Serving FGS for 30 Years – The Story of Mei-Hwa Chen and Happy Hu
The Vice President of the 2nd Subchapter of Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island, Mei-Hwa Chen, and husband Hu-Kao Hin (aka Happy Hu), were senior members of BLIA, having joined the Association in the year 1992. Mei-Hwa used to volunteer as shrine attendant, kitchen hand and staff of literature-distribution counter at Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island. She was once elected the vice president of BLIA South Island. At the Temple, Happy Hu has been actively involved with the maintenance of the garden and the carrying out of repair works. The couple are indeed truly very supportive of the activities of the Temple.
The Hu-Kao family is a family of landscape specialists in Taiwan and has been in this business since the time of their Grandmother. Through the years, the Hu-Kao family has established a deep connection with FGS. The uncle, brothers and nephews of Hu-Kao Hin are still assisting in the landscape designs of FGS Headquarters, the Buddha Memorial Hall, the New Year Lantern Festival and many FGS Temples in Taiwan. Whenever the Venerables of FGS went to Japan and the United States to build Temples, they would bring along the Hu-Kao team to carry out landscape and garden designs. At a later date, Hu-Kao Hin immigrated to New Zealand and started to contribute his horticulture expertise to FGS South Island by providing advices on the design of the landscape and the caring of garden plants.
During her younger days, Mei-Hwa Chen had been greatly inspired by the compassion and determination of FGS founder, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, after reading the magazine Awakening the World. In the year 1991, when the couple, Mei-Hwa Chen and Hu-Kao Hin, retired in Taiwan and migrated to New Zealand, they were introduced to FGS Temple South Island by BLIA South Island Advisor Ku and his wife, Dharma Lecturer Rona Ku. Through their participation in Dharma Services and Buddhism Courses, Mei-Hwa and Happy were able to increase their wisdom in life. They have also learned a lot from FGS New Zealand, Venerable Abbess Manshin, especially in the dealing of their problematic parent-children relationships. Just like Master Hsing Yun, Abbess has impressed them as a Dharma Practitioner working fervently and incessantly for the good of the religion at all times. Though working at such hectic pace, Abbess’s strength and vigour never seem to have diminished in the very long years they have known her.
Even though busy with work and housework, Mei-Hwa still finds time to serve in the Temple. She gets her inspirations from the Dharma Talks of FGS Venerables who often give encouragement with powerful and concise words to inspire her to move forward.
The Fo Guang steamed buns, made by BLIA South Island volunteers and led by Mei-Hwa, have enjoyed excellent reputation. But behind this success were many untold sweat-and-tear stories. In the early days, FGS South Island faced the problem of funding for the Buddha’s Day Celebration. To solve this problem, FGS South Island temple conceived the idea of organising a vegetarian charity sale. At first, the team of volunteers had no idea on the making of steamed buns. After continuous trials and improvements and lots of hard work, the team finally succeeded in making delicious steamed buns that are now popular with the public.
The single event that had left a deep impression on Mei-Hwa was the Annual Buddha’s Birthday Celebration, from 2001 to 2009, held by FGS South Island in the Cathedral Square of Christchurch City. The event was supported by Christchurch Cathedral who had lent the venue to FGS. It had attracted the participation of thousands of Asians and Westerners, including prominent Government Officials, Police Officers and Representatives of the four major religions, making Mei-Hwa feel that Buddhism could also be integrated into the New Zealand Society. This has in turn prompted her to vow to support and assist FGS in the propagation and localization of Humanistic Buddhism in New Zealand.
To most immigrants, religious belief has become a spiritual pillar. Mei-Hwa Chen and Happy are fortunate to have found FGS in Christchurch. Adhering to the belief of "One day as the teacher, lifelong as the teacher; One day as BLIA members, lifelong as BLIA members; Always follow the footsteps of the Venerable-in-charge", for the past 28 years, Mei-Hwa and husband Happy have consistently maintained their support for FGS temple. They think they should contribute as much as they can while they still have the strength and ability. On top of this, they have made an effort to sow the seeds of Dharma in their future generations by encouraging them to get close to the Temple and by educating their young grandchildren with Master Hsing Yun’s concept of “Three Good Deeds and Four Givings”. They believe that sowing the seeds of Dharma in the young hearts will have positive influences in the future lives of the young generation.