Monthly Meeting Reflects on the joy of Buddha’s Birthday
On 24th April, BLIA South Island held its monthly meeting for April. 30 people, including BLIA South Island President Almeric Cheng, Vice-president Mrs Chen, BLIA Directors, South Island YAD President Jason Liu and other BLIA members attended. Guiding Reverends Venerable Juexi and Venerable Miaoyu were also present, and West 1 Subchapter President Lisa Tsai chaired the meeting.
President Cheng thanked everyone for attending the meeting and expressed his gratitude to those who had helped out during the Buddha’s Birthday Celebrations, noting that everyone contributed immensely to accomplish this year’s Buddha’s Birthday Celebration, knowing that it is the first time the event has ever been held at the Temple.
Next to report was BLIA North 1 Subchapter Vice-president Eugene You, who recollected that last year’s visit to the Harewood Retirement Village was well received, and suggested that this year on 23rd May, they would visit Elmswood Retirement Village and put on a show for its residents and bring them joy.
West 1 Subchapter President Lisa Tsai reported that the Extensive Commentaries Movie Study Group which was held last month gave the students the opportunity to listen to Dharma talks by the Venerables of Fo Guang Shan, and that these students had learnt a lot about Buddhism. West 1 Subchapter will be holding many more events during May and June, for which all are invited to attend.
During his report, YAD President Jason Liu mentioned that YAD will prepare special activities to celebrate Mothers Day with all the mothers at the Temple, and invited all the mothers at the meeting to attend. Jason also proposed that the YAD will attend Buddhism classes taken by the Venerables and practice the Dharma Instruments during their weekly Saturday YAD Temple Day.
Meeting topics and resolutions:
1. The commencement of the first session of the Intensive Buddhist Chanting Class. Venerable Abbess Manshin will be invited to take the class.
2. The 2010 North and South BLIA members’ Social Gathering will be held at the end May.
3. Members were invited to attend the BLIA Oceania Social Gathering.
4. Everyone is encouraged to attend the 2010, 13th BLIA World Conference.
Others:
1. Attending the Sangha Offering Dharma Function at FGS North Island in August and preparing performances as offerings.
2. The Subchapter Presidents’ Election. Please identify suitable candidates and determine the date of election.
3. Inviting those who are interested in joining the BLIA to become preparatory BLIA members.
During the meeting, the wonderful photos taken during the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration were showcased to everyone. News of the event had also appeared in New Zealand’s Chinese newspapers “The Messenger” and “The Sun”, as well as in “The Press”. Fo Guang Shan’s “Merit Times” also reported on the event. On behalf of the Temple, Venerable Juexi thanked those who had participated in the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration, expressing that all the effort the BLIA members and volunteers had invested go towards allowing Buddhism to shine its true colours.
Venerable Juexi also recollected that the Venerable Master Hsing Yun had once asked for the monastics to lead the devotees in “going out” and propagating Buddhism, and encourage them to come back to their “home of the wisdom life”. This year’s Buddha’s Birthday Celebration is the result of “extending out and returning home often”.
The meeting joyfully concluded with the joint birthday celebrations of all the BLIA members’ who were born in March or April.