Fo Guang Shan(North Island) Welcomes NZ Police Wing 261
On 10 June, Venerable Abbess Manshin, Patron of Royal New Zealand Police Wing 261, had been invited to inspect the 38 graduate constables at their graduation parade at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Wellington. On 23 June, 37 of the graduates who have been posted to Manukau Counties attended post graduate training at Fo Guang Shan Temple (North Island) organised NZ Police Asian Liaison Officer Justin Zeng. Venerable Abbess Manshin was invited to preside over a simple blessing ceremony before the training day began.
During the day Venerable Abbess Manshin, Venerable Manwang and BLIA member hosted Royal NZ Police Human Resource Manager Brendan Ryan;. Inspector Lindsay Duncan; Sergeant Christopher Blanchard and his daughter Renee; Sergeant Andrew Heffey and Sergeant Tony Davidson who had flown to Auckland from Royal NZ Police College in Wellington especially, to meet the Wing 261 constables and Abbess Manshin at Fo Guang Shan (North Island) Temple. Venerable Abbess Manshin explained the significance of the architecture of the Main Shrine, the Jade Buddha and the hand crafted Buddha statues behind the Jade Buddha, which are carved from the basalt stone(volcanic stone). They visited Master Hsing Yun’s One Stroke Calligraphy Exhibition on the second level of the Main Shrine and the guests were touched by the Master’s determination and compassion which is vividly conveyed through his writings. They took note of every stroke of the characters and learnt about the beauty and significance of the Chinese culture. They were impressed by the rich culture that the Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery has portrayed through the Way of Life Photographic Exhibition and Liao Tian Zhao’s Stone Teapot Exhibition.
At 1.30pm, Venerable Abbess Manshin presided over The Light Offering ceremony in the Main Shrine which was attended by all Venerable, 30 BLIA members, Wing 261 Police Constables and their Inspectors. They recited the Heart Sutra, A prayer for Police Officers written by Master Hsing Yun and made a light offering to signify their determination to serve the nation and its people. Abbess Manshin also shared the words of wisdom from Master Hsing Yun:
1. We must not forget our initial aspirations ;
2. Always be an uninvited guest when there are good deeds to be done ;
3. Always forget the old scores with our friends,colleagues andfamily ;
4. We must be adaptable to the ways of the society.
In their speeches Brendan Ryan, Inspector Lindsay Duncan and Sergeant Christopher Blanchard expressed their gratitude for the Temple’s heartwarming hospitality. During his speech, Inspector Lindsay Duncan, told Wing 261: “You are very fortunate to have Venerable Abbess Manshin as your Patron!” Abbess Manshin presented books written by Master Hsing,to the Inspectors.The inspectors were very happy to have had a deeper insight into Fo Guang Shan organization.
The day ended at 4pm in the afternoon. and Asian Liaison Officer, Justin Zeng, told Abbess Manshin that both the Police Officers and the Police College have received great support and heartwarming hospitality from the Temple since she acceptanced the Patronage which has gained a lot of positive feedback from the Royal NZ Police. Fo Guang Shan (North Island) has become a signature landmark in Auckland and has served as a spiritual home to many people. If the temple is a part of the Chinese culture, then this culture has been incorporated into the local culture. The Training was reported by Chris Harrowell, of Howick & Pakuranga Times, who interviewed Abbess Manshin.