When North Meets South at FGS South Island…

In order to foster a close inter-island relationship between the North and South Island BLIA, members of the English Subchapter from North Island BLIA flew down to Christchurch for a gathering, with Subchapter President Ms. Leslie leading the way.

The group of six also participated in the opening ceremony of the Shiao Shan Shan World Tour Pressed Flower Exhibition on 28th November. On the morning of 29th November, both associations got together in the Water Drop Café for a social gathering and invited Venerable Abbess Manshin to share some words and answer questions related to Buddhism.

Present at the gathering were BLIA Advisor Mr. John Lai, President Almeric Cheng, Vice-president Ms. Meihua Chen and several BLIA Directors, as well as Venerable Juexi and Miaoyu.

The members expressed that after being exposed to the Buddha’s teachings, their lives have become more purposeful and fulfilling, and especially after joining Fo Guang Shan they have discovered the diversity of cultures and have come to understand that Venerable Masters’ concept of Humanistic Buddhism is in fact an attitude and way of life.

In the large family of Fo Guang Shan, one can learn to become more open minded when viewing the world and learn to treat others with compassion.
Venerable Abbess Manshin’s sharing also focused on the cycle of rebirth, teaching everyone how to use the correct English terminology to make an in-depth and accurate analysis, so as allow everyone to grasp a better understanding of the topic.

After the social gathering, the English Sub-chapter members visited Advisor Mr. Lai’s lavender farm, where they were introduced to the variety of ways in which lavender is cultivated; this memorable outdoor excursion concluded their remarkable Christchurch trip.