 “Mu Lian saves his Mother”
目连救母
When Poh Ern Shih， 报恩寺， is mentioned, people tend to recall its reputation as a green temple and its association with green technology.
Although famous for its association with the green technology, Poh Ern Shih is a nice balance of science and culture. This is evident from the sculptures and architectural styles featuring Chinese and Buddhist heritage.
Another dimension of this traditional heritage is Poh Ern Shih’s fund raising program “Mu Lian saves his Mother”. The Nanyin performance was organized by Poh Ern Shih and performed by Siong Leng Musical Association to raise funds for Poh Ern Shih’s temple construction.
Visitors were invited to a buffet Vegetarian dinner before the start of the performance. The performance area was a hall converted into a stage. True to its green message, there was no air conditioning in the hall. Guests were given their own personal traditional Chinese folding fan as a souvenir. Even at full house and with no air conditioning, the hall was very comfortable.
Siong Leng Musical Association as usual put up an impressive performance. They made clever use of lighting effects and stage props to tell the story of Mu Lian who saved his mother from hell.
The audiences were introduced to Mu Lian and his mother who had killed their dog to nourish him. It led to Mu Lian’s departure from home to practice the Dharma and how his mother died and was sentence for punishment in hell.
Knowing of his mother’s suffering, Mu Lian seeks help to save his mother and eventually was able to help her.
There were comical moments, emotional scene and fighting scenes. The most impressive fighting performance was the moment when Mu Lian arrived in hell to save his mother and had to fight his way through. It brought spontaneous applause from the audience.
At the end of the performance, it was not difficult to see how much the audience enjoyed the show; there were many rounds of applause from the audience.
As the friendly ushers directed audiences to exit, every guest was presented with a free gift; the Nine Ingredients Black Porridge, 孝九粥.
Event date: 1 May 2010, Saturday
18th day of the 3rd lunar month, year of the tiger
庚寅年三月十八
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Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
