Re-opening of FGS South Island after Lifting of Lockdown
9th of June 2020 marked the day when COVID-19 Alert Levels moved from level 2 to level 1. At Alert Level 1, there will not be any restrictions on public gathering, and people can revert back to their normal pre-lockdown way of life. Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Temple South Island, after 78 days of closure due to the lockdown, finally re-opened its door on the 9th of June 2020. On this day, more than 100 people visited the Temple. These included patrons coming for their meals at Water Drop Café, devotees offering prayers at the Buddha Hall, and visitors to Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch.
While at Level 2, Water Drop Café had already received many phone reservations from customers. This first day of re-opening witnessed a continuous stream of people, mostly old customers, patronizing the Café. Some regular customers recalled how they missed the delicious vegetarian cuisines of the Café during the two-months-plus lockdown and were glad that, because of the re-opening, they could finally have their palates satisfied. Some of them even brought their friends along. To add merry to the occasion, Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island Love and Caring group, Louisa Kuo, organized a lunch gathering for 13 BLIA Volunteers involved with the Red Cross Meals-on-Wheels Project and Venerable Abbess Manshin was invited to address the volunteers. Venerable Abbess later distributed apples to the volunteers and all other patrons in the Café, symbolizing their peaceful victory over the pandemic.
Accompanied by her daughter Vikki, Christchurch resident Valery who is 90 years old, came for her lunch at the Water Drop Café on the day. Valery, who is a vegetarian, was glad to have gone through the lockdown peacefully and was elated to have her delicious vegetarian meal in the Café. After their meal, Valery and Vikki visited the Buddha Hall and the Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery. At the Art Gallery, Valery felt blissful and at ease appreciating the exhibits, and the tranquil ambience of the Temple filled her with inner peace. Despite her age, Valery remains active and agile. She accorded the secret of her longevity to always keeping a cheerful, grateful and contented heart.
An old patron of the Café, Rodney, who had moved to Auckland many years ago, returned to Christchurch because of COVID-19 pandemic. Rodney was unable to forget about the delicious food of Water Drop Café while in Auckland, and his meal today really brought back the tastes he had been longing for all these whiles. Apart from food, Rodney loved the blissful and peaceful atmosphere of the Buddha Hall where the solemn Buddha statue aroused his love and adoration for the Buddha. Another frequent patron of Water Drop Café, Codney, told that she could only prepare simple meals at home during the lockdown. Today’s cuisines had hugely satisfied her long awaiting palate, and she planned to have some taken away for her dinner. The many art pieces on display at the FGY Art Gallery added to Codney’s day by bringing joy and happiness to her.
On the recommendation of their friends, 7 youngsters from Hong Kong and Taiwan, undertaking vocation works in New Zealand, came to the Café for their vegetarian lunch. Afterwards, they went to the Buddha Hall for prayer and Sutra transcription, wishing that their actions would help lessen the emotional depressions arisen from their uncertain nomadic living conditions. They also intended to make FGS South Island their spiritual refuelling station for the journeys ahead.
All these while, FGS South Island has augured well into the Christchurch community, and is a place well frequented by the local populace. Through the promotion of Vegetarianism and Arts, FGS hopes to sow the seeds of Humanistic Buddhism onto the people and future generations of Christchurch. This indeed will be the best gift from FGS to Christchurch.