Fo Guang Shan New Zealand
November 15, 2023

On October 24, the Abbess of FGS NZ, Venerable Manshin was invited to represent the Buddhist faith in University of Canterbury’s 150th Anniversary Multifaith Celebration. BLIA South Island Committee Kokwei Low and four others were also present. More than 60 distinguished guests were present at the anniversary event including the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury Cheryl de la Rey, Senior Ecumenical Chaplain at the University of Canterbury Revd Dr John Fox, professors, representatives of various religions, Buddhist representative Venerable Abbess Manshin, Anglican Bishop Peter Carrel, Islamic Representative Mohammad Maaz, Jewish representative Asher Heatherington, and Bahai representative as well.

Cheryl de la Rey emphasized that faith and religion play a very important role in the education system. photo／FGS NZ

Abbess Manshin recited the Prayer for World Peace composed by the Founder of FGS Venerable Master Hsing Yun in her address.  The message is to bring peace and tranquility to people of the World through Master’s compassionate and wise words. Although Master Hsing Yun has passed away, his compassion and wisdom are the most precious legacies left by him to everyone.

The 150th anniversary celebration is also to acknowledge the profound influences of various faiths and religious groups on the University and the campus community. Vice-Chancellor Cheryl de la Rey emphasized in her speech that faith and religion play a very important role in the education system in helping University students and staff to achieve their goals especially in physical, mental health and academic achievements. The Vice-Chancellor expressed special thanks to representatives of various religions for their long-term contributions to community service and to the maintenance of public’s spiritual health.

Representatives of various religions took the stage to pray for world peace. Before the event ended, Revd Dr John Fox, Senior Ecumenical Chaplain at the University of Canterbury, led the audience to observe a minute of silence, hoping that the war between Israel and Palestine would end soon and the people would return to their normal life as soon as possible. At the event, representatives of various religions took the opportunity to interact with each other, meanwhile Abbess Manshin presented the "2023 FGS NZ Activity Report" to Vice-Chancellor Cheryl de la Rey.

Venerable Manshin presented the "2023 FGS NZ Activity Report" to Vice-Chancellor Cheryl de la Rey. photo／FGS NZ

The University of Canterbury was founded in 1873. It is a famous university situated in Christchurch, South Island, and the second oldest university in New Zealand. The University has interacted frequently with FGS South Island over the years to promote various educational activities to purify people’s hearts and minds and to build a harmonious society.