Namo Amitabha Buddha!

[Thug4lyfe]

Hey everyone! Omitufo from New Zealand! I've been practicing Mahayana "Humanistic Buddhism" with the Chinese organisation Fo Guang Shan for about a year now, and it's helped my mind immensely!

After checking out many Buddhist forum, I've come to the conclusion that this is a gathering place of people who approach Buddhism with a mature, sincere and respectable manner. Hence I hope to learn many things and have many good discussions concerning the teaching in the future with all you homeboys on here!

[Nosta]

Welcome!

I hope you like to be here and share you experiences with all of us.

[Chaz]

Hey everyone! Omitufo from New Zealand! I've been practicing Mahayana "Humanistic Buddhism" with the Chinese organisation Fo Guang Shan for about a year now, and it's helped my mind immensely!

After checking out many Buddhist forum, I've come to the conclusion that this is a gathering place of people who approach Buddhism with a mature, sincere and respectable manner. Hence I hope to learn many things and have many good discussions concerning the teaching in the future with all you homeboys on here!

Welcome!

A Fo Guang Shan / BLIA affiliated center in Denver is where I attended my first Dharma classes.

Small world?

[LastLegend]

Welcome. I heard NZ is a beautiful country. I will visit one day.

[Thug4lyfe]

Welcome!

A Fo Guang Shan / BLIA affiliated center in Denver is where I attended my first Dharma classes.

Small world?

cool! Are you a member of BLIA yet? Fo Guang Shan is like a drop of pure water in the big city!

[Thug4lyfe]

Welcome. I heard NZ is a beautiful country. I will visit one day.

Indeed homes! It's a nice and peaceful place to practice for a noob like me! I can't imagine practicing compassion and paitence if I am living in China right now.

[Chaz]

Welcome!

A Fo Guang Shan / BLIA affiliated center in Denver is where I attended my first Dharma classes.

Small world?

cool! Are you a member of BLIA yet? Fo Guang Shan is like a drop of pure water in the big city!

No, I didn't stay there very long. The center in question was only a mile or so from my house and made up, almost exclusively, of ethnic Chinese. They were offering Dharma classes geared to western students. Although the classes were well attended they weren't supported by the Sangha and when the teacher got tired of teaching noone stepped up to take over so the classes stopped. On top of that no attempt was made to integrate the students in these classes into the sangha, so when the classes ended we all went our separate ways. Some of went to the local Shambhala center, others went to one of the Zen centers, but most simply drifted away, not to be heard of again.

[plwk]

阿彌陀佛! and welcome Food_Eatah.

Nice to see someone from FGS here. I have been supporting FGS on and off since 1998 and recently came back again to assist the local centre near where I live to help keep their English Dharma group going. FGS is where I first received the Refuge and 5 Precepts from a very kind Chief Abbess back then in 1999 (who did the entire ceremony in English as she felt it would benefit me better than in Chinese as my command of the language was poor back then) and again in 2009, I renewed under the founder himself, the Grandmaster Xing Yun, in the usual traditional ceremony, whom I have offered my daily practice for his long life and well being to continue his Dharma work for all sentient beings. Memorable place for myself although I have never been a member of BLIA all these years (for reasons best kept to myself) otherwise, I am always willing to support the monastic arm of FGS like I have all these years. Back in 2009, I was lucky to have a memorable visit to the FGS Main Monastery in Gāoxióng, Taiwan and stayed overnight there. Also because I am interested in Buddhist liturgy, I signed up as part of the online FGS E-Liturgy group on Yahoo.

Best Regards

[Madeliaette]

I attended a couple of 'general public' 'Buddha's Birthday' BLIA events in the cities of Wollongong & Sydney, when I lived fairly close to http://www.nantien.org.au/ before moving overseas. Although BLIA is not my own chosen path/former lineage, I was happy to meet with other Buddhist practitioners 'IRL'. Welcome to the board...

[Thug4lyfe]

o hai! So glad so many had the chance to encounter Fo Guang Shan and Humanistic Buddhism! I found the style and philosophy expressed by Master Hsing Yun suits my inclinations perfectly! Although sometimes the teaching style is abit "harsh", but I can take it! Want to get enlightened so I can save the world :p

[Thug4lyfe]

FGS E-Liturgy group on Yahoo.

I was on there briefly, is that site mostly about everyone contributing to Sutra translations?

[plwk]

FGS E-Liturgy group on Yahoo.

I was on there briefly, is that site mostly about everyone contributing to Sutra translations?

And other stuff as well...