The First Day of 2021 ANZBYC BLIA Auckland YAD Gain Strength from Faith
Melbourne YAD hosted the 2021 Australia New Zealand Buddhist Youth Conference online. The Opening Ceremony started on 3rd July 2021 and gathered over 200 participants and distinguished guests from Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. The host invited inspiring speakers from FGS institute of Humanistic Buddhism, FGS Buddha Museum, Nan Tien Institute and other fields to bring a series of mind-blowing lectures to the participants.
In the class of Venerable Master Hsing Yun's Spiritual Journey, Venerable Ru Chang shared a story explaining how Venerable Master led the devotees to arrange more than ten thousand photos and during the SARS outbreak in 2003, and the Cloud and Water: A 50 Year Anniversary Photobiography of Venerable Master Hsing Yun was published. The photobiography recorded the history of events worldwide and created the opportunity to build affinities with BLIA members. In the book Self-learning, Venerable Master illustrated the way to transform knowledge into wisdom. When facing the doubt of society towards Buddhism, Venerable Master never gave up and established the Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery. The reason behind 26 Art Gallery successfully erected all over the world is to ensure the perseverance of Buddhism.
Venerable Miao Guang, the Deputy Chancellor for FGS Institute of Humanistic Buddhism, shared that Master Hsing Yun lead the world towards Buddhism's truth, kindness, and beauty. Support and faith is required to ensure sustainability in FGS. Venerable Miao Guang encouraged everyone to learn Master's spirit of staying true to your initial aspiration when facing uncertainty, especially during the pandemic. Venerable Jue Fang, pursued a Master's degree in Buddhist studies from Fo Guang University, hopes that participant can move forward with the Faith in an interactive way to bring out the concept of having righteousness when facing reality. Venerable Jue Wei, the Director of the Humanistic Buddhism Centre at Nan Tien Institute Australia, encouraged YAD to cultivate their courage with compassion and wisdom in order to undertake the responsibility. Professor Stephen Hill, The Emeritus Professor of Wollongong University; Meg Hart, The Honorary Fellow and guest lecturer of Nan Tien Institute and Joey Yeoh, Executive Business Partner at Neami National led the YAD sessions with the title of Fearlessly Facing Reality, Leadership from the Inside Out for the Uncertain Times and Resolving Personal Challenges.
The conference gathered a strong line-up of speakers and the enthusiastic participation of YADs from Australia and New Zealand. The spirit of Master Hsing Yun of putting others first before ourselves made Edwin Teoh, the President of Fo Guang Club, feel humility and gratitude. He mentioned that giving service under the guidance of Abbess in the temple helped him acknowledge that all the monasteries in the temple always dedicate themselves to Humanity Buddhism. He cherished the opportunity to learn from the Abbess and the Venerables and vowed to contribute more to Buddhism.
The Deputy President of BLIA YAD 1, Yao Chang, was moved that Venerable Master Hsing Yun took care of the youth by preparing NT$2000 and a hot meal for those who travelled far to join the activities in the temple. Venerable Master always think about others and connect his heart to the public to provide a more attentive service to society. With the coronavirus pandemic still in existence all around the world, as a YAD, we must strengthen our Faith by vowing together, contributing to society, and not being trapped in trouble.
"In the midst of uncertainty, Venerable Master Hsing Yun brought people peace of mind. As the Master said, hard times present us with the chance to reinvent ourselves, adversity-laced setbacks as growth accelerators that provide the opportunity to revitalize the commitment you want to achieve." Venerable Master has proven it in editing the book Cloud and Water during the SARS pandemic. The committee member of BLIA YAD 1, Abby Leong, shared that FGS Auckland also organized online reading sessions every day during lockdown to make our day more productive. Throughout the reading of Buddha-Dharma Pure and Simple, she learned to live with Faith, appreciate the present opportunities and vowed to contribute more in life.
A member of BLIA YAD 1, Lucy Wu, was touched by the interaction between Venerable Master and his fellow disciples. As the Venerable Master said, "if you received the benefits today, you should contribute in the future, remember to pass on the kindness". The compassion of Venerable Master passed through the gifts to the public; hopefully, everyone could cultivate the spirit of giving and the act of goodness. Master’s talk inspired her so much.
The participants gained so much nutrients from the conference. The first day of ANZBYC ended in a big applause from the YAD. All the participants expressed their gratitude to the host of the conference, and Auckland BLIA members' for their support. Everyone was looking forward to day 2 of the conference.