The 2023 3G4G Festival of Cultural Sharing at FGS Christchurch
This year, Fo Guang Shan New Zealand’s 3G4G Festival of Cultural Sharing has entered its 9th year. From 24th May to 25th May 2023, FGS Christchurch welcomed 200 students and teachers from Ngutuawa Primary School, Te Waka Unua Primary School, Te Komanawa Rowley Primary School and Hornby High School to participate.
The schools involved were very supportive and some schools had participated in the event several times. At the Festival, Te Komanawa Rowley Primary School students specially sang the Pacific Islander Thank You song to praise Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of FGS to express their gratitude and remembrance.
The students learnt the Buddhist etiquette, the meaning and practical implications of Three Act of Goodness and Four Givings and followed by a temple tour. Most of the students were visiting the Temple for the first time, they were amazed by the solemnity and beautiful environment of the Temple.
The Cultural Sharing activities included watched The Life of Buddha, meditation, sutra transcription, bathed the Buddha statue and practicing Tai Chi. New Zealand Police also help the students establish a correct moral outlook. The students also received gifts from the Temple, including Master Hsing Yun’s bookmarks of Dharma Wisdom and specially designed creative cultural pencils. At the end of the event, the Temple presented Master Hsing Yun's book <366 Days with Wisdom> and <BLIA New Zealand 2023 Report> to the police officers and teachers, thanking the police officers and teachers for their support.
The school teachers who led the teams shared that this was an excellent outdoor teaching activity, allowing students to learn valuable knowledge that could not be experienced in the classroom. They all expressed that they would come to participate in the 3G4G Cultural Sharing Activity again in future, and would also invite their own family members to visit the Temple.
After the event, the Temple had received a lot of feedbacks. Some schools personally sent thank-you letters to the Temple, and some schools left comments on social media, thanking the Temple for their dedication in organizing the event. Police officers who had participated in the event also expressed their support for the event.
The 3 New Zealand Police officers who came to support the event were Sergeant Tim Cummins, Constable Meg Moynihan and Senior Constable Brad Hagerty. Constable Meg Moynihan said that she was honoured to be invited to participate in the event for several consecutive years. She hoped that the students would put into practice what they had learned in the event, which would have a huge impact on their lives. Police Officer Sergeant Tim Cummins participated in the activity for the first time, and he very much agreed with the values of 3G4G. Senior Constable Brad Hagerty expressed that he believed that the event had a positive influence on the students.
Shona Hewlett, the principal of Ngutuawa Elementary School, personally led the students to participate in the activities, hoping that the activities would allow students to go out of the school campus for learning in a new environment. Student Daniel said that copying the scriptures made him feel very peaceful in his heart, and he also liked the peaceful atmosphere of the Temple.
Kate, a teacher at Te Waka Unua Elementary School, had led her students to participate in the event for the fifth times. She said that teachers and students had been looking forward to participating in the activities every year. Teacher Rose was pleased to see that the students had wholeheartedly engaged themselves in the activities. Student Godi said that this was his first time he came to the Temple. He felt very comfortable, and was very happy to learn about Buddhism and about a different culture.
Niki Penny, Vice Principal of Te Komanawa Rowley shared that every year she was surprised by the newly added contents. Hornby High School Discipline Teacher Terry Mitchell praised the rich contents of the program, especially the sutra transcription which made the students very focused. Student Nicholas said that the 3G4G Cultural Sharing event was very meaningful, and he would share what he had learnt that day with his classmates when he returned to school.