Briefing Rotary Club of Riccarton, Christchurch
For the past 20 years, Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island and Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island have been actively engaged in social and religious activities in Christchurch. All these activities have been people orientated and have won the hearts of the local communities. The Rotary Club of Riccarton, which is based in Riccarton area, Christchurch, invited FGS South Island to their lunchtime meeting on 29th April 2019 to brief the gathering on the FGS Humanistic Buddhism concept and to give a brief account of the activities carried out by them. On the said date, BLIA South Island Vice President Lih-son Ding and committee member Craig Dee represented FGS South Island and gave a briefing to about 60 members of Rotary Club Riccarton.
Rotary International is an international service organization with 1.2 million members worldwide and possesses considerable influence globally. All this while, Rotary Club of Riccarton has managed to maintain good relationship with community groups or organizations within the Christchurch area. One of its members, Rotarian Catherine Chu, attended the recent 13th April Buddha’s Day celebration in FGS Temple Christchurch, and was impressed with FGS’s contributions to the local communities. In this meeting, Catherine was also one of the attendees, and FGS South Island was the only Chinese organization invited to give a briefing.
In his briefing, BLIA South Island Vice President Ding first introduced the original objective of FGS founder Master Shing Yun in setting up FGS and he then elaborated on the concept of Humanistic Buddhism. He afterwards reported on the various activities undertaken by FGS NZ in its propagation of Humanistic Buddhism. Ding was glad that New Zealand is fortunate to be able to inherit Humanistic Buddhism from FGS. Under the leadership of FGS NZ Abbess Venerable Manshin and through the efforts of BLIA New Zealand, FGS NZ has continuously carried out activities and services beneficial to the local communities.
Ding and Craig then reported on how, during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, FGS South Island had participated in the setting up of a joint service centre with the New Zealand Police to help in the post-quake relief work. They also reported that since the launching of the ‘3G4G Festival of Cultural Sharing’ Project 5 years ago, FGS NZ has successfully attracted the participation of more than 6000 students. Through this project, the students were able to learn about the ‘Three Good Deeds, four givings’ concept which will lead them to become citizens of good character. This project is endorsed by the NZ Police who has also become the main driving force behind its success.
Besides the above, Ding introduced to the audience the book by Venerable Master Hsing Yun ‘366 Days with Wisdom’, 20 thousand copies of which have been distributed throughout New Zealand. For more than 20 years, FGS South Island has participated in NZ Red Cross’s ‘Meal on Wheels’ Project. It has also taken part in social activities such as the City Mission’s Donation Project and FGS's ‘Porridge Sharing with the Public’ Project. In addition, Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch has been hosting art exhibitions regularly, with the idea of ‘Promoting Buddhism via Arts’, and, at the same time, providing local and international artists a place to exhibit their works.
Ding and Craig also reported that FGS NZ has always maintained close and cordial interactions with the New Zealand Police with the common aim of maintaining peace and order in the local communities. In addition, FGS NZ Venerable Abbess Manshin was recommended to be the Patron for the Royal NZ Police College Wing 261 in 2010, becoming the first Buddhist bhiksuni patron in history.
At the end of the briefing, the speakers were rewarded with a big round of applause and the audience afterwards requested for more information on FGS’s ideology and its activities. In his summing up, Rotary Club Riccarton President Greg Cayford praised FGS NZ for its huge contributions towards the local communities, especially in this disaster infected society of the modern time, when we need the wisdom and compassion of Buddhism to be the pacifying force of peace for New Zealanders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjue2X4TtVU