Eight Precepts Retreat - the Path to a Pure Heart

On April 15th, 2023, the Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto held its first "Eight Precepts Retreat" after the COVID pandemic. Fo Guang members and devotees registered eagerly. There were 135 people signed up for the retreat. Ninety-five people who previously conferred with the Five Precepts and the Bodhisattva precepts were addressed accordingly. The remaining forty were dressed in Haiqing robes. The Main Shrine was exceptionally pure and solemn. 

The retreat began with registration at 8:00 am and followed a compact list of events. These included ritual instructions, precepts' conferment, offerings, silent meal, and meditative walking.  In the afternoon, the Abbess, Venerable Chueh Fan, gave a lecture on "Humanistic Buddhism and Upholding Precepts." From the three perspectives (the Eight Precepts Retreat ritual, the precepts of Humanistic Buddhism and the True Meaning of Precepts), Venerable Chueh Fan elaborated Venerable Master Hsing Yun's teachings who states, "To properly uphold the precepts, one must grasp the essence of precepts. One must be capable of applying the precepts in self-cultivation and self-management. One must let the precepts to be a part of one's body, speech, and mind. One must enable oneself to become Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva."

Focusing on the above theme, there were group discussions on "A Talk on Master Hsing Yun." Five Venerables led the groups to share and discuss "Practice and Cultivation Perspectives" using the chapters, verses, and the essentials of teachings from the "Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun." This allowed the participants to understand the meaning and methods of cultivation and the importance of upholding precepts. The Venerable asked how participating in the Eight Precepts retreat is different from self-cultivation. What differences are there before and after one practice Buddhism?

The preceptors courageously shared their awareness and feelings after studying Buddhism by themselves. Some shared that they were touched 20 years ago when they first saw in person that the Venerable Master liberated people with his practice. Some preceptors expressed their blessedness that they let go of external distractions and took the precepts to find the strength of their faith. Many said, "After studying Buddhism, they have learned to respect and tolerate people, and they have more patience to communicate with others; through practice, they have also learned to manage themselves and become a better self." 

It is worth mentioning that there were as many as 19 participants under 35. Among them, eight were YAD members who happily took the precepts. They were also especially willing to assist in classroom preparation. Rico Zong said, " I found the answer to my life through Buddhism. I’m looking forward to the classes throughout the day." Yiyang Yan said she found peace and tranquillity by taking time off his final exams to participate in the Eight Precepts Retreat. Owen Den, a graduate student with a master's degree from Peking University, just joined the Toronto YAD in January;  after hearing about the Eight Precepts Retreat, he participated in the retreat with his friends and was very happy to help with the event.

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