Hsi Lai Temple Gas Station: Hsi Lai Subchapter Recharges for the Journey Ahead (西來寺加油站：西來分會加油再啟程)
【By Ching Pan】On July 27, the Hsi Lai Subchapter of the Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA), Los Angeles Chapter, which is primarily composed of English-speaking members, held the “Hsi Lai Refueling Day” event at the Harmony Hall of Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple. Nearly 40 members and friends participated both in person and online. Responding to the teaching of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan, who described temples as “gas stations,” attendees gathered at Hsi Lai Temple to recharge their minds and bodies through activities such as tea meditation, book club discussions, and sharing insights from a short-term monastic retreat.
The Guiding Venerable Zhi Xing started the event with tea meditation, leading everyone to calm their bodies and minds. Using the process of tea brewing—timing, water temperature, and the changing colors of the tea—she explained Buddhist principles such as dependent origination and impermanence, encouraging everyone to uphold the Middle Way and actively practice Buddhism.
Sacha de Nijs led the book club in discussing the chapter “A Temple is Like a Gas Station” from Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s book Buddha-Dharma: Pure and Simple. The discussion emphasized that temples are not just places for gatherings, chanting, and worship but serve a variety of functions. To meet the needs of modern Dharma propagation, Venerable Master Hsing Yun expanded the traditional temple—once limited to a Buddha Hall—into a multifunctional space with lecture halls, conference rooms, sutra transcription rooms, meeting rooms, libraries, art galleries, and Water Drop Teahouses. This transformation allows temples to fully realize their potential as centers for Dharma propagation and social education through various cultural, educational, and artistic activities.
Whether one is a Buddhist or not, everyone needs a place to purify the mind and cultivate the spirit. In this way, temples serve as the perfect “gas stations” for life, providing spaces for spiritual recharge and upliftment.
Sacha de Nijs also introduced the mission of BLIA. President Robert Wang presented the subchapter’s activity report, reflecting on past highlights and looking ahead to future plans, and extended a warm invitation for more people to join BLIA.
Henny Ciawi Tjia and Emily Xu shared their experiences and inspirations from the short-term monastic retreat held from July 14 to 20. The event concluded with a celebration for the July birthdays, ending Hsi Lai Refueling Day with laughter and joy.
西來寺加油站：西來分會加油再啟程
【潘青霞 報導】以英語土本人士為主體的國際佛光會洛杉磯協會西來分會在7月27日，於佛光山西來寺二合堂舉辦「西來加油日」活動，實體及線上近40位會員及佛光之友參加。響應佛光山開山祖師星雲大師開示「寺院如加油站」，眾人在西來寺以茶禪、讀書會、短期出家修道會心得分享等內容為身心充電。
輔導法師知行法師開場以茶禪帶領眾人沉澱身心，從泡茶的時間、水溫、茶色變化引申出因緣和合、世間無常等佛門義理，鼓勵眾人秉持中道，積極行佛。
Sacha de Nijs帶領讀書會，分組討論星雲大師著作《佛法真義》中的〈寺院如加油站〉篇章，了解寺院不僅是信徒集會、誦經、拜懺的場所，其實還有多元化功能。為了讓寺院建築能配合現代弘法的需求，大師將過去僅限於佛殿拜佛的有限功能擴展為具有講堂、會議廳、抄經堂、談話室、圖書館、美術館及滴水坊等設施的多功能道場。這樣一來，寺院能夠透過法務、文教及藝術活動，充分發揚聖教及教化社會的功能，成為公眾共享的道場。無論是學佛信眾還是社會人士，每個人都需要一個淨化心靈及提升精神的場所，寺院就是最好的人生加油站。
Sacha de Nijs並介紹國際佛光會的宗旨，會長汪寧國主持會務報告，回顧活動亮點及展望未來，歡迎大眾參加佛光會。
Henny Ciawi Tjia、Emily Xu分享參加7月14日至20日短期出家修道會的體會與感動。最後，眾人為7月份壽星慶生，在交流茶敘的笑聲中圓滿加油日。
Image Source：Hsi Lai Subchapter
照片來源：西來分會
