Consecration Ceremony for The "Eighteen Arhats"

On November 5th, 2023, the International Huayan Buddhist Federaton held a consecration ceremony for the "Eighteen Arhats" in Queens, NY. The eighteen Shoushan stone Arhats, collected by Li Yan for nearly thirty years, have crossed the oceans as ambassadors of Sino-American friendship and were donated to the International Huayan Buddhist Federaton. The ceremony was presided over by Venerable Ming Yu, the president of the American Buddhist Confederaton.

Chen Shaogong of the International Huayan Buddhist Federaton expressed his deep gratitude to Li Yan and her family for donating the Shoushan stone Eighteen Arhats, which had been in their collection for 26 years.. He felt joyful seeing the Arhats arrive safely at the association by sea. The Eighteen Arhats are considered auspicious symbols in Buddhism, representing good wishes for the people's auspiciousness and well-being.

Li Feng, CEO of Charming Media, stated that the Eighteen Arhats are carved from Shoushan stone with exquisite craftsmanship. Currently, mining of Shoushan stone has been banned, making these eighteen Arhat statues even more precious. Li Yan, the chairman of Charming Media, has collected the Eighteen Arhats for 26 years. During the pandemic, she formed a connection with the International Hua-Yan Buddhist Federation and conceived the idea of donation. The official donation ceremony was held in Guangzhou in May this year. Li Yan mentioned that it was hard to part with the Eighteen Arhats, which had witnessed the company's development, but she hoped their donation would serve as a messenger of Sino-American friendship.