Nearly 100 Grade 11 students and teachers from St. Martin Catholic Secondary School visited Fo Guang Shan Temple of Torontoon December 3 as part of a world religions program exploring Buddhist culture and values. The delegation was warmly welcomed by Abbess Venerable Chueh Fan, together with monastic and lay volunteers,who arranged a thoughtfully curated introduction to Buddhist teachings, temple services, and the temple’s founding vision.

Abbess Venerable Chueh Fan shared that, guided by Fo Guang Shan’s Four Objectives, the temple actively promotes cultural and educational programs, spiritual care initiatives, meditation, and community outreach. Through these efforts, the temple seeks to deepen public understanding of Buddhist culture while nurturing ethical values, compassion, and positive social engagement.

For many students, the visit marked their first experience inside a Buddhist temple. Venerable Chueh Fan explained that a temple serves arole similar to that of a church—as a place for spiritual grounding, reflection, and inner growth. She emphasized that Buddhism is not idol worship, but a path of wisdom and practice that encourages clarity of mind and wholesome living. She also introduced Fo Guang Shan’s founder, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, and explained the symbolism of Buddha images and floral offerings, noting that the Buddha represents the innate purity and potential within every individual.

Venerable Ru An introduced the temple’s facilities, including its museum, library, and dining hall, highlighting the temple’s role as a center for education, dialogue, and community connection. She also guided students in basic Buddhist etiquette, such as the gesture of joining palms. She further shared the concept of the Buddha as an awakened person, inviting students to reflect on the “Three Acts of Goodness”—doing good deeds, speaking good words, and cultivating good thoughts.

Volunteer guide Martyn Knowles introduced the life of the Buddha and explained the meaning of paying respects in the shrine as an expression of reverence for the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. He noted that Humanistic Buddhism emphasizes active engagement with society, where spiritual cultivation is practiced through compassion and wisdom in everyday life.

The visit concluded with the screening of The Way of Chan: Where Is Heaven and Hell?, facilitated by volunteer Jesse Chung, inspiring reflection on the message that “where the mind is pure, there heaven will be.” As a gesture of blessing and encouragement, students and teachers received commemorative keychains bearing the message, “Keep Going, the Future Will Be Bright.”