FGS South Island Temple Indulged in Diligent Learning during Lock-down
On 27 March 2020, the 2nd day of New Zealand's Lockdown, the normally bustling streets of Christchurch looked particularly deserted. The residents of Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Temple South Island used this time for intensive learning and carrying out self-improvement activities. Among the busy programmes were: morning and evening reading sessions, preparing for upcoming Buddhist courses, watching live telecast of "Conversation between Ms Zhun hua Shen and Venerable Yi Kong", and tidying the Temple surroundings.
On 27th March 2020 morning, a reading session on the book by FGS Headquarters Abbot Venerable Hsin-Bao “Morning Enlightenment with Clouds” was conducted by FGS South Island Minister-In-Charge Venerable Jue Xi. During the evening reading session, Temple residents read Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s book "366 Days with Wisdom". Later, Kok wei Low continued by leading the class in reading Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s book "I’m not a monk who benefits own self”. During this pandemic period, it was the hope of the Temple residents that through the wisdom in Venerable Master’s books, they would come to understand the Dharma better leading to better self-observation and self-cultivation. On top of these routine classes, an Online Buddhism Course will be started on March 31, with Minister-in-charge Venerable Jue Xi, Cao Qian and Kok Wei Low as moderator. Earnest preparations in the collection of course materials are in progress. Through the Online Buddhism Course, the lecturers intend to share their Dharma knowledge with Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) members.
Coinciding with the 20th Founding Anniversary of the "Merit Times", Zhun hua Shen, a well-known Taiwanese TV anchor visited the "Merit Times" office to interview FGS Elder Council Director and past President of Merit Times, Venerable Yi Kong to discuss on how best to face challenges in the current situations. Using the Covid-19 pandemic currently faced by the world as a case in point, Venerable Yi Kong shared her 3 wise advices with the audience; firstly, live a simple and yet lively life filled with positive; secondly, always look for ways to turn a crisis into an opportunity; and thirdly, keep one’s good health without hurting the environment. Always remember to give “Mother Earth” a chance to rest and rejuvenate, to give oneself time and space to live, and to accord others with good affinities. The lively and wise conversation between Zhun-hua and Venerable Yi Kong has indeed opened up the minds of the audience and greatly benefited them. All the 10 Temple residents at FGS South Island watched the broadcasted live show online, and afterwards, they shared their understandings of the live interview and discussed the ways to implement the 3 wise advices of Venerable Yi Kong so as to bring purity of hearts back to the people, and to help end the Covid-19 pandemic soonest possible and return life to normalcy.