FGS News

On October 17, Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto hosted a Humanistic Buddhism Reading Group Seminar, bringing together more than 30 participants to explore how Buddhist wisdom can enrich everyday life. Through guided discussions and interactive activities, participants reflected on self-awareness, compassion, and harmony, drawing inspiration from Wise Thoughts, Modern Mentality by Fo Guang Shan founder Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

On October 24, Fo Guang Shan Xiang Yun Temple in Austin invited more than a dozen members of the Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) Youth Group to a special sharing session held during its English-language program. Claire Qu recounted a summer of overseas learning that took her to Fo Guang Shan's Osaka Temple in Japan, an international Fo Guang youth gathering, and a two-week English exchange program at Pu-Men High School in Taiwan. Together, these cross-cultural experiences widened her global perspective and taught her the value of inclusiveness, mutual respect, self-discovery, and personal growth.

How 20 young trees brought together local neighbors, city leaders, and Fo Guang members in a shared act of care for Phoenix.

On October 20, 25 sixth- to eighth-grade students from St. Andrew's Anglican School in Austin, accompanied by two teachers, visited Xiangyun Temple in Foguang Mountain to experience Buddhist culture and meditation.

The eighth volume of “Studies on Humanistic Buddhism”, produced through a collaboration between the Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism Taiwan and Nan Tien Institute Australia, with support from the Australia Hsing Yun Education Foundation, was published in October. Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of Fo Guang Shan and the centenary of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s birth, the volume aligns with Fo Guang Shan’s commemorative theme, “Passing on the Lamp for 60 Years: Looking Up in Reverence at a Century of Wisdom.” Titled “Venerable Master Hsing Yun: A Life Remembered”, it revisits the Master’s life journey through academic research, personal recollections and explorations of his thought, highlighting his aspiration to propagate the Dharma and the spirit of Humanistic Buddhism in practice.

On October 11, Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple hosted the "Community of Practice: Coffee Meditation – Brewing Mindfulness" experiential workshop. Led by Venerable Hui Cheng of the Social Education and Outreach Department, the session invited coffee expert Hendra Taruli to introduce coffee culture and pour-over techniques.