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Welcome to Hsi Lai Temple! Hsi Lai Temple hosted the closing ceremony of 2020-2021 school year for Dharma School for Kids/Youth on June 19th, 2021. Approximately 60 people, including students, parents, and teachers, attended the ceremony at the Five Bodhisattva Hall.
Venerable Abbot Hui Dong opened up the ceremony by encouraging students to practice Buddha’s teachings in day-to-day lives. He appreciated the efforts parents made to support the school and the virtual learning environment due to COVID-19 Pandemic for the past year. He specifically mentioned that the dedication and perseverance impacted students’ growth and development, helping them realize the importance of the Three Acts of Goodness. During the ceremony, Venerable Abbot Hui Dong presented the badges of Junior Docent to the students, certifying them to become the next generation of pioneers to Buddhism localization.
The Junior Docent Program was initiated and advocated by senior docent Ms. Ching of Hsi Lai Temple. This program is designed to provide opportunities for the kids to work with current temple docents to offer guiding services to visitors, further promoting and propagating the inheritance of Humanistic Buddhism.
Students learned about the Five Bodhisattva and the Eight Noble Paths. They also completed the three in-class projects of “Praise Manjusri Bodhisattva”, voice acting of the animation “Story of Buddha”, and “Junior Docent Training” through Zoom classes for the past year.
During the spring semester, Dharma School for Youth (DSFY) invited Ms. Kathryn Lee from Institute of Humanistic Buddhism International Affairs Center and a few more experienced English instructors to lecture, introducing the variety and diversity of different aspects of Humanistic Buddhism to the students.
In addition to virtual classes, students were invited to the temple on Buddha’s Birthday to bath the Buddha. “It was a precious thing to do.” Said one parent, “it provides an added value to my kids after quarantine at home for almost a year”.
The closing ceremony was a group effort from all teachers at Dharma school. Two hosts were recent teachers Ms. Phyllis and Ms. Michelle. The school banner was hand-created by art teacher Ms. Lisa. The souvenirs and junior docent badges were prepared by senior teachers Ms. Ching, Ms. Connie, and Dr. Nancy.
The Fall semester will begin on September 12th,2021. Details can be found: https://tinyurl.com/3cfzhr
