The Process of Growing Up

Fo Guang Shan Temple (North Island) owes its beauty to the devotion and dedication of the Fo Guang Youth who help to maintain the temple’s plants and trees every winter and summer holidays. On 10 December 2009, Venerable Abbess Manshin led the group of young people, whom have been actively involved in the Temple activities, to fertilize the plants and trees. The young people have left trail of their growing-up process in every corner of the temple and taking care of the temple trees is part of their growing-up memories.
Jay, a young man from the South Island of New Zealand, joins this meaningful event every year around this time. He is becoming more mature and over the years has grown spiritually. His grandparents are happy to see his growth and greatly encourage him to join the activities of the temple where his spiritual growth is also witnessed.
The ever energetic youth woke up early in the next morning to water the bamboo plants within the Temple grounds. Venerable Abbess Manshin believes that the right attitude and right moral values of life should start young. Thus after the watering, she invited them to a sumptuous lunch at the Waterdrop Teahouse, encouraging them to have the right attitude towards life, hopeful that they will live their lives to the full.