4/3/2021   BLIA Hsi Lai English Subchapter Virtual Social Event

It has been over a year now since the world has experienced the crisis of the pandemic, and one of the more difficult struggles has been the limited social interactions that we had been so accustomed to. It was also a time that we learned how to stay connected despite distance, and not to allow physical limitations to keep us from building affinities with our family, friends, and Dharma brothers and sisters. While life is slowly returning to a new normal, we are still not in the clear and must continue to practice safety measures in our dealings with others, out of compassion for ourselves and everyone around us. Hence, the BLIA Hsi Lai English Subchapter organized an online social for its members via Zoom on Saturday, April 3 to gather for a fun activity.

A 40-question quiz was developed by one of the faithful members, Nancy Cowardin, who tested the members on Buddhist concepts. What made the quiz enjoyable is that some of the questions were quite challenging! The winner won a T-shirt and a beautiful Buddha art piece which was hand-painted by Ms. Cowardin herself. After the main quiz, members took another, albeit shorter quiz on matters pertaining to the world. Ms. Cowardin created that quiz as a way to give a different insight on current global issues, and to provide hope that our future as a global community is brighter than we may perceive. Many members were pleasantly surprised to learn how issues such as poverty and women’s rights are slowly being resolved. Overall, it was a positive and energizing way to end the fun event.

The BLIA Hsi Lai English Subchapter’s social was a nice opportunity for Dharma friends to gather for a fun activity. The theme served as a reminder that people can work together to practice goodness for the world to be steered in the right direction. As Buddhists, we play an important role in shaping the society to make a better world. Humanistic Buddhism teaches us that we need to remain steadfast in doing good deeds, saying good words, and thinking good thoughts so we can teach others by example. Every time we turn a negative into a positive, we are doing our part in making the world a better place.