The Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) Headquarters held its 2020 IBLYAC (International BLIA Young Adult Division Online Conferencing) on 1st August 2020 with the theme Religious Faith and Its Propagation – Marching Forward with Faith, Overcoming Distances by Heart to Heart Connections. The Conference invited Fo Guang Shan (FGS) director of Executive Council Venerable Hui Chuan, BLIA World Headquarters Deputy President Venerable Tzu Rong, BLIA World Headquarters Secretary General Venerable Jue Pei, director of Oversea Executive Council Venerable Man Chian, FGS Oceania Chief Abbess Venerable Manko, FGS New Zealand Abbess Venerable Manshin, and 800 YAD members from 5 Continents, 23 countries to participate simultaneously in the online conferencing. BLIA South Island YAD President Apple Ma, together with YAD members Chia Nee Ling, Sin Kai Xim, and Ang Jia Huey represented South Island in the online conferencing.
The 1st item on the conference agenda was the reporting from YAD representatives from America, Australia, New Zealand, Paris South Africa, Malaysia and Taiwan on the services and programs they gave to their members and local communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. From the reporting, it was clear that every FGS Temple has utilised modern technology in the form of online communication in the running of its affairs and daily chores, and in the cultivation of Dharma. They included conducting online Dharma classes, online meetings, online Dharma functions, online youth camps, online mother’s day blessing celebrations, and even online music competitions. FGS New Zealand, represented by Mu Yang, Wang, reported that FGS North and South Islands mainly carried out Dharma study and Temple maintenance during the Covid-19 pandemic period. Online Dharma classes and courses were conducted to increase members’ Dharma wisdom, and routine maintenance of the Temples and their surroundings were carried out to promote closer affinity between Temples and the devotees.
In the 2nd part of the online conferencing, participants were divided into 28 groups to discuss 3 case-studies, namely
(1) How to incorporate Buddha’s teachings in one’s daily life during pandemic period?
(2) What are the challenges faced in the utilisation of Cloud Networking to promote Buddhism?
(3) How to make use of modern technologies to enable YAD members all over the World to share resources, and access knowledge equitably after the pandemic?
The Conference managed to make good use of modern technologies in conducting the discussions, allowing participants from around the World to express their view points in the same space (i.e. on the same planet) and at the same time. The participants were eagerly asking questions and seriously involved in the discussions. This massive interchanging of ideas indeed enabled the participants to gain valuable information and knowledge.
Apart from the serious discussions, the online conference was interspersed with some exciting entertainment programs, such as, using of cultural relic to name a country, and singing the song ‘Harmonise’ in 8 different languages. YAD members from some areas even led the singing with a Dharma song. On top of all these, arrangements were made to allow the participants to convey their well wishes, to carry out their embraces and to show their love for each other, online, via the screens. It was indeed very warm and touching to have the participants indulging in such meaningful activities.
Venerable Hui Chuan afterwards led the YAD members in reciting Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s ‘Prayer for Safety from the COVID-19 Outbreak’, transferring the merits to all affected areas throughout the World. In his summing up speech, Venerable Hui Chuan commented that it was indeed both challenging and rewarding for YAD to have successfully organised online the 23rd BLIA YAD World Conference during the difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic. This was only possible due to the combined efforts of YADs all over the World. Venerable Hui Chuan then expressed his satisfaction over the contents of the discussions, and performances of the participants. According to him, the Conference had met the spiritual criteria set by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, namely, (1) Collaborative creation, (2) Rely on True Dharma, (3) Serve in a Buddhism way, and (4) Lead with established rules. At the end, Venerable Hui Chuan declared that, notwithstanding any difficulties that may arise due to the Covid-19 pandemic, next year’s BLIA YAD World Conference must take place at FGS Headquarters Kaohsiung so that it may serve to link and unite all YAD members in their common effort to spread the teachings of Venerable Master Hsing Yun to the World.