Albert Lin, The Merit Times staff writer
June 28, 2023

The Mayor of Cotia, Rogerio Franco, along with the Deputy Mayor, Council Speaker, and Department Directors, jointly approved the naming of an important 2-kilometer road in the city of Cotia, Sao Paulo, Brazil, as "Rua Venerável Mestre Hsing Yun" (Venerable Master Hsing Yun Road) to commemorate the contributions of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan, to Brazil.

On June 27th, Deputy Mayor Angela Maluf, along with Council Speaker Marcinho Prates and other important officials, visited I.B.P.S. Do Brasil to present the road sign. The road sign was received by Most Venerable Hsin Bao, the Abbot of Fo Guang Shan.

Venerable Hsin Bao took a photo with officials in front of Venerable Master Hsing Yun's bronze statue. photo／The Life News Agency

Deputy Mayor Angela Maluf, who had taken refuge in Venerable Master Hsing Yun many years ago, expressed that the best way to commemorate great figures is to name a road after them, so that everyone will always remember them.

Angela Maluf expressed that I.B.P.S. Do Brasil is like a precious gem for Cotia City. The former Abbesses of I.B.P.S. Do Brasil Venerable Chueh Cheng and Venerable Miao Yuan, as well as the current Abbess, Venerable Miao You, have all provided significant assistance to Cotia City. For instance, when the city was hit by a flood that affected the slums, members of I.B.P.S. Do Brasil and the Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) promptly arrived at the scene to provide disaster relief and donate supplies, even in the late hours of the night. Furthermore, Fo Guang Shan has supported the education of children in the slums by helping them attend Nanhua University in Taiwan.

Councilor Luis Gustavo Napolitano expressed that upon hearing the news of Venerable Master Hsing Yun's passing, they wanted to express their gratitude to the Master. Therefore, they hoped to name an important road as "Venerable Master Hsing Yun" as a gesture of the utmost respect.

Almir Rodrigues, Secretary of Public Security of Cotia, is a member of Fo Guang Shan. He participated in this event with his mother and daughter. He expressed gratitude to Venerable Master Hsing Yun and the venerables of Fo Guang Shan for bringing the concept of the Three Acts of Goodness - Do Good Deeds, Speak Good Words, and Think Good Thoughts - to the citizens.

Most Venerable Hsin Bao expresses gratitude to everyone for their support of Venerable Master Hsing Yun and Humanistic Buddhism. He also states that in the future, many people will come to know Venerable Master Hsing Yun through this road and subsequently visit I.B.P.S. Do Brasil to learn about the story of Fo Guang Shan.

Venerable Hsin Bao presented calligraphy masterpiece of Venerable Master Hsing Yun to the officials as a gift. photo／The Life News Agency

The uniqueness of Venerable Master Hsing Yun Road is that it is the first time the city government has used a QR code on road signs. Users can scan the QR code to read about Venerable Master Hsing Yun's life story and the introduction of I.B.P.S. Do Brasil.

Users can scan the QR code to read about Venerable Master Hsing Yun's life story and the introduction of I.B.P.S. Do Brasil. photo／The Life News Agency

A lot of honored guests attended the road sign presentation ceremony, including Cotia City Council Speaker Marcinho Prates, First Secretary Celso Itiki, Second Secretary Edson Silva, Venerable Hui Dong, the abbot of Hsi Lai Temple, Venerable Yi Xuan, Superintendent of Hsi Lai Temple, Venerable Ru Yang, Abbess of San Bao Temple, Venerable Miao Xi, President of the Merit Times, Venerable Miao Yuan, Director of Research Center at Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism, BLIA World Headquarters Director and Supervisor of BLIA Brazil Hong Cihe, BLIA Brazil President Xu Yonglong, Vice Chair of the Children's Education Committee and Supervisor Shi Xiaoyun, Chairperson of the South America Fellowship and Adviser of BLIA Brazil Si Biyao, Supervisor of BLIA Brazil Hong Luliyue, and Supervisor Chen Rongbiao, among others.