3/13/2021   Online Retreat: Treat Others with Compassion, Handle Situations with Wisdom

Rooted in the concept of localization, on March 13, the second session of this year’s Online One-Day Retreat was held virtually with 30 attendees. Practice and training courses included meditation, theme lecture, group discussion, and a Q&A session.

A special invitation was made to Ven. Man Kuang, abbess of Fo Guang Shan IBPS Dallas, as our keynote speaker to explain the meaning of compassion from both the Buddhist and scientific perspectives. Ven. Man Kuang shared Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s philosophy of “A person can have nothing at all, but one cannot be without compassion.” Various methods of cultivating and nurturing compassion in one’s daily living were also provided to attendees.

During the Q&A session, Ven. Abbot Hui Dong, had an opportunity to make connections with our attendees, answering various questions such as “How do we raise equal compassion for those who are and aren’t relatives?”, “I forget my compassion when I get angry, what should I do?” Ven. Abbot gave detailed answers from various viewpoints, reminding attendees that compassion and wisdom go hand in hand.

Attendee, Ronni S., said that this was her first time participating in such a Buddhist practice event and was very inspired by the courses, thanking the temple for providing this online cultivation. Grace L. said that she often feels helpless in the face of current social issues, but has found a solution through the retreat—compassion.

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