Most Venerable Hsin Ting’s Enlightening Dharma lecture

The 28th September marked the auspicious day when the President of BLIA Headquarters, Most Venerable Hsin Ting arrived in FGS South Island, accompanied by Venerable Abbess Manshin, FGS North Island devotee representative Ming Tai Huang, BLIA North Island President Dolly Tsai and several committee members. The Most Venerable’s arrival was met by the warm welcome of 20 BLIA South Island committee members and Temple staff.

At 7pm in the evening, Most Venerable Hsin Ting was respectfully invited to deliver a Dharma Lecture on “Great Compassion, Great Bodhi Mind and the Wisdom of Emptiness” for 150 devotees at FGS South Island. Reporters from Christchurch’s The Sun newspaper and Hong Kong Journal came to capture this auspicious occasion with photos and print. After receiving news about the Dharma lecture, many Christchurch locals promptly secured tickets to come and listen to the Dharma.

Citing from the Diamond Sutra, Most Venerable Hsin Ting explained the great compassion, the great bodhi mind, and empty wisdom of the bodhisattva. Using many illustrative examples, the Most Venerable explained the difference between the love of a bodhisattva and the love of a regular sentient being, noting that the love of a bodhisattva is for all sentient beings and the love of the latter is for the sake of oneself; and that through the realisation of the emptiness of the five skandhas, is able to purify themselves of the worldy love and transform to benefit all sentient being through engaging in good deeds.

A bodhisattva also sees all sentient beings as one and without distinction or discrimination, and is able to use His Dharma eye and wisdom eye to see the emptiness in all phenomena, thus does not have attachment to anything. The Most Venerable also explained the relationship between: causes and conditions and harmony; human beings and space; human beings and animals; human beings and the causes, conditions and karma of all worldly matters; and with the awareness that everything is bound to conditions, the bodhisattva develops a mind of unconditional mercy and compassion.

The vivid stories told by Most Venerable Hsin Ting received warm applause, and the audience listened intently and joyfully. The Dharma lecture concluded at 9pm, and everyone praised the Most Venerable for equipping them with Dharma wisdom which will allow them to reevaluate the true meaning of life.