INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE

One of the goals of Hsi Lai Temple is to unify society through cultural exchanges.  It is our fervent wish to help all peoples understand other cultures and eventually learn to embrace their neighbors as friends.

Ven. Master Hsing Yun with Mr. Mizutani Yukimasa (fifth from left), former president of Bukkyo University in Japan, and ministers.

BUDDHIST CLASSES

Hsi Lai Temple offers Buddhist educational programs for people of diverse backgrounds and needs.  There are special Buddhist lectures given by well-known monastics and teachers.  On weekends there are sutra research class, English Buddhist class, Cantonese Buddhist class, adolescents' class, women's class, and children's class.

Starting back in March of 1997, there is a three-month program designed for women devotees to study and cultivate practice in Buddhism.  They also have the opportunity to tour branch temples in the United States, Europe, or Australia.

With these programs, people can learn Buddhist teachings and practice in their daily lives to actualize the true meaning of humanistic Buddhism.

CULTURAL PUBLICATIONS

To increase the understanding of humanistic Buddhism to Westerners, Hsi Lai Temple has established the "International Translation Center" to expedite the translation of Ven. Master Hsing Yun's works into other languages.  In 1996, Ven. Master's biography Handing Down the Light was translated into English, and Spanish and German verisons of another work, Perfectly Willing, were successfully completed.  All three have received overwhelming reviews.

INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC CONFERENCE

In July of 1996, Hsi Lai University organized the Academic Conference "International Society of Philosophy and Psychotherapy."  A total of 70 scholars from the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and mainland China attended this special event.  All participants felt that this conference contributed significantly to the cultural awareness between the East and the West.

BROADCAST OF THE DHARMA

In order to actualize the active and joyful spirits of Buddhism in life and to strengthen people's sense of right versus wrong, the audio-visual team of Hsi Lai Temple has been chosen to produce radio and television programs.  These are daily broadcasts on the Chinese Communication Channel, American Chinese Television, and AM 1300 and 1490.   These programs on Buddhist teachings are comprised of the sayings of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, Buddhist etiquette, Buddhist school on air, cultivation of the body and mind, and Buddhist news.  Since the outset of the broadcast, the response to its rich and colorful contents has been overwhelming.

GLOBAL VISITORS

Now optimally functional as a Dharma propagation center for all, Hsi Lai Temple has become an international cultural exchange center.   In 1996, President Clinton met with the Abbess of Hsi Lai Temple, Venerable Tzu Jung, as a gesture of good will.  In addition to a visit by Vice-President Gore, guests like Senator Patrick Kennedy, the president and vice-president of Warner Bros., and hundreds of deans and professors from various universities and colleges have patronized the temple with their friends and guests.