On Sunday, 12 January 2020 close to 40 participants joined the outdoor meditation at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. Very carefree and comfortable with humans, the Guinness Fowls came along auditing the TaiChi as well as the meditation sessions led by Nan Hua Temple venerables. All of us enjoyed the peaceful natural surroundings of the trees, bird chirping and the sunshine with just the right temperature.
 
One of the participants said that with the rising unemployment, suicide rate and concern for public safety, this outdoor meditation is absolutely what people need now to put one's mind at ease and deal with the stress in the daily lives.
 
#theroottomindulnessPTA   #theroottomindfulness

The first Root to Mindfulness outdoor meditation presented by Nan Hua Temple took place on 11 January 2020 at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens. Nan Hua Temple embarked on their ‘Root to Mindfulness’ initiative in order to bring meditation practices to the general public outside their meditation centres. Everyone was very excited and at the same time worried about whether the event can be successfully carried out. To their pleasant surprise over 60 participants attended the event. Although the day was overcast with grey clouds we were lucky enough to be blessed with a morning without rain. Under the guidance of the Venerables, everyone warmed up their bodies through a series of Tai Chi movements. It was then followed by a peaceful and mind-calming meditation which allowed everyone to relax and become one with nature. Overall today has been a fruitful event for all, and we hope that this opportunity will be used as a stepping stone to develop everyone’s spiritual journey and plant a seed of mindfulness.
#theroottomindfulness

On the 1 January 2020, around 30 people took Refuge in the Triple Gem and Precepts. The ceremony took place in the Pu Jue shrine at FGS Nan Hua Temple situated in Bronkhorstspruit and was conducted by the Abbott of Nan Hua Temple, Venerable Master Hui Fang assisted by several Venerable Masters. Taking refuge in the Triple Gem, that is the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, represents confirmation of one’s belief in Buddhist principles and dedication to Buddhist practice. It is therefore a formal indication of one’s commitment to live a principled, righteous and moral live. It also means to rely on the Buddha’s guidance to learn more about ourselves, to have confidence in our intrinsic triple gem.

Taking the Five Precepts forms the basis of building faith or confidence, which is very important to take devotees into the higher teachings of the Buddha. In Buddhism, precepts or directives forms one of the three teachings (Tri-Sikkha), which are precepts or directives, concentration and wisdom.

The Precepts are the foundation of the practice of the Buddha Dharma until the attainment of enlightenment, the ultimate goal of Buddhism. Observing and upholding the Five Precepts builds happiness for living beings in both the present and in the future.

The Five Precepts are:
1. Abstain from killing
2. Abstain from stealing
3. Abstain from sexual misconduct
4. Abstain from reckless speech
5. Abstain from intoxicants
Taking and upholding the five precepts is a life time commitment; it is not for one day and one night.

FGS Nan Hua Temple congratulates these individuals for taking the first step to following the Buddhist path and way of life.

On the 1 January 2020, Nan Hua Temple hosted their annual Baby Blessing Ceremony for good health, fortune and the power to overcome adversities in life to be wished upon the children. The venerables of Nan Hua Temple recited the baby blessing prayer which was dedicated to wishing them good fortune in each and every child's education and later their occupation. Venerable Hui Xing gifted each child with a bracelet. The ceremony concluded with the entire shrine chanting the Transferring Merit. Around 90 babies attended this blessed event and it was a great way to celebrate the beginning another new year.

Fo Guang Shan Nan Hua Temple situated in Bronkhorstspruit celebrated Chinese New Year on Sunday, 10 February 2019, welcoming the New Lunar Year, the Year of the Pig, in true Eastern style.
 
Festivities started with the traditional candle lighting ceremony at 9h30 in the morning followed by the official opening. The mentor of Nan Hua Temple, Venerable Yi Chun, provided some insight into what we can expect from the Year of the Pig. She also mentioned that us humans, use pigs for multiple reasons and that we should rather become vegetarian and live a pure life. “The founder of Nan Hua Temple and the founding Chairman of the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA), Grand Master Ysing Yun, age 94 this year, instructed me to wish you a year always well-rounded and be auspicious. May everything go well with you in the Year of the Pig. The pig represents courage, loyalty, blessing, appreciation and wealth. When we were young, we were given piggy banks where we can save our pocket money. When it filled up, we were overjoyed with the little fortune we accumulated. I sincerely hope that in this new year, we can all learn to grow and manage our wealth properly. Learn to express gratitude to others and to cherish what we already have in life. ” said Venerable Yi Chun.
 
Vicki Jacob visited this year and reported, “This was my fourth visit to the Nan Hua Temple to celebrate the Chinese New Year and each year it gets better and better.  I loved seeing so many different cultures interacting with one another in harmony.  I joined the introduction to meditation class for the first time and found it immensely relaxing.  Best of all was the amazing variety of food stalls, all vegetarian, which was excellent for me.”
 
