On March 8th, Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center held the first Buddhism Friendship Scholarship Workshop of 2025 at Hsi Lai Temple [in Hacienda Heights, CA], with a total of 15 students participating. Starting in 2023, the program has partnered with the AJ Wang Foundation to provide scholarships to outstanding bilingual college students and high school seniors in Southern California. The workshop covered such topics as Asian immigrant history, Buddhism and natural ecology, and meditation and included group discussions to explore cause and effect as well as environmental and spiritual preservation.
Minh-Hoa Ta, president of the University of the West, opened the workshop with a class titled the Asian American Experience, introducing outstanding Asian-Americans, followed by a Q & A session. She looked back at the historical challenges of Asian immigrants, emphasizing the importance of self-identity, teamwork, knowledge, and skills. She encouraged students to explore their interests and use technology in a way that keeps up with the times but not to rely too much on AI. She pointed out that physical human interaction is essential to promote innovation and creativity.
Embracing Nature: Ecology from a Buddhist Perspective [written by Fo Guang Shan founder Venerable Master Hsing Yun] won the 2016 Living Now Awards Gold Medal for Ecological Conservation. Buddha’s Light Publications Director, Venerable Miao Hsi, expounded on the contents of the book in a class on Buddhism and Ecology. Buddhism believes that “all sentient beings on earth have Buddha nature”: mountains, rivers, trees, flowers, and plants are all manifestations of the Buddha’s Dharma in nature. Humans coexist with all things in the world. This physical world goes through the process of formation, continuance, destruction, and emptiness; thus, we should protect the natural ecology with unchangeable sincerity, and kindness and compassion. Venerable Miao Hsi further stressed that all phenomena are creations of the mind, and thus it is said, “If the mind is pure, then the land is pure.” Heaven and hell are just in a thought.
Before guiding the meditation class, Hsi Lai Temple’s social education and outreach department leader, Venerable Zhi Xing, led the students to experience meditation in motion through the Yijin Jing [易筋經]. Venerable Zhi Xing said that the purpose of meditation is to train in observation skills and focus the mind.
Among the three karmas [actions] of body, speech, and mind, the karma of the mind is especially critical. By training the mind through meditation and making oneself the master of the mind, one can then make the wisest decision when a situation arises and avoid responding rashly with emotions.
During the study report and discussion session, the director of the International Translation Center, Venerable Yi Chao, divided the students into two groups. The first group discussed Buddhist views on cause and effect, using the English translations of Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s works Cause and Effect and Cause and Condition as extracurricular study. The second group explored the theme of Buddhists protecting the environment and protecting the mind, using his works Protecting Our Environment and Environmental and Spiritual Preservation. Students reported on the contents and discussed how to cope with these issues in contemporary life.
In addition to expounding on the teachings of Buddhism, the cause and effect group created a variety of scenarios, allowing students to respond and analyze the consequences from the perspectives of bodhisattvas and sentient beings. The students emphasized that “bodhisattvas fear causes, while sentient beings fear effects” and advocated careful thinking on the three karmas and learning to be a bodhisattva. The environmental and spiritual protection group asked students to plant “mindfulness potted plants” and decorate them with positive words. The process was filled with laughter.
At the end of the day, it was announced that the second workshop will take place on May 31 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to study Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia.
English Translation and editing by FGSITC staff.
The original article was published in Chinese (reproduced below) on the
佛光山西來寺 Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple Facebook page.
March 9, 2025
佛教友誼獎學金研習營 青年效法菩薩人間行
【人間社 潘青霞 美國洛杉磯報導】
佛光山國際翻譯中心於3月8日，在佛光山西來寺舉辦2025年第一梯次英文「佛教友誼獎學金研習營」，共15位學員參加。自2023年起，該計畫與AJ Wang基金會合作，為南加州優秀大學及高中四年級雙語學子提供獎學金。此次課程涵蓋亞裔移民歷程、佛教與自然生態、禪修等，並進行分組討論，探討因果及環保與心保。
西來大學校長謝明華開場授課「亞裔美國人歷程」(Asian American Experience)，與學員進行問答並介紹傑出的亞裔美籍人士。她回顧亞裔移民歷史中的挑戰，強調自我認同、團隊合作，以及知識與技能的重要性。謝校長鼓勵學員發掘興趣、與時俱進地運用科技，但不要過度依賴AI。她指出，實體的人際互動對於提升革新力與創意至關重要。
佛光山開山祖師星雲大師的著作《佛教與自然生態》英文譯本 Embracing Nature: Ecology from a Buddhist Perspective，榮獲美國出版界2016年「活在當下」(Living Now Awards)生態保育類金獎。美國佛光出版社執行長妙西法師於「佛教與自然生態」（Buddhism and Ecology）課程中闡述書中的內容，佛教認為「大地眾生，皆有佛性」，山河大地、樹木花草，皆是佛陀法身在自然界中的顯現。人類與萬物同體共生，在這個成住壞空的世界裡，應以不變的真心與慈悲落實自然生態的保護。妙西法師進一步強調，「一念三千」，萬法唯心所造，天堂與地獄，皆由一念而生。
西來寺社教本土化組組長知行法師在指導「禪修課」之前，帶領學員通過「易筋經」體驗動中禪。知行法師表示，禪修的目的是訓練觀照與專注心念，在身口意三業中，意業尤為關鍵。透過禪修訓練這顆心，讓自己做心的主人，當境界現前時，才能作出最明智的決定，避免以情緒魯莽應對。
在讀書報告及討論環節，國際翻譯中心主任依超法師將學員分為二組，第一組探討「佛教對因果和因緣的看法」，採用佛光山開山祖師的英譯作品「談因說果」以及「佛教對因果的看法」二書作為課外研讀教材。第二組探討主題「佛教的環保與心保」，採用佛光山開山祖師的《佛教對環保的看法》以及《環保與心保》二書為題材。學員們報告其中內容以及討論當代生活如何因應之道。
兩組除了闡述佛學義理外，「談因說果組」設計了多種情境，讓學員從菩薩與眾生的角度應對並分析後果，強調「菩薩畏因，眾生畏果」，並提倡在身口意三業上謹慎三思，學習做菩薩。「環保與心保」組則讓學員栽種「正念盆栽」，為盆栽點綴正向字句，過程中充滿了歡笑聲。
在課程尾聲，宣布了5月31日第二梯次的研習營將前往洛杉磯縣藝術博物館（Los Angeles County Museum of Art）， 參學「法界：亞洲佛教藝術」 (Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia)。