Visit to the Fo Guang Buddhist College by the Kolkata Tze-Chi Center, Fo Guang Shan International Buddhist Association Kolkata Chapter, and Distinguished Guests.

• 2023-10-04
• buddhist網站管理員

On October 3rd, Venerable Miaoru, the abbot of the FGS Kolkata Buddhist Centre in India, led a delegation of 11, including Professor Sumanapal from Calcutta University, to visit the College of Buddhist Studies, Fo Guang University (“DBS” hereafter). This visit marked the first time for all the members to visit Fo Guang University. They toured DBS Shrine room, library, classrooms, dining hall, and dormitories while enjoying the scenic views of Turtle Island, the Lanyang Plain, and the sea.

During the visit, they also had the opportunity to observe DBS classes, including "Chinese Buddhist Scriptures" taught by Professor Friedrich Grohmann, "History of Chinese Buddhism" taught by Professor Hsinyin Lin, and "Introduction to Sanskrit Buddhist Scriptures" taught by Professor Yibiao Chen. The students and teachers warmly welcomed them and provided insights into their lives at DBS. The visitors were impressed to learn that our students prepare meals together and, under the guidance of senior students and the life mentor Venerable Miaojia, each group of seven students can cook meals for over a hundred people.

The tour was guided by Venerable Miaojia of DBS, Venerable Zhiwen from the Ph.D. program, Indian Venerables Huidian and Huihe of the M.A. program-Chinese track, Indian Venerables Huishen and Huihuai of the B.A. program, and Sudarshana (originally from India) and Ven. Ananda (originally from Bangladesh), both students of M.A. program-English track. They had joyful interactions with the visitors. In addition, Daadoma, a Indian student of the Psychology department at Fo Guang University joined the group to assist with translation.

This visit allowed them to understand that DBS offers complete programs, including bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. The M.A. program-English track is especially unique, with students coming from all over the world, both laypeople and monastics. It boasts the highest number of foreign students in the entire Fo Guang University. All these individuals share a deep interest in Chinese Buddhism, traveling from afar to study together. This visit was the first time the members of the association had set foot in Taiwan, and it deepened their understanding of how Grand Master Hsin Yun valued education, cherished nature and sentient beings, and has used Taiwan as a starting point to promote Humanistic Buddhism worldwide.