VIPs present included the Abbot of Nan Hua Temple, Venerable Hui Fang, who led the proceedings; the representative of the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa, Mr Matthew W Chou and Mrs Grace Chou; Sino South Africa Chamber of Commerce president, Mr Robin Xu and Mrs Susan Sun; director of the BLIA World Headquarters, Mrs Sherry Chen;  The Whole Africa Overseas Chinese Peaceful Reunification Promotion Association president, Mr Xin-Tsu Lee and Mrs Wenxin Xu; Senior Commissioner of Overseas Chinese Affair Commission, Mr Vincent Lin; First Secretary Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa,  Mr Chia-Lun Wang; South Africa-China Shenzhen general chamber of commerce president, Mr Chan Wan Sang and Mrs Meilian Chan;  Southern African Taiwanese Ha-Ga Association, Mr Nick Lo; Chairlady of Global Federation of Chinese Businesses Women Southern Africa Chapter, Mrs Pamela Yang; The African Federation of Chinese Women in Commerce and Industry, Mrs Char-Main Chung; Gauteng Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce Honourable Chairperson Mr John Chung; Buddhist Companion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation regional director of Johannesburg Chapter , Mr Fu-Lai Huang; Chinese Women Association in South Africa, Mrs Oscar Liao; Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation senior volunteer, Ming Hui Chang; Pretoria Culture and Education Foundation, Mr Peter Chen and Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation senior volunteer, Mr Jake Shih.
 
An array of cultural festivities took place during the celebrations including the traditional Dragon and Lion dances, Spanish and Scottish dancing, Nan Hua Temple Performing Arts Group Drumming, martial arts and various other musical performances to the delight of young and old.
 
A myriad of cultural food and craft stalls offered not only sustenance but a unique taste sensation with sumptuous vegetarian faire for sale.
 
There were several other inspiring events for all to enjoy including a traditional Chinese tea ceremony and meditation.
 
Children’s entertainment included a super slide, peddle car racing and loads of entertainment for including lantern and face painting and balloon art.
 
We wish you a very successful Year of the Pig and hope to see you at the 2020 Chinese New Festival!

 On June 24th, began the annual Youth Talented Camp of Nan Hua Temple. A near total of 70 young adults attended with youthful vitality and spirit to learn. The activities of four days and three nights melted away the winter chills as their voices and warmth filled the temple halls. Though lessons, games, and other daily activities, they successfully broke ice, made new friends, and left precious friendship with each other.

 Arts and sports were taught by two Taiwanese teacher selected by the Taiwan Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee, Ms. Pan Huiling of traditional arts and Mr Rong Peichen who took the reins in the sport field  The camp team courses are divided into two groups: boys and girls. Under the leadership of Mr. Pan Huiling, the young people realized the profoundness of Chinese traditional paintings. A few simple strokes painted the breeze of bamboo, and a few more painted the emptiness of mountains and clouds, all defined by simple shades of black and white. Out of the artistic conception of Chinese painting, the art of making a shadow play is time-consuming and mentally beautiful. From the selection of characters to the use of a few chopsticks, a lively performance can be a created effortlessly, yet beautiful. Mr Rong Peichen once won the Asian Cup International Diabolo Tournament Championship. His jaw-dropping techniques kept the youth determined and inspired their enthusiasm for learning. Everyone dared to try various moves, whether success or failure, they all worked extremely hard and gave 110% to mimicking the teacher's designated actions.

 In addition to the two main courses of folk art and folk sports, the camp also arranged classes for the study of Buddhist rules, discussions of the spirit of youthful bodhisattva, inspiring words from grand master Hsing Yun, and a magnitude of mentally challenging games. On the last night, everyone offered a pray for their family and friends in the shrine of Samantabhadra. A pray written by grand master Hsing Yun wishing for their family’s happiness, safety and health.

 On the last day of the camp on the 27th, during the camping ceremony, young people displayed the Chinese paintings and weaving techniques that they had learned over the past two days. The results of the Diabolo that they had practiced in the few days also won many applause. Mr Pei-Chen Chen also performed a world class act, juggling four Diabolo at same time! His exquisite skills were truly amazing and world class. After announcing the rankings of the groups, the young people reluctantly bid farewell and look forward to the next gathering.

Sunday, 3 June 2018, saw nearly 500 people visit Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Nan Hua Temple’s Parkmore Meditation Centre situated in Sandton, enjoying vegetarian faire abounds.
 
The Vegetarian Festival, now in its fourth year, celebrated vegetarianism by not only providing visitors with a fantastic taste sensation but also a chance to learn how to prepare the delicious food through a number of cooking demonstrations and recipes shared.
 
Family and friends gathered to learn more about vegetarianism, cooking vegetarian food and, of course, to taste the delicious dishes prepared by the volunteers.
 
Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) volunteers assisted alongside the BLIA Young Adults (BLIA YAD) and scouts not only promoting the benefits of vegetarianism but also recycling for a cleaner environment.
 
A quiet moment was spent by visitors enjoying an introduction to meditation and a reading from FGS’ Grand Master, Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s book, 365 Days for Travelers, where after each participant received their own copy of this thought-provoking book with inspiring quotes from great Chan (Zen) Masters through 1 000s of years, neatly and compact for everyday use.
 
A vegetarian diet has many benefits that include being kinder to the environment, increasing quality nutritional intake and reducing diseases such as heart disease. In addition, a vegetarian diet allows for compassion, mindfulness and healthier choices that benefit the environment.
 
You can also join the change to a healthier and compassionate lifestyle by pledging your support for vegetarianism, even if it’s for just one day of the week. Visit www.vegdays.org.