To enable its members to better understand Buddhism terminologies, mannerism and etiquettes, Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) South Island conducted a seminar on 21st September for 30 BLIA members. In his opening speech, BLIA South Island President Bernie mentioned that BLIA worldwide have established solid foundations for their members. He urged young people to join BLIA to benefit by learning from the senior members the proper etiquettes while in the temple and thereafter, join them in taking up the challenges in the propagation of Humanistic Buddhism.
The day’s course was conducted by BLIA South Island Deputy President Ding Lihson, Second Subchapter President Cao Qian, and Committee member Kok-Wei Low. In his talk, Ding explained the Buddha’s Light Verses’ as follows:
Verse 1 – May kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity pervade all worlds – Cultivation of our hearts forms the most important part of our spiritual cultivation. It is hoped that every BLIA member should fill the heart with kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity, so that the world will be filled with auspiciousness and Buddha’s Light will shine in every corner.
Verse 2 – May we cherish and build affinities to benefit all beings – We must learn how to cultivate affinities with all beings. This can be accomplished by way of giving joy and help others, ultimately bringing joy and blissfulness to all.
Verse 3 – May Chan’, Pure Land, and Precepts inspire equality and patience – The purpose of meditation, praying, chanting and observing the precepts is to help us remove defilements within ourselves to allow us to find our own pure true selves and in the process, strengthen our characters with good values such as equality and patience.
Verse 4 – May our humility and gratitude give rise to great vows – The most important attributes of a true Dharma practitioner are the ability to repent and the readiness to show gratitude. Only those with the aptitude for gratitude can claim to be truly rich. The other quality of a good Dharma practitioner is the willingness to make great vows for a better nation and a peaceful world.
These 4 Verses should not be taken as just a ceremonial etiquette practised by BLIA members but should become the motto in their lives.
Afterwards, Committee member Cao Qian taught the class the appropriate terminology used by Buddhists to address each other. These can be categorised into the terminology used by (1) Buddhist devotees addressing monastics, (2) Buddhist devotees addressing another fellow Buddhist devotee, (3) monastics addressing one another. Cao Qian also listed out the terminology commonly encountered in Mahayana Buddhism.
Later, Committee member Kok Wei, in person, demonstrated the etiquettes and proper ways of carrying out the various Buddhist activities, namely: (1) joining of palms in greeting, (2) gesture and steps in the offering of prayer, and (3) manners and procedure during meal time. Kok Wei shared the Fo Guang Shan (FGS) lotus hand gesture which is a special hand sign unique to FGS and BLIA, allowing any BLIA member to be immediately recognised and accepted by another BLIA member, no matter where he may be. Over all, the seminar was conducted in a relaxing way with active participation from the members posing many questions and in the process gaining deep insights into the Buddhism.
In her speech to the class, Venerable Jue Xi emphasised that when a person takes up Buddhism, they should not merely learn about its theories and philosophies but should practice daily on what has been learnt theoretically, especially in ways to deal with others. Every activity organised by BLIA aims to allow members the opportunity to put into practice what they have learnt from the Dharma. Through these activities, BLIA members should be able to mix with the people, understand their needs and proceed to serve them. It is good fortune to be involved in FGS South Island, where everyone should treasure this opportunity and happily take up Buddhism with a positive pure heart. With the wisdom gained through the Dharma, we should proceed to save ourselves from the sea of sufferings and venture to live a more wholesome life.
