A Warm Farewell Service for a Kitchen Volunteer Creating Life Value through Service and Giving

A funeral service for kitchen volunteer, Qiongying Zhong, was held in Ksitigarbha Shrine at FGS Auckland, on 13th July 2021. The Buddhist memorial ceremony was led by Abbess Manshin together with Venerable Rulian and Venerable Miaoyu. The service was attended by 60 friends and family, including many BLIA members. All the attendees chanted sutra to transfer merit to Granny Zhong, praying for her future life.

Abbess Manshin said that the greatest value in life is able to serve, give a good word, and offer a good deed. Granny Zhong was a diligent, committed, and enthusiastic volunteer who returned to FGS Auckland every week and helped in the kitchen. In one of the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration, she once fried 200 kilograms of noodles, a record that no one has ever broken. She loved to serve the public in the Temple during her lifetime, thus staying with the Temple afterlife. The memorial service was filled with the blessings from BLIA members because of the good affinities that Granny Zhong made during her life. It serves as a reminder to us to cherish the opportunity to serve in the Temple and create value for ourselves and society. Future generations should also learn from her dedicated service to cultivate wisdom and blessings in our life.

Granny Zhong eldest son, Guanqiang Li, thanked his mother for her years of nurturing and care. Her daughter, Juanzhen Li, expressed her gratitude to the Venerables and BLIA members for taking care of her mother all the time and organised the extraordinary Buddhist ceremony for her mother. Granny Zhong loved to visit the Auckland Temple doing what she loved to do, and as her daughter, she feels happy and proud of her mother.