Merit Times 安詳是處事第一法， 急躁易壞事； Chicago 佛光世紀 恬淡是養心第一法， 佛光山芝加哥禪淨中心 NO.211 貪欲易染心。 Internatioanl Buddhist Progress Society at Chicago 9S043 Route 53 Naperville, IL 60565 Tel : (630)910-1243 星雲大師╱Venerable Master Fax:(630)910-1244 E-mail: [email protected] www.ibpschicago.org A Letter to Protectors and Friends in 2017 holding lectures and Dharma and support Fo Guang Ancestral Temple Learning requires self-motivation. Both services, royalties issued - Dajue Temple; support the Three Acts the Buddhist concept of “self-awareness” from publications, as well as of Goodness Schools Program, the and the Confucian “self-learning” are the income from the Water Drop Cloud and Water Mobile Library, the most noble educational principles. Based on Teahouses and Venerable Venerable Master Hsing Yun Public this spirit, we applied for the establishment Master’s One-Stroke Education Trust Fund, as well of academic institutes in Mainland . Calligraphy for its as media and literary awards; Currently, Fo Guang Shan has four construction. value lay involvement in the government-endorsed educational programs: Now the development of ; the Yixing Yunhu Academy, Yangzhou infrastructure of organize “Glory Belongs to Cultural Academy, Nanjing Jinling Academy, the Triple Gem is the Buddha” basketball teams; and Guangzhong Academy. These completed. Within develop a system for temple programs focus on the dual-cultivation of the first fifty years of its assessment; proactively promote merits and wisdom, and equal emphasis founding, Fo Guang Shan and develop the Merit Times; and on theory and practice. Venerable Master has accomplished not only propagate the Dharma in lectures believes that “Buddhism is indispensable to its construction, but also through music and songs. the revival of Chinese Culture,” and has faith Discussion Forum at Dajue Temple in Yixing. successfully fostered talented people who Success follows preparation, that these undertakings will be beneficial to This exchange not only allowed those have become its foundation. Everyone’s while failure follows unreadiness. purifying the mind and inspiring morality. from Mainland China to gain a better collective efforts have propagated the The realization of these plans rely Just as before, there were amiable and understanding of Buddhism in , but Dharma and across on all members of Fo Guang Shan continuous cultural exchanges between the also encouraged unity and interaction amongst the five continents of the world. being progressive and steadfast. Cross-Strait. In 2015, the head and body of Buddhist organizations in Taiwan. Secretary- Progress over the next half century will However, regardless of the manner a Buddha statue dating back to the Northern General Venerable Chueh Pei, responsible be guided by Venerable Master’s vision of development, what should be Qi dynasty were reunited and enshrined at for organizing the exchange, expressed her of a “Triple Gem Mountain,” as well as remembered both with reverence and Fo Guang Shan. In February 2016, the head gratitude to Venerable Master Hsing Yun for his reflections on and adjustments to the initial importance are the guiding principles of the statue was ceremoniously returned guidance and pursuit of a new frontier. Indeed, organizational structure of Fo Guang stipulated by Venerable Master: “Work to Mainland China. Liu Shuguang (Deputy Venerable Master has diligently sowed the Shan. Overall, the system is divided into by collective effort, lead by a system. Director of State Administration of Cultural seeds of Buddhism through building affinities the administrative unit and specialized units. Do what is in accordance with Buddha, and Heritage), Zhang Lifang (Director of Hebei and fostering talents over the past decade. The The administrative unit includes Dajue Temple rely on nothing but the Dharma.” Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics), and future rests on Chinese youths to continue their and the “Triple Gem Mountain.” Human affairs arise and subside; time government officials were present at Beijing cultivation, in order to eventually blossom and The “Buddha Gem Mountain” focuses on and space can ebb and flow. In the long Capital International Airport to receive the bear fruit. cultural development and comprises: Fo Guang course of history, Fo Guang Shan is still statue. More than 60 journalists of nearly 30 At the BLIA World Headquarters General Shan Buddha Museum, Fo Guang Tripitaka youthful in its fiftieth year. Therefore, it media outlets from Mainland China, Hong Conference in October, Venerable Master Editing Committee, Fo Guang Cultural is even more important to be humble and Kong, and Taiwan were in attendance. There, gave a keynote speech on “Consensus Enterprise, Gandha Samudra Culture Company, diligent in learning. It is our fervent wish Venerable Master said: and Openness.” He encouraged all to seek Beautiful Life Television, the Merit Times, and that the fourfold assembly of disciples can “For 20 years, the head of the Buddha consensus regarding Humanistic Buddhism Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery Headquarters. strive forward as one, so that Humanistic statue has been displaced. Its return to China and aspects including cross-sectarian respect, The “Dharma Gem Mountain” promotes Buddhism and the sound of Dharma may through Taiwan is extremely significant. gender equality, valuing youths and fostering education and involves: the Sutra Repository, prevail in this world. All Chinese people should remember that talents, and the heritage of faith. In conjunction, Institute of Humanistic Buddhism, Tsung- As we come upon the Year of the our culture, history, and blood ties