Ever since her reopening in June 2020 after the lifting of the pandemic Lockdown, more and more people from the local community visited Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Temple South Island. On 3rd August 2020, two New Zealanders, Shirleen Perkins and Jyoti Hari, visited FGS South Island, having been attracted by the external architecture of the Temple building. This was their first visit to the Temple, and they were very impressed by its beautiful environment and tranquil atmosphere, and expressed their praises for the Temple unreservedly. Jyoti revealed that, although she has resided in Christchurch for many years and has passed the Temple frequently, she has never set foot inside it. This time around, her good friend from Wellington, Shirleen, came to Christchurch to visit her. While touring Christchurch, they were attracted by the Temple’s unique architecture and decided to pay it a visit.
The moment they saw Master Hsing Yun’s Words of Dharma on display at the entrance of Fo Guang Yuan (FGY) Art Gallery Christchurch, Jyoti and Shirleen were awestruck by Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s wisdom. To them, the sentences were simple, and yet penetrating and meaningful, explaining effortlessly a deep philosophy of life in easy-to-understand sentences. Jyoti is a Hindu and Shirleen is a Catholic. While they are from different religious backgrounds, they both believe that all religions teach Man to be good and to do good. Because of this, they are able to accept the teachings of Buddhism.
Jyoti and Shirleen said that they had benefited a great deal from this visit. Shirleen would be going back to Wellington in a few days’ time, and she hoped to have the opportunity to revisit the Temple again, whereas, Jyoti promised to bring her children to the Temple so that they can broaden their outlooks in life, and can experience the beauty of harmony in Buddhism.