English Study Class Studying ‘The Core Teachings’
Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island English Subchapter conducted their English study class on 13th May 2018. The class was led by BLIA South Island Deputy President Ding Lih-son and attended by 10 BLIA members. The book “Core Teachings” written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun was chosen as the study material. Study group members would study the “Core Teachings” together with another of Master’s publication which is from “The Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing-Yun” and will share their reviews of these books at a “Study Sharing Session” that is to be held on 22 July 2018 at Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island.
At the study class, Ding first led the members in reading the chapter “Putting Teachings into Practice” in which they learned about the causes and conditions leading to the ordination of Master Hsing Yun at a young age. This chapter also touches on the stories of the Master’s grandmother and how the Master was influenced by her, in his pursue of Buddhism. Following this, Ding explained that Dharma are teachings of Buddha and we should all learn from the Dharma and practice the teachings in our daily life to make our lives more meaningful. Later, the class learned about the life of the Buddha: from the time Buddha was born, to his growing up and, his 4 excursions out of the city walls, the last of which made him wanting to take up the life of a wandering ascetic. After 6 years of following the practices of fasting and meditating under extreme conditions of hardship and deprivation, Buddha realised that he should give up asceticism and follow the Middle Path. Only after that could Buddha achieve ‘Enlightenment’ while meditating under the ‘Bodhi Tree’. In chapter 2, the class discussed about the meaning of the ‘Four Reliances’ and other aspects of studying Buddhism. At this juncture, BLIA members revisited many Buddhist Terminology and also made plans for the preparation of the ‘Book Sharing Session’ scheduled at last quarter of July 2018. All these efforts reflected the collective enthusiasm of members of the English Study Class. The class finally adjourned for next weekend when they will go into chapter 3 of the book.