BLIA (North Island )Fundraising Dinner for Christchurch Earthquake Relief Fund

In the aftermath of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake which shook Christchurch, an estimated $4 billion was needed to rebuild the city. Hence, the BLIA (North Island) initiated a fundraising dinner on 19 September. The response from BLIA members was overwhelming.

There were about 100 diners including Abbess Manshin, all Venerables , BLIA President Dolly Tsai, BLIA advisors , members and their families.

East One subchapter Chairperson Ronald led his members in singing a song from “Sounds of The Human World” album and that effectively commenced the dinner function. This was followed by performances of other subchapters.

But the highlight of the evening was the auction of crystals such as citrine and amethyst and limited edition pieces of art by famous artists. Bidding was intense and all items were sold in the name of charity. There was even a phone bid all the way from Malaysia by one of the members.

The night concluded with a speech by the Abbess in which she praised the NZ government for the efficient manner in handling the disaster. She reiterated that by respecting and loving our planet and the world we live in, we are respecting and loving ourselves. We are truly well blessed to be living in New Zealand as evidenced by the fact that there were no fatalities in this enormous quake. Abbess thanked everyone for their generosity and quoted “ If you have bought something expensive , treat as merit cultivated, vice versa it is your good karma if you have obtained the auction item at a good price.” - By Master Hsing Yun. All in all, it is a night to be remembered.