The annual Huayen Symposium was conducted on April 5. Two professors from Taiwan flew 6500 miles the night before. Professor Gong-Pu Liu presented “Education based on Buddha’s principles and life in full circle”. He demonstrated how we can apply principles of Buddhism in real life. Professor Yong-Ching Yang presented “Overcome obstacles of body and mind, aim for a free and meaningful life”
These two professors shared their personal experiences in practicing Buddhism. Unlike formal lectures, their humorous presentations brought laughter on serious topics. It was such a delight to learn and benefit greatly in a fun environment!
Professor Liu was serving in military in Taiwan, and he came to US to receive his PhD in Political Science/International Relations. He didn’t practice Buddhism until the age of 47. He was fascinated by the wisdom of Diamond Sutra (金剛經) and decided to further study on other sutras. At the age of 50, he retired from military and thus began his soul searching in Buddhism. Aside from his dedicated study, he has been sharing the philosophy of Buddhism on cause and effect at several prisons in Taiwan. His goal is to rehabilitate these inmates and hope they will re-start their life after they leave prison. He emphasizes the cause and effect in life to these inmates, and his selfless teaching to these inmates has been over 12 years and still counting. He also gave real examples of why we need to chant 7-week and dedicate the merit to a recently deceased person.
Professor Yang is one of the faculty member of Huayen Buddhist College in Taipei for many years. Abbess Ven. Tien Inn was one of his best students. He revealed a lighter side of him, shared a few family secrets to demonstrate his points on overcoming obstacles of body and mind so that you can live a free and meaningful life. He was also a visiting scholar in the US years ago.
Several attendees wished both professors would stay longer and offer more lectures. Their presentations were by far most interesting and educational. This symposium successfully concluded at 4pm, and many have requested both professors to return next year.
