Be Appreciative ~ Lotus Link Humanistic Buddhism Class

The Lotus Link Humanistic Study class had their first lesson in Year 2010 on the 23rd of January. 10 people attended including Venerable Miao Yu, the guiding Reverend. At the start of the lesson, the upcoming events of the temple were announced, including the Annual Reunion Dinner on the 6th of February and the lantern festival which will take place at Albert Park from the 26th to the 28th of February. Venerable Miao Yu requested volunteers for these events and the responses were very encouraging.
The group had a motive meditation followed by a sitting meditation. Venerable Miao Yu wanted everyone to concentrate on their chosen target and contemplate on the theme “Appreciation”: Appreciate all conditions, for example, we were given this opportunity to become a member of this study group, thus able to practise meditation together; appreciate the six senses we were given i.e. eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind, so we are able to see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think.
After the meditation, Venerable Miao Yu gave everyone who was present at the study group an English translated sutra and encouraged everyone to concentrate on the practice of one sutra which they find closest to them in order to achieve in-depth understanding. This does not imply an exclusive mentality to other practices; instead, through the mastery of one path one may comprehend the essence that is common to all paths.