On May 5th, SFYAD organized an Appreciation Musical with the theme of Faith and Legacy, where 25 YAD members and friends wrote our own scripts, directed, acted, danced, and sang under the guidance of our advising Venerable Venerable Miao Zhong in order to show our appreciation to the selfless support of the temple community.
There were two skits: an Ancient and Modern skit. The ancient skit is based on the “Records of the Transmission of the Lamp”, where we portrayed the difficulties of spreading Chan in China through Bodhidharma’s first arrival in China, his interaction with Emperor Liang and the second patriarch Venerable Huike, and a century later, Venerable Hui Neng’s first interaction with the dharma and how the teaching eventually connects to the lineage of Fo Guang Shan.
The modern skit is titled “Suffering is nutrients, suffering is strength”, which is inspired by real-life stories of SFYAD member’s application of the dharma in their lives. The tale explores the power of the Dharma, on how practicing the Dharma can guide us through life’s multitude of challenges. It teaches us how we can see blessings in misfortunes, learn from these experiences, and grow from it.
150 people attended this joyous event. Among the attendees were the Reverend from our neighboring church, Venerables from the local and temples around the Bay Area, Presidents and Vice Presidents of BLIA SF Chapter and its various sub-chapters, devotees, friends and families. It was the first time we did a musical of this scale, and the process wasn’t easy. But we definitely learned a lot from it, and most importantly, our audiences truly enjoyed themselves, and that’s what really mattered.