Albert Lin, The Merit Times staff writer
August 24, 2023

IBPS Orlando(Guang Ming Temple) organized a series of lectures on Buddhist scriptures. On August 13th, Venerable Yong Han, the abbess of Guang Ming Temple, invited Venerable You Ding from Fo Guang Shan Monastery to share with over 20 participants via video conference about "Reading Sutras Can Be Fun": Starting from the refuge ceremony, all should vow to delve into the Buddhist scriptures, and try to understand the essence of Buddhism and elevate the level of faith.

Venerable You Ding introduced the basic methods of reading Buddhist scriptures to the participants, as well as how to grasp the meanings behind the stories in the sutras. He also recommended tools such as the "Fo Guang Dictionary of Buddhism," "CBETA Online Reading, Retrieval, the Buddhist Canonical Text Database," and the "DILA Glossaries for Buddhist Studies" to the participants, making the process of reading scriptures more efficient.

Venerable You Ding introduced the basic methods of reading Buddhist scriptures. photo／The Life News Agency

Venerable You Ding used the story of King Cha Wei from the Collection of Writings about the Six Paramitas in the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Electronic Texts as an example to demonstrate the basic techniques of scripture reading. Venerable You Ding also explained the underlying message of this sutra passage: "Just you don't see the cycle of rebirth doesn't mean there is no cycle of rebirth." Through this, Venerable You Ding aimed to deepen the participants' understanding and encourage them to engage in a dialogue with the scriptures.

Lu Qiu-hong, the acting president of Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) Florida Chapter, expressed gratitude on behalf of the participants to Venerable You Ding for her simplified teaching and introduction of relevant tools, enabling the general public to easily learn how to study and practice Buddhist teachings.

Lu Qiu-hong expressed gratitude on behalf of the participants to Venerable You Ding for her simplified teaching and introduction of relevant tools. photo／The Life News Agency

Lin Xiangyin, the president of the BLIA Florida Chapter West Subchapter, mentioned that according to Venerable You Ding's conclusion, it's crucial for participants to learn to "engage in dialogue with the scriptures." After reading the scriptures, they should reflect on the meanings of the scriptures, so they can apply the wisdom contained in scriptures to their lives. She used an analogy, saying that if you pick up medicine from a pharmacy but don't take it, it won't cure your illness.

Student Wang Xinrui expressed her gratitude to Venerable You Ding for helping her understand that Buddhist scriptures are not actually too difficult to comprehend. As long as one reads the scriptures to establish a correct perspective on wisdom and engages in a dialogue with the scriptures, they can experience the joy of navigating the Dharma Waves.