he birthday of Buddha, or Siddhartha Gautama, falls on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month (May 11 this year). In Chinese this day is called Yufojie (浴佛節), or Shifojie (洗佛節), meaning the cleansing or washing of the Buddha.

On this day icons of the Buddha are ritually washed as part of ceremonies celebrating the birthday of the Enlightened One. The day is a holiday in many countries throughout Southeast Asia, allowing believers to participate fully in the various solemn ceremonies that are conducted. The day is not a holiday in Taiwan, though Yufojie is gaining steadily in popularity amongst adherents of the Buddhist religion on the island, becoming one of their more important religious activities.

The Japanese controlled Taiwan from 1895 to 1945. During this period, Yufojie ceremonies were carried out each year in Taipei New Park (台北新公園), opened in 1907 and now renamed 228 Peace Park (二二八和平公園). The park is located a few blocks behind Shin Kong Life Tower (新光展望台), the highest building in the city, which stands across from Taipei Main Railway Station (台北車站). After the simple, solemn ceremonies, a serene procession leaves the park and winds its way through the streets.

After Retrocession (台灣光復; the handing back of Taiwan to the Republic of China) in 1945, the traditional ceremonies related to Yufojie fell out of favor, quietly practiced at only a few temples around the island. These included Lungshan (Dragon Mountain) Temple (龍山寺) in Wanhua (萬華), the oldest section of Taipei, and Nungchan Temple (農禪寺) in Taipei's Beitou district (北投區). Celebration activities organized by the Buddha's Light Int. Association (BLIA, 國際佛光會;

The primary focus of the ritual ceremonies is the use of incense water (香湯) to bathe icons of the Buddha. This is a ritual with deep meaning for believers, representing the ritualistic purification contained in the daily ritual of bathing and cleansing the body, and the washing of newborn children as they enter, naked and pure, into the mortal world. The bathing of the icons inspires followers in their daily lives.

Washing the Buddha's body also represents the growth of the mind and the spiritual self. For modern people, purity and cleanliness are the foundation of mental health, and provide direction for the spiritual life. Put simply, an individual must rid, or cleanse, him/herself of ambition, greed, and vanity, so that he/she can live on a comfortable plane and develop his/her full potential, leading a healthy life and living as he/she desires, rather than being led by desire.

A person washes each day to remove dirt and grime. The ritual cleansing that takes place on Yufojie symbolizes the washing away of "internal" dirt, purifying the soul and spirit. The allusion is to the self-examination and cleansing that a person must practice each day, crucial in enabling a person to reach his/her life objectives.

The incense water used to wash the Buddha contains numerous fragrant woods and spices, including (get out your dictionaries) aloeswood (沉香), galbanum (白松香), cnidium officinale (芎藭), and circuma longa (鬱金). It is believed that on the day the Buddha was born nine dragons that inhabited the heavens sprayed perfumed waters down, washing the child's body and purifying his spirit. Nowadays, the symbolic waters, which are dark-colored and extremely fragrant, fill the entire space of the temples where they are used. Lungshan Temple and Nungchan Temple, for example, take on an entirely different ambience at this time.

While the ritual cleansings form the core of the ceremonies, on Yufojie many other normal Buddhist-related ceremonies are also conducted. Beyond these, of special note are the "releasing of animals" ceremonies (放生) conducted at some temples, including Lungshan. Wild animals that have been captured are ritually released back into their natural habitats; in doing so, the persons releasing them show great benevolence for other living creatures, and receive Buddha's blessing.

Lungshan Temple is at 211, Guangjou St. (廣州街211號). To get there, take the Pan-Nan MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) line (板南線) and get off at the Lungshan Temple station (龍山寺). Guangjou Street is one block behind, and parallel to, the street on which you come out of the station. Nungchan Temple is at 89, Lane 65, Daye Rd.; the temple now holds Yufojie ceremonies at many of its branch temples around the island, including the well-known Fagushan Temple (法鼓山) in the town of Jinshan (金山), on the north coast about an hour from Taipei.

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