2022 BLIA Annual General Meeting Achievements made a brilliant debut
The Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) South Island New Zealand held the "2022 BLIA Annual General Meeting and Mid-Autumn Festival Tea Party" at Fo Guang Shan Christchurch on 18 September. President Bernie, Deputy Presidents James Low and Zhang Dong, Senior Supervisor John Lai, First chapter Senior Supervisor Ming-Yuan Kuo, directors, and 40 BLIA members attended the event, and Venerable Abbess Manshin, Venerable Juexi and Venerable Zhiyuan were present.
President Bernie reported on the activities held by the BLIA South Island in the past year, such as donating epidemic prevention supplies to several schools in Christchurch during the pandemic, responding to the "Christchurch Open Day" organised by the Christchurch City Council, participating in "Dharma Lecture", "T-EARTH Project", "Global VegRun event", "2022 Global Buddhism Exam," "Chocolatte", "Laba Porridge sharing for Neighbors," and "BLIA South and North Island Gathering," etc. He expressed gratitude for the guidance of Abbess and venerable and the cooperation of the association's executives, which resulted in a series of successful events.
The presidents of the first, second, and third Chapters, Tiffany Su, Cao Qian, and representative Elsa Lee, respectively reported on the activities of the past year, including study group, "T-EARTH Project," vegetarian charity sales, Mother's Day afternoon tea, Mid-Autumn Festival, and art gallery opening tea. Each Chapters has its characteristics, allowing members to showcase their strengths. Tiffany, the treasurer, also reported on the annual financial status.
During the meeting, five motions were discussed: Motion 1 is to hold a "Cloud and Water Dharma Sharing" every month. Motion 2 is to hold a "Humanistic Buddhism Sharing Seminar" on 29 October. Proposal 3 is to hold a "Laba Porridge sharing with Neighbour" on 2-3 December. Motion 4 is to continue the "366 Days book delivery Squad Team" book donation drive this year and organise a team, gather team members, and select a team leader. Motion 5 is to form a "FGS South Island Maintenance Group" to assist in maintaining the Temple. The follow-up motion is to prepare for the "FGS Green Flea Market" event to be held on 19 November.
The Abbess expressed her appreciation for the various activities held by the temple and the association, witnessing the magnificence and richness of Humanistic Buddhism. Although the population of the South Island is not large, the activities are unique, and only by participating can create more affinity and keep pace with the temple. The temple must hold regular events to allow more people to enter and enjoy the joy of Humanistic Buddhism.
After the conference, a "Mid-Autumn Festival Tea Party" was held, and the residents prepared delicious tea and snacks to celebrate the festival with Buddha's Light members. The BLIA member expressed their gratitude to the residents for their hospitality.