Christchurch Seniors Visit Temple Enjoy the Art and Culture Exchange

Fifteen seniors from Belfast Redwood Friendship Club in Christchurch, led by Sue Patient, visited Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island New Zealand on 25 July, and were received by Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island NZ Deputy President Lih-Son, Ding.

Ding introduced to them the four Bodhisattva statues on the outer wall of the Temple, which are modelled after the concept of the Longmen Grottoes, The main shrine has an cut off section design which symbolised “open door with great view”, where one can enjoy a view of the distant hills. In addition, he also led the guests to visit the art gallery’s ‘Transience’ joint exhibition, ‘Reflections’ wire art exhibition, paintings from famous artists Feng Zi Kai and Feng Yi Yi, and so on.

When visiting the main shrine, vice President Chen explained to them the Buddha's life story, the three major sects of Buddhism, and the idea of FGS’s Humanistic Buddhism. She also told them about some of the activities they organized such as the "3G4G Festival of Cultural Sharing", the Red Cross “Meals on Wheels” service, a "Coffee and Chocolate Festival", “International Vegetarian Day”, all of which received some great feedback. The guests were delighted by the visit and marvelled at the artistic atmosphere emanating from the temple. Some of them really enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the temple, while others were moved by the life story of the Buddha. The seniors learned a lot and were given a lasting impression of the temple.