Fo Guang Shan North Island Pagoda Opening Ceremony

On 13 November 2012, The Most Venerable Hsin Ting conducted a blessing ceremony at 4pm to officially open the Pagoda at Fo Guang Shan North Island. Distinguished guests who attended the ceremony were Mayor of Auckland Len Brown, Director of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Auckland Lincoln Y L Ting, BLIA (North Island) NZ President Dolly Tsai, BLIA (South Island) NZ President Seeshen Lee and BLIA World Headquarters Executive Council Member Dominique Yu. Also present were Warren and Mahoney Senior Associate Simon Dodd, Global Federation of Chinese Business Women representative Ming His Lin and other honoured guests. Nearly 150 people and devotees witnessed this event.
About half an hour prior to this ceremony, a large and sudden hailstorm struck the Temple covering an area of 1 kilometre in diameter. The scenery became surreal as parts of Fo Guang Shan North Island were covered in 20 to 30 centimetres of hail, most looking like snow from a distance. Such weather is highly unusual in Auckland especially during the spring season and this severe hailstrom could be described as a once in a lifetime occurence.
Once the hail stopped, the Pagoda blessing commenced with Venerable Hsin Ting and Venerable Abbess Manshin leading distinguished guests into the Pagoda. Venerable Hsin Ting presided over the ceremony where echoes of chanting added solemnity to the event. The Pagoda is a place for devotees to enshrine their ancestor's ashes so that they and future generations would be able to cherish their memories.
Venerable Hsin Ting said in his speech that the concept of conditionality is the main focus in Buddhism. Every human life is closely related to the external world and that causes and conditions provide the means and ends in life. We must be respectful and grateful towards our parents as they provided us the foundation of our lives. We must appreciate all the things that our parents and ancestors have done to enable us to enjoy life. Venerable Hsin Ting also added that there is no need to be overtly happy during the joy of birth or overtly sad when facing death. We just need to cultivate good merits during our present life so that we can be reborn without regrets.
Venerable Abbess Manshin, Mayor Len Brown and Simon Dodd looked back at their experiences during the application and construction of the Pagoda. Its successful opening is the result of sheer determination to completion so that the public would be able to appreciate a peaceful and harmonious environment. Director Lincoln Ting mentioned that this visit to Fo Guang Shan North Island is his twelveth since being appointed to the Auckland office in September 2011. He admired Venerable Abbess Manshin for being such a good role model in leading this Temple and promoting Founder of Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order Venerable Master Hsing Yun's Humanistic Buddhism in New Zealand.
Venerable Abbess Manshin introduced distinguished guests and shared some of the Temple's recent developments as Buddha, devotees and guests witnessed and celebrated the Pagoda's historic opening. Devotees would be able to pay their utmost respects and transfer merits to their ancestors while uplifting the practice of Buddhism in this country. Many generations of people will come to appreciate the Pagoda's magnificence and significance.