Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of BLIA in FGS Temple South Island
In order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA), the BLIA South Island held a "Talking about the Buddha's Light Association" event on 16 May 2022 in FGS Temple South Island. FGS Christchurch Minister-in-charge Venerable Jue Xi, BLIA South Island President Bernie, Vice Presidents James Low and Zhang Dong, Association Officials and 30 members attended the event.
The event was conducted by senior members of BLIA South Island who reviewed the history of the South Island Association and the activities it held in the past 30 years. The speakers included the Vice President of the Association, James Low, the Advisor to the Association, Louisa Kuo, the 2nd Subchapter President Cao Qian, Association Directors Tracy Chen and Kok-Wei Low. Each speaker has witnessed the development of the Temple and the Association in different periods.
President Bernie got to know BLIA in 2014 because he took his mother to visit Fo Guang Shan Cloud water cottage. After that, through participating in different activities, Bernie gained a deeper understanding of BLIA. Bernie praised the Temple for spreading the Dharma through art and culture, skilfully conveying the Venerable Master Hsing Yun's concept of "Humanistic Buddhism", and sowing the seeds of goodness and beauty in New Zealand.
Venerable Jue Xi thanked the BLIA members for their dedication to the Association over the years, and hoped that everyone can make good use of the positive energy of Temple, and pull together their ideas and resources to assist the development of the Temple and the Association. Big things start with small things. So doing every little thing well can make big things happen. Every member of the association is very important, and we must combine the power of all so as to leave behind an exciting chapter in history.
The New Zealand South Island and North Island Branch of BLIA were founded on 3rd July, 1991. Master Hsing Yun visited New Zealand to preside over the Inaugural Founding Meeting. In 1998, the Young Adult Division (YAD) of BLIA South Island was established. Since its establishment, the BLIA South Island and FGS Christchurch have jointly held a number of activities beneficial to the community, among which the most well-known activities include "Buddha's Birthday Celebration", "Siddhartha: The Musical”, Participation in Earthquake Disaster Relief , and "Chocolatte Festival". BLIA South Island members adhere to the motto of "giving people confidence, joy, hope and convenience", and shower compassion and love to the people of Christchurch regardless of race and religion. Using the World’s Southernmost FGS Temple as a base, BLIA members practice and propagate the concepts of “Humanistic Buddhism” advocated by Venerable Master Hsing Yun.