The Life News Agency
October 11, 2023

On Saturday night (9/30), the first night after the full moon, Hsi Fang temple held a community-oriented event to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the friends and families of their neighborhood, University Heights in San Diego, California.  

Hsi Fang temple held a community-oriented event to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with the friends and families of their neighborhood, University Heights in San Diego, California. photo／The Life News Agency

The city had been experiencing scattered rain throughout the day, and it had just started to lightly shower as the volunteers showed up to help set up. While the venerables joked that it was the universe blessing the event, the rest were probably a bit concerned about how they would adjust if the rain didn’t stop. Thankfully, it only rained a few short minutes, and the volunteers were back to their preparations.

Guests were treated to a tea ceremony administered by neighbor and tea enthusiast, Robby (left). photo／The Life News Agency

As guests arrived, they were greeted by the street entrance and guided to the back parking lot behind the building where they were treated to a tea ceremony administered by neighbor and tea enthusiast, Robby, where he shared some freshly brewed pu erh tea. A temple member and Lego enthusiast, Eugene, had his Lego model of the temple on display for guests to view and ask questions. As guests found their seats for the evening, they were welcomed with a basket full of mini mooncakes. Guests got to sample lotus seed paste, coconut, and mung bean paste mooncakes throughout the night.

A temple member and Lego enthusiast, Eugene, had his Lego model of Hsi Fang temple on display. photo／The Life News Agency

Guests were seated in small groups so that they could get to know each other through some trivia-like questions the emcee prepared. photo／The Life News Agency

To foster community, guests were seated in small groups so that they could get to know each other through some trivia-like questions the emcee prepared.With almost 80 people in attendance, over half said it was their first time visiting the temple! Some attendees were locals, while others came from other places in the U.S. like Seattle, Jacksonville, and the state of Michigan. We also had guests that moved here from far away places like Romania, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, and Thailand. Even with this diverse audience from so many different places, they all knew that the ostrich was a significant part of the history of University Heights.

The group quieted down to appreciate the moon together while local performers provided ambient music for the experience. photo／The Life News Agency

After getting to know each other, the group quieted down to appreciate the moon together while local performers provided ambient music for the experience. Venerable Miao Zang helped the group feel even more present by leading them through a short guided meditation, a prayer, and a light offering to close out the event.

Since the moon was hidden behind some rain clouds throughout most of the evening, the most beautiful sight of the night was when only a few minutes after the emcee wished everyone a good night, the rain suddenly started again. All the attendees rushed to help bring in the chairs and tables like it was their own backyards. This small unplanned act of compassion from each person really shows the impact of these meaningful community events!