Hsi Lai Buddhist Retreat — A Journey to Self-Discovery

Hsi Lai Temple Virtual Retreat was officially coming to the end of the course on July 31st. After nine weeks of retreat, students shared their learning journey and how they came to self-discovery on the last day of the class. Also, the students hoped that after the pandemic, they wished they could go back to the temple to learn more about monastic life.

The retreat included the Q&A sessions by Venerable Abbot Hui Dong, "Hear Me Out" series by Ven. Man Kuang and Ven. Jue Ji. "Buddha Dharma Pure and Simple" series by Ven. Miao Zang. Also, the course had Ven. Zhi Xing leading the guided mediation section and the "Eminent Monks" series presented by guest speakers of venerables. Besides, the course was honored to have academic professors giving lectures. Such as Dr. Nancy Cowardin shared about "Buddhism and Art," Dr. Lorraine gave a lecture on "Buddhism and Psychology." Professor Guo Shouren from the University of the West talked about "Humanistic Buddhism," and Andrew Nguy, the former student of retreat in 2016, shared about Buddhist Etiquette.

Annie from North Caroline, the youngest student of retreat, shared her thoughts. Looking back to the past few weeks of study, Annie realized that she used to deal with the problems with a negative response and complaining attitude. In this way, the issues remain unsolved. After attaining the retreat, she vows to change her way of thinking and think positively.