The 1st Mind Purification Talk by NZ Police【Be First Then Do】Brighten Up Youth at Orientation Day
On 24th July, a total of 17 Fo Guang Club members joined the Orientation Day at Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple Auckland joyously, with the aim to learn more about the club and the temple. The event started off with a series of ice breaking activities of ‘Find the Leader’ and ‘Who’s the Spy’, which provided an opportunity for the Youths to bond with each other.
The Youths went on a temple tour to explore the landmarks and art galleries in the temple. The participants particularly enjoyed the well-compiled animated video, which summarised the Journey of Prince Siddharta in attaining Buddhahood. In addition, the Youths were in awe with the willpower of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, once they learned that the Venerable Master was persistent in writing the One Stroke Calligraphy despite his poor body conditions.
After a heart-warming lunch, the Youths were led by BLIA YAD Committee Member, Karzin, for a short outdoor mindfulness meditation session. Subsequently, the participants were blessed to join the first Mind Purification Talk by NZ Police Officers, Sergeant Sunny Sun and Constable Kevin Deng, alongside Abbess Manshin and Venerable Rulian. The police officers shared their personal experiences, how they have dealt with difficult scenarios that they faced in the industry and shared their expertise on leadership in action. “Whatever you do in your life, remember to think of the consequences and take full responsibility for your own action,” Kevin said. “To be a good leader, you need to be open-minded and accept others’ perspectives, while motivating your team to work towards the greater goal together,” Sunny added. Both police officers emphasised that the safety of the community is the utmost priority in their operation, which is justified by their role as a guardian of the society.
The participants harvested a lot of knowledge from the sharing of the speakers. “I have gained valuable life experience from the NZ Police and Abbess session, which will help me to improve on my long-term goals,” shared by a participant. The organiser of 2021 S2 Orientation Day, Sin Jun Chong, expressed that the sharing of NZ Police aligns well with the teachings of Buddhism, whereby the participants were reminded on the importance of having a faith, which would help us in becoming a better individual.
Abbess Manshin concluded that every individual is analogous to a plant, the deeper the roots, the stronger it gets. Hence, the power of faith should never be undermined, and we should always strive to study hard, work hard and think harder. “Life is all about defeating the previous version of yourself, and you will be surprised by how strong you will be at the end of the day,” Abbess added.