu Temple in Dengfeng delivers laba porridge

Baitu Temple in Jian’ am district of Xuchang delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Lingshan Temple in Xinzheng delivers porridge during the Laba Festival and conducts on-site clinic

Tiefo Temple in Pizhou, Jiangsu province, delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Longhua Temple in Xuchang delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Lingkai Temple in Chengdu delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Puzhao Temple in Luohe delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Shuiyue Temple in Xinzheng delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Zishou Temple in Lingshi, Shanxi province, delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Nanquan Temple in Xinmi delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Yousheng Temple in Xinzheng delivers porridge and prays during the Laba Festival

Wansheng Temple in Huozhou, Huoshan city, Shanxi province delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Hong Kong Shaolin Cultural Center delivers porridge and pray during the Laba Festival

Xingfu Temple in Taihuang Mountain in Ruian of Wenzhou delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Wangu Temple in Yongji, Shanxi province delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Bao’en Temple in Songshan Mountain in Dengfeng delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Northern Shaolin Temple in Panshan, Tianjin, hosts a blessing assembly during the laba Festival

Shiquan Temple in Xingyang delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Puzhao Temple in Qingfeng of Puyang delivers porridge during the laba Festival

Zhijin Temple in Shangyu district of Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Miaoyan Temple in Taizhou, Zhejiang province delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Cambodia Shaolin Temple Cultural Center delivers porridge during the Laba Festival

Ciyun Temple in Gongyi, Kongxiang Temple in Sanmenxia, Chaohua Temple in Xinmi, Northern Shaolin Temple in Panshan, Tianjin and other temples of Shaolin lineage as well as overseas Shaolin cultural centers also actively responded the call to deliver laba porridge, share unique Chinese flavour and carry forward Chinese culture. (report by Zou Xiang, Yue Long, photographed by Yue Long, Wang Haitao, and video by Gong Wuwei, Dong Wenke)