8 June 2008 at 1:00 pm – The English Sub-Chapter hosted the BLIA meeting on Sunday 8 June which was attended by about 30 members, including Peter Young, President of the BLIA and the Venerable in Charge, Venerable Manwang. Each sub-chapter gave a report the previous month’s activities.
Items discussed:
1. ANZBYC
All sub-chapters were asked to encourage young people to attend the conference to develop their leadership skills and live through the Boddhi path.
2. Ullambana Festival – Offering to the Sangha Ceremony – Sunday 3rd August
All sub-chapters, YAD and the Chinese School were asked to plan and organise performances, the offerings and promote donations to support the Sangha to enable them to continue their efforts in spreading the Dharma through education, charity, cultural events and maintain the well-being of the Sangha community.
3. Mid Autumn Festival (Moon Festival)
The aim of this festival is to encourage cultural activities that will enable members to apply Humanistic Buddhism within both Chinese and local cultures in New Zealand thereby gaining a better understanding of each other and create good opportunities for the future.
East 1 sub-chapter will plan the activities, make posters and prepare materials. Other sub-chapters will help with different activities and organise cultural and educational stalls
4. BLIA 2008 General Conference
Members of each sub-chapter were asked to encourage members to attend the conference.
Reports
The English Sub-Chapter gave their report of activities that had taken place during May. The members of this sub-chapter had taken part in Dharma studies and other activities including the formation of a choir. The choir mainly practice songs in English but are also working on some songs in Chinese which will enable local and Chinese people to become more united. A power point of the report was displayed in English and Mandarin.
Venerable Manwang congratulated the English Sub-Chapter for setting a good example and hoped that in the future the sub-chapter hosting the meeting would prepare the agenda etc in both Mandarin and English. She also emphasised that although Chinese Buddhism is being propagated in Western countries, bringing different races and cultures together, the root must not be changed. Humanistic Buddhism is practiced in daily lives, every step in every moment.
