Abbess Visited by a Good Old Friend

The Dean of the Christchurch Cathedral, The Very Reverend Dean Peter Beck, paid a visit to Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island in the morning of September 14. With an extremely tight schedule in recovering churches after the 2011 February 22 earthquake, the Dean still make up time just to meet up with a good friend of his, FGS New Zealand’s Abbess, Venerable Abbess Manshin.

With the right cause and conditions, the busy Abbess that was just visiting FGS South Island happily greeted Dean Peter Beck on his arrival. The Dean also had a warm welcome from FGS South Island Temple Supervisor, Venerable Juexi, Venerable MiaoYu, Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island directors and members, Louisa Kuo, Sally Lim, Luping and the others. Coincidentally, members of the Christchurch Interfaith were also having their morning tea and they have all greeted each other with an open heart in this multi-religious meeting at FGS South Island.

The Dean and the Abbess had a good morning tea session while exchanging current plans and ideas where the venerables and other BLIA members also joined in the discussion. They have talked about the temporary “Cardboard Cathedral” which is a very unique idea that could help the public in finding a religious place in search of peace and comfort of the heart; and it would also create a great place for different events that may occupy hundreds. It is now a mission not to just get a space of the 2000 square meters church but also to financially to make the building happen.

The Abbess had also shared a lot of her wisdom with the Dean and everyone in the discussion, wishing everyone would have more peaceful and joyful days even after the devastating February 22 earthquake.