On June 21st and 23rd June 2022, led by Pastor Cameron Pickering and Assistant Principal Ben Vink, 70 students from Christ’s College, a prestigious private school in New Zealand, walked about 1 km, from their College in the centre of Christchurch, across Hagley Park and the busy Riccarton Road, to visit Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Christchurch. At the Temple, they were received by FGS Christchurch Minister-in-charge Venerable Jue Xi and Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island Director Kok-Wei Low and other BLIA members.
Director Kok-Wei led the students and teachers for a tour of the Temple, introducing to them the exterior architectural design of the building, the Peace Bell and the engraved Chan painting on the wall in the Courtyard, the Buddha Hall, and the “Songs for Remembrance Exhibition” at the Art Gallery. This was the first time the visitors had visited the Temple, and they were deeply amazed at the “Buddhist Practitioner’s Simplicity” style and the Green-building concept adopted for the building. At the Buddha Hall, Kok-Wei not only introduced the concept of “Humanistic Buddhism” advocated by FGS and the “3G4G Festival of Cultural Sharing” organised by FGS New Zealand to the visitors, but also conducted interactive activities, such as playing the video “The Life of the Buddha”, conducting meditation session and teaching how to use lotus fingers in greetings. During the interactive exchange session, the teachers and students actively asked question pertaining to the setup in the Buddha Hall, what country did the Buddha come from, and the practice of Buddhism.
Assistant Principal Ben was the event planner. He said that the College often holds outdoor activities to allow students to broaden their horizons. This visit was to let students understand another religion and culture of Christchurch, especially to know more about this majestic building that they often pass by. Through this visit, the students have acquired a basic understanding of Buddhism and the Temple, which will have a good influence on their future growth. Pastor Cameron Pickering said that the trip had benefited the students a lot, especially in the watching of the video “The Life of the Buddha” and in the participation in the meditation session, which gave the students an in-depth understanding of Buddhism. In addition, the students were very happy to learn the lotus-finger way of greeting. They applied what they had learned, and immediately greeted their classmates with lotus fingers. The visit allowed the students to understand the cultural characteristics of a different religion which would be of great help to their learning.
Before the end of the visit, the Temple presented the students with commemorative pencils and bookmarks with Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s wise-words on. They also presented the teachers with a copy of “2022 New Zealand BLIA Activities Report” and the publication Way of life that explained the architectural concepts adopted for FGS Temples in New Zealand. FGS propagates Buddhism through the promotion of art, culture and education. Through lively and interactive teachings, FGS is able to impart its “Humanistic Buddhism” concept to the students, encouraging them to practice “3 Good Deeds and 4 Givings”, to purify their minds, and to improve their quality of life.
Christ’s College originated from the Anglican mission school. It is the oldest private boys’ high school in New Zealand. It was established in 1850 for the children of early immigrants. It has a history of 167 years, which is earlier than the establishment of Christchurch in 1857. Nurturing several generations of talents, the school is located in the centre of Christchurch, with a campus made up of quaint Gothic buildings, overflowing with a strong British air. The College was designed according to the blueprint of British public schools. At the beginning of its establishment, it taught the usual subjects of classical education such as Greek, Latin, English, contemporary languages, mathematics, geography and history, as well as scientific experiments, painting and singing. It had also introduced the House System of traditional British education, which provided students with accommodation. It had also organised its sports teams, cultures and traditions using the House System. Christ’s College has students aged 9 to 13 years old and has excellent academic performance records. It is an aristocratic secondary school that New Zealand parents yearn to send their children to.