LEVERETT — They moved past columns adorned with tissue paper flowers, slowly making their way to the front of the room for a few sacred moments with a small Buddha shrine.
Approximately 200 visitors on Sunday gathered inside the New England Peace Pagoda’s temple for the pagoda’s annual “Birth of the Buddha” celebration. One by one, they stepped up to the altar and dripped sweet tea over the shrine using a small ladle.
Sister Clare Carter from the pagoda said the act of “bathing” the Buddha is rich in symbolism and was a central part of the birthday celebration.
“We hope it’s a time of real refreshment, refreshment of heart and mind,” she said of the sacred act. “When we have a bathing things become clear and clean and we can think different and see differently.”
James Babson of South Hadley said those who serve at the pagoda help him to accomplish just that.
“They uplift my spirit and soul and inspire me to be part of a better world,” he said.
Light splashed through long windows as adults and children listened to Ingrid Askew of Amherst tell the Buddha’s birth story.
“It was a full moon day in the month of May,” she began. “All the trees were in flower and the gentle breeze sang to the music of the birds and animals of this lovely forest garden.”
In ancient legends, the Buddha was born to Queen Maha Maya underneath a Sal tree.
Askew said it was as if all of nature was happy over the birth of this prince, who said she had skin the color of gold and deep violet blue eyes.
“He was no ordinary human being,” she said. “He would be most unusual. In fact, he would become a Buddha one day — a fully enlightened one who would teach the whole world how to find true happiness and relief from sorrow.”
Mirroring the nature of the Buddha, the monks and nuns chanted words of enlightenment throughout the ceremony. They read aloud in Japanese from the Lotus Sutra, a scripture Carter said was preached by the Buddha.
“The world is incredibly beautiful, infused with divine enlightenment and compassion but we don’t always realize it,” Carter said.
“Every one of us has Buddha within. If we really believe this about ourselves, the way we practice our humanity changes.”
And change is just what those at the pagoda are working toward. At the event’s closing, Tim Bullock talked about the pagoda’s recent “Walk for a New Spring,” a 56-day journey from Leverett to Washington, D.C.
The 15th annual walk event took place from March 4 to April 27.
Carter said that the goal was to re-imagine the foreign policy of the United States through shared security.
“Peace will only come about when we focus on true security of the entire world,” she said. “That’s the key.”
Sarah Crosby can be reached at scrosby@gazettenet.com