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On June 29, 2024, Hsi Lai Temple hosted its 2024 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at the Main Shrine, celebrating the dedication of 500 volunteers from various departments. To recognize their contributions, the temple presented four special awards.
This event was particularly significant as it marked both the 35th anniversary of Hsi Lai Temple and the first volunteer gathering since the Water and Land Dharma Service eight years ago. The evening began with a video message from Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founding master of Fo Guang Shan Monastery, who emphasized that true volunteers are those who serve others and the Buddha selflessly.
The Head Abbot of Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Most Venerable Hsin Bau, also delivered a video message, likening volunteers in Buddhism to Bodhisattvas who follow the Bodhisattva path. Venerable Tzu Jung, Executive Director of the Fo Guang Shan Sangha Affairs Committee, encouraged everyone to serve with a smile, while Venerable Hui Dong, Abbot of Hsi Lai Temple, expressed deep gratitude to the volunteers and urged them to embody the "Three Acts of Goodness and Four Offers," following the example of Venerable Master Hsing Yun as lifelong volunteers. Venerable Hui Chuan, Executive Vice Abbot of Fo Guang Shan Monastery, also sent a special message of encouragement.
The awards presented were:
● The Fo Guang Dedication Award: Honoring each volunteer’s heartfelt dedication.
● The Fo Guang Family Award: Recognizing families, such as couples, parents with children, or siblings, who volunteer together.
● The Fo Guang Bodhi Award: Celebrating volunteers who have made exceptional contributions to Hsi Lai Temple.
● The Presidential Volunteer Service Award: The highest honor given to young volunteers by the U.S. President, awarded to 11 young volunteers this year.
The awards were presented by Venerable Hui Dong and Alex Wu, President of the BLIA Los Angeles Chapter.
Following the awards ceremony, Venerable Hui Dong led a blessing ceremony, reading Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s Prayer for Volunteers, wishing for the volunteers’ peace and health.
The celebration continued at the Courtyard with a feast featuring a variety of international cuisines: Japanese ramen, freshly baked pizza, Mexican tacos, Greek falafel wraps, Thai curry and stir-fried noodles, Shanxi knife-cut noodles, Malaysian desserts, Hsi Lai vegetarian dishes, ice cream, and fresh fruits to honor the volunteers.
Volunteers also organized several performances:
● Jiaxi Zhang and Guanyi Zhang, recipients of the Buddhist Friendship Scholarship from the FGS International Translation Center, performed a guitar medley of English songs.
● The Social Education & Outreach Department presented a dance. Youth from the Monastery Kitchen performed a guitar solo.
● The BLIA Los Angeles Chapter’s Secretariat showcased a creative dance incorporating vegetable chopping, lotus hand gestures, and traffic directing.
● Yuan Yuan Wang from the Main Shrine, along with BLIA Los Angeles Chapter’s Deputy Secretary Jing Jing Wang and Tiffany, performed songs like I Wish and Lighting the Way.
● Chinese artist Yu Lin performed his original song Hsing Yun.
The evening was filled with joyful singing, laughter, and applause. A highlight was the raffle draw, where the grand prize, Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s calligraphy piece "May You Be Free as Cloud and Water, Auspicious and Joyful," was won by volunteer Ruinian Fu from the guest reception team.
The event concluded with the monks singing "My Hometown is Fo Guang Shan" and "All Four Seas Are Buddha’s Light People," bringing the gathering to a joyful and harmonious close.
Hui Hui Guo and her mother, Zi Ying Lin, who received the Fo Guang Family Award, expressed their gratitude to Hsi Lai Temple for providing the opportunity to learn about Buddhism and volunteer together as a family, emphasizing the importance of passing on the Buddhist faith as a cherished legacy.
Notable guests included San Gabriel Mayor John Wu, Professor Lewis Lancaster, Professor Emeritus from the University of California, Berkeley, Kenny Zhang, founder of KCL Insurance Agency and a longtime devotee, University of the West President Minh-Hoa Ta, veteran media personality Lei Zhuo, Treasurer Ju Chen from BLIA Headquarters and his spouse, and elderly advisors Hsiu Luan Hsu and Lun Jie Chen from the Los Angeles chapter of BLIA.
(Photos by Jonathan Thang)
