A Modern Buddhist Reflection on Life and Death

On 17 Jan 2014, a seminar on ‘A Modern Buddhist Reflection on Life and Death’ was held in CBS Arena, Christchurch. The Seminar was organized by FGS New Zealand. The Speaker, Venerable Huei Kai, Deputy Abbot of Fo Guang Shan Headquarter in Kaohsiung, Taiwan presented his talk in English to an audience of more than 600 locals with many distinguished academicians among them. Members of Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) New Zealand, led by Abbess Manshin, Venerable Juexi, BLIA North Island President Dolly Tsai and BLIA South Island President See Shen Lee, participated in the Seminar.

Within one and a half hours, Venerable Huei Kai, aided by slides, presented his talk on the modern Buddhist views on ‘Life and Death’. The talk was made lively and interesting by the many illustrations and explanations put forth by Venerable Huei Kai, thus enabling the audience an easy understanding of the Buddhist views of the subject. The presentation put to rest many of the fears and anxieties on the issue of ‘Life and Death’ in the post-earthquake atmosphere after learning that Death is but merely a station where one makes a temporary stop before continuing with one’s journey; and with adequate preparation, one can calmly face Death without fear, and can thereafter begin a new lease of life. The mindsets and ideas that introduce in this seminar were like fresh water in desert which tranquilizes their needs.

After the presentation, there was a discussion session where around 50 people took part in intellectual exchanges with Venerable Huei Kai. Among the many Notables were Professor Beth Hume, Head School of Social and Political Sciences and Professor Michael Reid, Acting Head of Department Physics and Astronomy both from University of Canterbury; Dr. Will Sweetman and Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie, both from Otago University; Dr. Surinder, Representative from the Hindu Faith; and Ms Kath Harrison of Christchurch CPIT. The discussion session was lively and spirited with members of the Panel contributing generously their personal and professional views. The exchanges of views between Venerable Huei Kai and the Panel have allowed the modern Buddhist concept of ‘Life and Death’ to be better understood in the context of modern medical sciences, psychology and philosophy.

Dr. Sweetman Senior Lecturer, Asian Religions, Otago University has much praise for Venerable Huei Kai for his use of simple day-day analogies to explain complex concepts clearly. Dr. Sweetman asked Venerable Huei Kai for permission to emulate some of his teaching methods. Dr. Surinder from the Hindu Faith thanked Venerable Huei Kai for the interesting and mind-opening deliverance. He professed that the talk has lent him new insights into the many similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism, and he has now a better understanding of ‘Death’ as meant in the Buddhist context. In the same meeting, Professor Michael Reid discussed with Venerable Huei Kai the possibility in the application of mathematics to solve the issue of ‘Reincarnation’.

To prove the limitations of human being, Venerable Huei Kai compared the eyes of human to that of insects which are thousand times more efficient. Venerable Huei Kai mentioned that to achieve regularity out of irregular’s chaos requires long span of time. But through ‘Bodhicitta’ (Enlightenment-mind), accumulation of virtues and understanding of Dharma, one may be able to have answers to the many questions about ‘Life’. One may even be able to predict one’s ‘Death’ and plan for a happy, peaceful and dignified ‘Death’.

The seminar ended at 10pm. The audience thanked Venerable Huei Kai for coming to Christchurch all the way from Taiwan to speak in the seminar. The Panel of academic Doctors and Professors from the 3 Universities expressed their wishes for more interactions with Venerable Huei Kai, be they in intellectual fields or, in teaching experiences. The audience thanked FGS New Zealand for successfully organizing the seminar, so that even at the far corner of the Southern Hemisphere, they were able to come into contact with Buddhist Teachings and, hence to have better understanding of the meaning and value of ‘Life and Death’.