Since ancient times, Buddhists worldwide have celebrated Buddha’s birthday by using fragrant water to bathe the image of the infant Buddha. In the Zen tradition, the baby Buddha symbolizes the beginner's mind and enlightened heart that every one of us has. Pouring water over the statue of the infant Buddha three times symbolizes the cleansing of our body, speech, and mind to clear away the anger, greed, and ignorance and let our innate enlightenment shine through. The teaching is that “it’s easy to wash away physical dirt, but takes more effort to cleanse one’s inner impurity of greed, anger, and ignorance.” Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike are welcome to partake in this significant ritual by sincerely pouring water over the shoulder of the baby Buddha three times while saying the above messages in your own words.