On 23rd May, SFYAD and the English Buddhism Class members of San Francisco San Bao Temple gathered on zoom for two exciting segments: a discussion on a pre-recorded online English Guided Reading and an Ask Me Anything (AMA) Venerable. A total of 12 people participated in this discussion.
The topic for the first online reading is "Being a Global Citizen", an article by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The article has five sections: an introduction and four important points of being a global citizen. In summary, we become a global citizen when we:
show equality to one another through compassion
learn to coexist as one and share
respect one another and striking a balance between self, truth, and others
accept and embrace all people by opening our hearts and developing wholesome principles
Venerable Miao Guang skillfully brought in relatable examples, such as creating vaccines, factors that cause a boat to work properly, and parts of a camera tripod for it to function, to tie the concepts of being a global citizen closer to our hearts. After the online guided reading, participants proceeded with a discussion of four set questions:
Give an example to how you may treat your family/friend/colleagues/YAD members/strangers with equality?
What bonds do you think you should make with those who coexist with you (e.g. bonds of affection, love, or wisdom)? Why?
Name the person whom you respect the most in life. Why?
In what way can we accept and embrace all people who cross paths with us?
Participants expressed their thoughts and feelings with the reading in their own words and learned from each other's stories.
In the final segment, participants invited Venerable Miao Zhong to answer a live poll that many participants have interests in. The question with the highest votes was "How should I try to find a purpose in life?" Venerable Miao Zhong stressed the importance of understanding ourselves first before finding a purpose in life. Furthermore, Venerable Miao Zhong also drew references from Venerable Master Hsing Yun's story, that purpose in life has to do with how much you can help others succeed—how much you can sacrifice for others.
In summary, the participants had a fruitful 1 hour and 20 minutes of discussion and interaction with one another during the guided reading and Q&A.