A Richmond temple is offering blessings and purification for local pets to start their journey in Buddhism.
Lingyen Mountain Temple is holding a refuge-taking ceremony for all animals on May 11, a practice that began after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similar to baptism, the refuge-taking ceremony serves as the first step for people to become Buddhist, explained Master Shiu Fong.
"Lots of families, they have their pets ... So they also want their animals (to) be blessed," she said.
Family pets of all kinds, including cats, dogs, rabbits, birds and even insects are welcome as long as they are kept inside a cage or carrier.
Fong told the Richmond News all sentient beings, be they humans or animals, are believed to possess Buddha nature, or a pure mind.
Lingyen Mountain Temple performs refuge-taking ceremonies for humans about five to six times a year, but after the pandemic, they decided to open it up to the four-legged family members as well.
During the ceremony, owners and pets will gather at the temple's Eightfold Path Garden or tune in online, where masters from the temple will perform a ritual involving singing, ground purifying and prayers.
By going through the refuge-taking ceremony, it is believed that seeds of affinity with the Buddha will be planted in one's pets.
The ritual often serves as a way for humans to find inner peace and happiness, and it doesn't appear to be too different for animals, Fong said.
"Sometimes after (the pets) take refuge, even if they don't understand what we do in the ritual... they become more well-behaved," she added.
For more information and to register for the ceremony, visit the event page.
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