On the 11th June people from seven nations gathered together at Guang Jue Temple to listen to the Venerable Master Zheng Rong’s address on Buddhism and its relevance to today’s modern world. This was the first talk given by the abbot of Guang Jue Monastery Zaoxi, Zhejiang Province, to foreigners from different parts of the world – France, United States of America, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, China and Australia.
Master Zheng Rong made reference to China’s President Hu Jintao’s inaugural speech at the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in which the President Hu emphasized the importance of preserving the great cultural and spiritual traditions of China for the peace and harmony of the nation. Master Zheng Rong went on to speak about the essence of Chinese Buddhism reflecting the great traditions of Taoism and Confucianism.
Taoism gives us an understanding of our relationship to nature and the universe. The Venerable spoke of his sadness of the many natural disasters of recent times many of which have had causes in our lack of care for our environment. Confucianism gave us a strong moral code to live by enabling us to have a strong character and purity of mind. Buddhism is that which teaches us how to relate with each others in peace, compassion and harmony. The Venerable Zheng Rong went on to say that following these time honoured traditions and principles naturally leads to harmony and prosperity for all peoples of the world.
This was a significant occasion for this small seemingly insignificant rural Chinese Buddhist temple which has now seen people representing over 15 nations walk through the gates and stay for various retreats. The regional Chinese government of Tianmu and Zaoxi encouraged the Buddhist cultural exchange at Guang Jue Temple as it brought people together from all walks of life in the common pursuit for peace and happiness.
Master Zheng Rong went on to point out the challenges to Chinese Buddhism re-emerging in a modern era saying that it is important that Buddhism reaches out with relevance to a modern society while maintaining its essential core.
The event was organized and coordinated by Australian Buddhist teacher Malcolm Hunt (Mao Zhi Sheng) in conjunction with Guang Jue Monastery.
