Fo Guan Shan Temple of Ottawa
March 15, 2024

The Chief of Ottawa Police and the Venerables of Fo Guan Shan (FGS) Temple of Ottawa shared a joyful meeting, and fostered a positive understanding between the police and the community.

The Ottawa Police extended an invitation to the Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Temple of Ottawa, and invited Abbess Yung Ku, Venerable You Wang, Venerable Neng Yi and BLIA Ottawa Chapter President June Sun to lunch at Ottawa Police Headquarters on February 29th. They were joined by Chief Eric Stubbs, Deputy Chief Paul Burnett, and the officers of the "Diversity Resources and Relations (DRR) Unit”.

Before lunch, Officer Kevin led the group on a tour of the Ottawa 911 Service Center, where Megan, who is in charge, explained their daily workflow, with the handling of over a thousand of 911 calls. Afterwards, they gathered in the meeting room for lunch with Chief Eric Stubbs and Deputy Chief Paul Burnett. The police department provided onion and garlic-free tempeh sandwiches, while FGS Ottawa offered delicious vegetarian dishes that included stir-fried rice noodles, vegetarian barbecue, vegetarian goose, spring rolls, tofu skin rolls, and pan-fried dumplings, much to the delight of all attendees.

Gifts were exchanged before lunch. Venerable Yung Ku presented Chief Eric Stubbs with a framed calligraphy featuring teachings from the Founder of Fo Guang Shan, Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The calligraphy illustrated the words "May all Beings live without fear and Coexist in Peace," for year of 2022. After Venerable You Wang explained its meaning, Chief Eric Stubbs expressed his intention to hang it in his office.

Officers and venerables took a group pgoto. photo/The Ottawa Police

In addition, the Venerable Master's works "365 Days for Travelers" and "366 Days with Wisdom” were gifted. Venerable Yung Ku turned to the page for February 29th, a date that occurs once every four years, and asked Venerable Neng Yi to recite the wisdom and guidance from Venerable Master Hsing Yun. June Sun distributed auspicious red envelopes containing Dharma Words of Positive Forecasts for Life and shared the encouragement she received from those words after facing adversity in 2023. Chief Eric Stubbs also reciprocated by presenting to the Chief, a commemorative coin.

During the meal, Venerable You Wang introduced the roles and relationship between Fo Guang Shan and the Buddha Light International Association. She proposed that the police participate in this year’s Vegetarian Food Fair by setting up a non-food stall and offering police cars for the public or children to explore, by which to foster greater police-civilian understanding. When introducing the concepts of "The Three Acts of Goodness," all the police officers present nodded in agreement.

Venerable Yung Ku expressed security concerns as the temple construction expands in the future. She asked Chief Eric Stubbs for preventive security measures. Kevin responded that the police department could offer recommendations to architects at the design stage of the building, like the avoidance of safety blind spots to ensure the temple’s construction safety from the beginning. Upon learning of the police department's willingness to provide this service, the three Venerables exchanged reassuring glances and smiled.

Following the meal, members of the DRR Unit continued to guide the Venerables on tours of the various departments within the police headquarters. They visited the Criminal Investigation Division, the officer shift handover room, the 24-hour detention center, and learned about all the equipment in police cars. Mark, the leader of the Bomb Squad in the Tactical unit, guided them through the equipment room of the Special Operations Unit. The Venerables were given a comprehensive tour of every department within the entire police building, with detailed explanations of their basic operating procedures.

The visit lasted nearly 4 hours. Officers Kevin and Den, on behalf of the chief, escorted the Venerables to the entrance, bidding them farewell with the BLIA Lotus Mudra. They expressed anticipation for more future interactions, like participation in the "July’s Three Acts of Goodness" basketball tournament.

Officers escorted the Venerables to the entrance, bidding them farewell with the BLIA Lotus Mudra. photo/The Ottawa Police