NZ Buddhist Council Conducted 10th Anniversary Celebration at FGS South Island
To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, on 16th November 2018, New Zealand Buddhist Council (NZBC) organised a Mindful Peace Walk and Meditation Meeting in Auckland and Christchurch. The event in Christchurch was organised by NZBC representative Robert Hunt who had, for a few weeks prior to actual date, been in constant contact with Fo Guang Shan (FGS) South Island arranging for the Mindful Peace Walk participants to gather at FGS Temple at the end of their Walk for a seated meditation and blessing session, jointly conducted by the different Buddhist Traditions.
On that day, the event started at around 9.00 am with more than 10 Venerables from Korea, Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka from both the Theravada and Mahayana Traditions, together with about other 100 participants, taking part in the 20-minute Mindful Peace Walk from Christchurch Botanic Gardens to FGS Temple South Island. After the Walk, the Venerables and about 50 participants stayed back at FGS Temple to take part in the silent seated meditation. Later, FGS New Zealand Abbess Venerable Manshin was invited to the blessing ceremony to offer prayer.
Christchurch Region’s Venerable Kagyu Choeyang Ling and Venerable Gesha Nyima Dorjee of the Tibetan Tradition together with other Venerables first led the attendees in the seated meditation, followed by the chanting of Sutras afterwards. For her part, Venerable Abbess Manshin of FGS led the attendees in the chanting of ‘Heart Sutra’. In their solemn mood, the attendees chanted to dedicate the merit of their practice. In his speech, the organiser’s representative Robert Hunt pointed out that, other than raising one’s right mindedness, the Mindful Peace Walk also served to propagate peaceful living as expounded by Buddhism. FGS Abbess Venerable Manshin hoped that Peace Walk would be able to promote better interaction among the various Buddhist Traditions and to strengthen Buddhism.
After the dedications of merit, the congregation adjourned to the dining hall for a vegetarian lunch, followed by a period of socialising. With this, the yearly event of Mindful Peace Walk came to a harmonious and joyous end.