Auckland University Fo Guang Club Receives New Members – Cherish the Causes and Conditions to Gather One’s Six Sensory Roots

Fo Guang Shan New Zealand’s YAD’s Auckland University Fo Guang Club completed its recruiting process during Orientation Week between 25th to 27th July, where many students were attracted by Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s calligraphy rubbings and the club’s meditation activities.

The “Second Semester Fo Guang Club Get Together” was on the evening of 9th August. It was attended by YAD Chairperson Josephine and 30 new club members. They started with a meal of vegetarian pizzas and then invited Venerable Miaoyu to teach everyone meditation in English.

The Venerable taught the youths to gather back their 6 sensory organs and to self-contemplate so they can be aware in the present moment. She instructed that one should first be thankful they have 6 sensory organs that are still operational, so they can see all objects, colours, people, and events; can still hear wonderful music, loving words and sound of nature; can still smell fragrance and fresh air; can still taste many natural food with their unique flavours, and can still feel textures of smoothness, roughness, softness and hardness. Hence they should be grateful and cherish all causes and conditions. During meditation they are taught to pay attention to one’s breathing, gather back all the sensory organs and feel every part of their body relaxing, whereby feeling the preciousness of concentration.

Then the Venerable taught the meaning of “Conditions” to explain the concept of cause, condition, effect and retribution and their relevance to life. She finally shared a quote from Venerable Master Hsing Yun with everyone: “Change bad conditions to the better, cultivate good conditions, widely make conditions of good affinities, create causes and conditions, proceed according to causes and conditions, waiting for the right causes and conditions, make good use of available causes and conditions, cherish causes and conditions and give others good causes and conditions.”