Filial piety month observed with Kṣitigarbhasūtra

Every year during the filial piety month, Fo Guang Shan South Island New Zealand organizes a two week long session to chant the Sutra of the Fundamental Vows of the Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha. This year, it was held from 23 July to 10 August, with the main chanting session held on the 5th of August, led by Venerable Abbess Manshin and attended by sixty people. Notably, it was the first Kṣitigarbhasūtra prayer held since the temple's reopening.

Venerable Abbess Manshin spoke of Shakyamuni Buddha who is our great teacher, and of FGS South Island temple as a place to practice Humanistic Buddhism. She shared with us the four great vows: “Sentient beings are numberless; I vow to save them all; Desires are inexhaustible; I vow to end them all; The Dharma Gates are infinite; I vow to enter them all; The Buddha Way is unexcelled; I vow to attain it completely.”, hoping that this inspires everyone to recite the name of Kṣitigarbha Boddhisatva, as well as chant the Kṣitigarbhasūtra to enlighten one's self – to open up wisdom, encourage others to persevere, work hard, and be vigilant, so that our wisdom will grow and allow us to differentiate between right and wrong.

Venerable Abbess Manshin shared with everyone her first impressions upon seeing one of Master Hsing Yun's calligraphy works where the words “Enlightened yet?” were written. She praised the one stroke calligraphy work for its simplicity and directness. Under the guidance of Venerable Abbess Manshin, everyone at the venue chanted the following phrase: “Not enlightened, not satisfied”. Following that, Venerable Abbess Manshin sincerely hopes that everyone will have a chance to admire the works of art being exhibited at the Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery, specifically the “2016 Master Hsing Yun One Stroke Calligraphy World Tour” exhibit, so that some of Master Hsing Yun's art and wisdom will brush off onto us. Finally, it is also recommended that everyone takes an interest in book reading, with Master Hsing Yun's “Humanistic Buddhism – Holding True to the Original Intents of Buddha” as a good starting point to learn about learning from the Buddha and how to reach enlightenment, a mighty goal for everyone to strive for and attain.