As we transition into late Spring in November in NZ, cherry trees start to bloom in the courtyard of FGS Auckland, enabling visitors at the Temple to enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms and purify their bodies, minds and souls. Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Three Goodness and Four Givings have been put into practice with the community as the Temple held the 2022 Neighborhood Cherry Blossom Festival. The vast range of activities included Art Salon, Classic Car Show, Temple Tour, Cherry Blossom Local Market, Tea Meditation, Indigo Dyeing Exhibition, Baby and Children Blessing Ceremony and many more. Over 3000 visitors came to the temple and joined these activities.
Tea meditation is a harmonious blend of both local and Eastern cultures. Some temple volunteers have been practicing being Tea Meditation practitioners for the event and they had served over 130 visitors at Cloud Corner on that day. The president of BLIA Subdivision 3, Anita Chu, stated that most of their visitors have never done any tea meditation before. The tea meditation was a relatively casual and relaxed session away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The participants were fascinated as they followed along the guidance of practitioners with sitting meditation and the appraisal of tea, questions were also raised when they were unsure. Qi Ling Xu shared that the essence of tea lies within the introspection of the heart during meditation, after her first time being a tea meditation practitioner. “In this short period of meditative session, participants can feel the peacefulness and serenity of the heart, while enjoying the beauty of the spiritual culture,” she added.
The cherry blossoms had not only attracted lively crowds, but also helped to promote some special local events. Featuring beautiful architecture of the Temple buildings in the background, 33 classic cars were parked neatly on Temple’s lawn near to the main entrance. There were a total of 7 antique car clubs taking part in this classic car exhibition. A member of the Auckland Triumph Car Club, Susan, expressed her gratitude towards the organiser as they felt honoured to able to take part in this event. The person-in-charge of Woky Steele Auckland Vintage Car Club, stated that he was delightful to be part of the team, adding a dash of joy to the community, and felt that even the cars had received blessings from the Temple.
In each corner of FGS Auckland, there were well-trained volunteers who greeted guests and visitors with a warm smile – starting from the arrival at the carpark to the eye-catching local market stalls. After walking through the Front Shrine, the bilingual Temple Tour volunteers welcomed visitors enthusiastically. The visitors then walked in the courtyard, went through Cloud Corner’s Tea Meditation and Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery’s Indigo Dyeing Creation, offered incense in the Main Shrine, and finally stopping at Art Salon for an astonishing feast of artworks.
As Venerable Master Hsing Yun once said, “Speak good words, as good words are truthful; do good deeds, as good deeds are acts of kindness; think good thoughts, as good thoughts are being aesthetic”, Abbess of FGS NZ, Venerable Manshin, shared that Indigo Dyeing and Cherry Blossom have enriched the aesthetics sense, while tea meditation’s peacefulness and the joyous market stalls brought upon happiness to the visitors. “Thank you to all members who give their diligent services and boost their self-confidence at the same time, work together as a team and bring upon the joyous yet diverse events to celebrate this blissful season where there is warmth and flowers bloom”, added Abbess.
