Sharing Merit With Victims of Tsunami in Asia

 January 16, 2005

In a ceremony held at the Mon Buddhist Temple on January 16, 2005, the Mon people living in Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A. collectively vowed to keep the five percepts and offered alms food to the Buddhist Monks which they believed were meritorious deeds, and shared their merit with the victims of the recent natural disaster in Asia which caused the death of more than 170,000 people. In the share merit ceremony, approximately 100 Mon people gathered, respectively holding candles, joss sticks and flowers to make a devotional offering to the Buddha, and prayed for the well-being of all of the victims in their next existences. "One's good deeds make one's well-being (in one's next existence) no matter how one may die," said the presiding Mon monk, Ven. Endasara.  "The Burmese military government announced that the disaster caused only 53 deaths in Burma.  Actually, many more Burmese/Mon people illegally working in Thailand were also killed in the disaster," said Nai Mahar Marn (Michael Mon), the Temple Management Committee's Chairman.