cannot Venerable Master also believes in openness, Lin University, educational institutions of all Rooster, it is as said in a Tang poem, “The be sundered, just as emptiness cannot be such as that of monastery grounds, the mind, levels worldwide, including all , rooster crows the sound of success.” In this severed and oceans cannot be separated…” lay Dharma teachers, lineage personnel, and primary, and secondary schools. new year, I shall use Venerable Master’s Further concrete results of cultural Cross-Strait Buddhist exchanges. The “Sangha Gem Mountain” encompasses calligraphy for this year’s spring couplet, exchanges are shown by the exhibitions at Certainly, in order to successfully accomplish different departments of Fo Guang Shan “Rising Dawn of Success,” to wish you the Buddha Museum throughout the year: our goals, we must not only have consensus Headquarters, as well as domestic and overseas a year filled with soaring aspirations and Month of Cultures at Fo Guang Shan: and an open mind, but also the willingness to branch temples. eminence. Auspicious blessings and peace Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei; Amazing cooperate. Specialized units include: Fo Guang Shan to you all, as well as the perfection of merits Jiangsu: Jiangsu Intangible Cultural Heritage In November, Fo Guang Shan held the 2016 International University Consortium, Buddha’s and wisdom! Exhibition; Eight Palace Handicrafts of International Ten-Thousand Buddha Triple Light International Association, foundations, Beijing, and Gansu Dance Troupe’s Silk Platform Full Ordination Ceremony as part of and other government registered entities. Hsin Bao Head Abbot Chairperson, Fo Road: The Classic Dance Drama. its 50th anniversary celebration. Three hundred Guided by Venerable Master and his Guang Shan Board of Directors For Cross-Strait peace and the propagation preceptees from a hundred temples worldwide blueprint for Humanistic Buddhism, monastics New Year’s Day, 2017 of Humanistic Buddhism, Venerable Master passed the challenging month-long precept and laity should emphasize the following in the Translated by: FGS Institute of continued to visit Mainland China in his old assembly and cultivation, thereby becoming future propagation of Humanistic Buddhism: Humanistic Buddhism age. In April, he held a three-day Dharma official monastics and aspiring . foster holistic and international talents; protect lecture on “Chan in Daily Life” at Yixing December 25th marks the annual “When Gymnasium and the Yangzhou Forum. In Buddha Meets the Gods Event.” Last year, the July, the Shanghai Library invited him to Chunghua Federation of Traditional Religious give a talk on “The Treasure in Books.” That Associations and the Buddha Museum same month, Venerable Master was invited submitted an application to the World Record to speak at the Grand Bao’en Temple Park Association to recognize a new world record in Nanjing, where the Buddhist Association set at this event, whereby over five hundred of China and Nanjing Municipal People’s temples and churches gathered at the same Government held activities to commemorate instance. It passed the preliminary assessment the 150th anniversary of Jinling Buddhist for “Global Multi-religious Reunion by Press. In his address, Venerable Master the Most Number of Shrines, Temples, and praised Yang Renshan, founder of the Press, Churches around the World - When Buddha as a of “wisdom, compassion, Meets the Gods Event 2016” and certification endeavors, and global vision.” Yang can be as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is cause said to be a great contributor to the revival for celebration, and also illustrates the intrinsic of modern of Buddhism. In September, values of respect, tolerance, and coexistence in Venerable Master lectured on “Precepts as Humanistic Buddhism. Teachers” to 500 newly-ordained bhiksu and The 6th BLIA Cup International Basketball bhiksunis at the full ordination ceremony Tournament took place last year. For the past in Changzhou’s Tianning Temple, leader of five years, the women’s the four major monasteries in South Eastern basketball team achieved 2nd place three times, China. 3rd place twice, but had yet to win 1st place. In September, the United Association of Last August, they finally won after an intense Humanistic Buddhism, Chunghua organized competition at Arena. Propagating a Cross-Strait exchange delegation, the Dharma through sports, arts, and music to with more than 180 monastics and lay allow people from all walks of life to know participants from temples across Taiwan. Buddhism are the keys to Fo Guang Shan’s Led by Executive Deputy Abbot Venerable future development. Hui Chuan, the delegation visited temples, Fifty years ago, Venerable Master guided including Longquan Temple and Fayuan both monastics and laity in building Fo Temple in Beijing, to exchange experiences Guang Shan. This is where all our monastics on temple management and Dharma reside, and thus can be called the “Sangha propagation. They also visited Buddhist Gem.” Thirty years later, thousands of colleges and participated in the Cross- temples and millions of devotees contributed Strait Buddhist Education Conference with to the construction of the Buddha Museum, numerous Buddhist College representatives. the “Buddha Gem.” In the last decade, At the trip’s conclusion, the delegation the monastics of Fo Guang Shan have not attended a forum at the State Bureau of publicly fundraised to complete the Sutra Religious Affairs of the People ̕ s Republic of Repository, the “Dharma Gem.” Instead, they China, and lastly the Humanistic Buddhism used their allowance, offerings received from