As the Lunar New Year approached, Fo Guang Shan Chicago transformed the temple with cultural and artistic decorations, creating a festive atmosphere. The highlights included an exhibition of One-Stroke Calligraphy by the FGS founder, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, allowing visitors to experience the tranquility and joy of the season.
A Reunion of Wisdom and Blessings On January 28, Lunar New Year’s Eve, Director Chi-Ying Tsai and Deputy Director Yi-Chen Chen of the Culture Center of TECO in Chicago joined senior volunteers for a traditional reunion hotpot to welcome the new year. Head Priest Venerable Yung Han shared a precious 1952 manuscript by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, in which he expressed his wish to be like starlight in the darkness and admired the effortless ease of “clouds”—hence adopting the Dharma name “Hsing Yun” (Star and Cloud). The Master lived with a spirit of “Living to Three Hundred Years,” cherishing every fragment of time to practice calligraphy, meet guests, teach, or mentor disciples, maintaining this diligent pace for decades without fail.
Experiencing Cultural Beauty and Praying for Peace Guests visited the “Life’s Oracle” booth to draw a Dharma wisdom card. Venerable Yung Han explained that the Master’s “Life’s Oracle” does not predict fortune or misfortune; instead, it blends his Buddhist insights and religious wisdom to serve as a life motto, inspiring one’s path forward. Subsequently, participants filled out prayer cards to hang on the prayer tree, rang the “Bell of Peace,” and offered lamps before the Buddha, praying for national prosperity, social harmony, and world peace.
Propagating the Dharma Sound for a Bright Future After the meal, Venerable Yung Han led the assembly in reciting the Medicine Buddha Dharani and “A Prayer for New Year’s Eve” by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, sowing seeds of good vows for the coming year. To conclude the celebration, the temple presented guests with 2025 “There is Always a Path Forward; Light is on the Horizon” calligraphy screen cards, along with auspicious steamed cakes and handmade cookie gift sets, wishing all guests a safe, smooth, and bright new year.