During Buddha’s Birthday Celebration on 11 April 2021, over 300 people of different nationalities gathered in the Main Shrine to celebrate the Buddha’s Birthday. 24 students from Papatoetoe Intermediate School performed a Traditional Maori Song and Kapa Haka War Dance for the grand ceremony with great enthusiasm. The sincerity and energetic performance impressed the audiences.
The good relationship between the Temple and Papatoetoe Intermediate School was developed a few years ago in 2009 where over 300 students and teachers participated in the 3G4G Festival of Cultural Sharing in Temple. In addition, the Temple also donated hand sanitisers to the school during the pandemic in 2020. On behalf of the school, Associate Principal Sanjeev Kumar appreciated the kind act from the Temple.
The Kapa Haka tutor, Ihia Rueben praised the Temple for organising the event, which not only provided a stage for the public to share their traditional culture, but also gave the students an opportunity to be exposed to different cultures. BLIA YAD Lucy Wu commented that the students were very polite and they were extremely excited when receiving the auspicious apples from Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The students were grateful for the care they received from the Temple. Associate Principal Sanjeev mentioned that over 600 teachers and students had signed up to participate in the 3G4G Festival of Cultural Sharing which will be held in May 2021 and they cannot wait to participate the festival.
Venerable Master Hsing Yun once said, only by understanding the truth of the origins of all things, we can seek equality from differences, and discover the truth of oneness. In the ceremony, Abbess Manshin shared that everyone should be grateful that there are many different races and nations in this world who interact well with one another. Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple NZ will continue to practice the spirit of Giving to develop a harmonious society.