Oceania

On 5th November, Fo Guang Shan Christchurch held a Dharma lecture presented by Venerable Manchien, Director of the FGS Overseas Supervisory Council. The Dharma Talk titled Reading the Avatamsaka Sutra – A Journey into the Infinite World of Interconnectedness, introduced the Sutra’s teachings on the interconnectedness of all things and harmony without obstacles. Nearly 100 participants attended in person and online, including Abbess Manshin of FGS New Zealand, Minister in Charge of FGS Christchurch Venerable Juexi, BLIA South Island President James LOW and BLIA members.

A total of 82 seniors from Auckland’s Silver Tone Group and Virtual Village East visited Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery Auckland on 20 and 21 October 2026. The visitors enjoyed freshly baked scones, muffins and English morning tea prepared by the Temple before exploring the 60 Years of Passing the Lamp, Honouring a 100- Year Legacy FGS commemorative exhibition and the 2026 10th Art Salon.

Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple Auckland hosted a Dharma lecture on 4th November 2026, featuring Venerable Manchien, Director of the Fo Guang Shan Overseas Supervisory Council. The Dharma talk titled The Avatamsaka Sutra and Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Philosophy of Humanistic Buddhism, explored how Buddhist wisdom can be applied in daily life to develop our inner potential. Nearly 300 people joined in person and online, including Abbess Manshin of Fo Guang Shan New Zealand; Deputy Director Lintao YU of BLIA Buddhist Technology Development Committee, BLIA North Island President Yulin KU, Director Anson LIN and BLIA members.

Buddha’s Light Scout Group is incredibly proud of Cub Scout Tristan Liu, who was honoured to represent Scouts Queensland as one of only 20 young people selected to form the Guard of Honour at the Governor’s Farewell Ceremony held at Government House.

Nan Tien Institute’s Sunday online Community of Practice (CoP) celebrated a significant milestone on 4 October, marking its 300th weekly gathering and sixth anniversary. More than 30 participants joined online and in person, including Venerable Jue Wei, Director of the Humanistic Buddhism Centre at Nan Tien Institute; Cecile Manikan, Executive Director of the Philippine Centre for Humanistic Buddhism; Meg Hart, Adjunct Professor at Nan Tien Institute and Australian intercultural leadership coach; Dr Ekaterina Todarello, Lecturer at Nan Tien Institute; Bruce McKenzie, Director of Systemic Development Associates; and Joseph Frawley, Engagement Project Coordinator at the Humanistic Buddhism Centre, who facilitated the session.

The Humanistic Buddhism Special Interest Group (HB SIG) held a commemorative session on 13 October 2026 to honour the legacy of Venerable Master Hsing Yun (1927–2023) in conjunction with his centenary. Close to 40 participants gathered online and in person to hear from three presenters: Daniel Wu, President of BLIA Sydney; Reverend Dr Nathan Jishin Michon, a Shingon Buddhist priest based in California; and Venerable Juefang, General Manager of the Hsing Yun Education Foundation Australia. All three contributed to the recently published Volume 8 of Studies on Humanistic Buddhism, a special issue themed Venerable Master Hsing Yun: A Life Remembered.