<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the philosophy of “going out into the community” advocated by the Fo Guang Shan founder Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the FGS Chicago Buddhist Temple and the BLIA Chicago Chapter hosted a Humanistic Buddhism lecture series at the Culture Center of TECO in Chicago. Nearly 80 participants attended the lecture given by BLIA Lay Dharma Lecturer Mrs. Helen Chao-Koo. The event opened with Chicago BLIA members singing Sounds of the Human World<\/em> songs, “Lighting the Lamp” and “Song of the Ten Cultivations,” followed by a welcoming speech from Chapter President Ke-Ying Wang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mrs. Chao-Koo began by defining Humanistic Buddhism as “what the Buddha taught, what people need, what is purifying, and what is virtuous and beautiful.” She posed the question: “It is all for them”\u2014but who is “them”? She emphasized that in human interactions, beyond tolerance and encouragement, one’s mindset is crucial. Buddhism teaches causality; the formation of all things is inseparable from cause, condition, effect, and retribution. This law of cause and effect is also the foundation of all scientific verification. She presented a thought-provoking scenario: If a family of robbers has one member who is a policeman, who is the traitor? Through the concept of “Dependent Origination and Empty Nature,” she explained that all things arise and cease due to conditions, and we must use wisdom to navigate life’s complexities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do we truly know ourselves? Birth, old age, sickness, and death are natural processes through which we grow in wisdom. The world consists of one half that is good and one half that is bad. Most people only accept the good and reject the bad, thus achieving only half a life. Only by accepting the good and tolerating the bad can one possess a complete life. Mrs. Chao-Koo urged the audience not to fear suffering, quoting Master Hsing Yun: “Suffering is power!” Suffering allows us to grow strong, just as sweet fruit only comes after enduring bitterness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In relationships between spouses or parents and children, practicing the “Three Acts of Goodness”\u2014speaking good words, doing good deeds, and thinking good thoughts\u2014is the key to harmony. Everyone is a Buddha and possesses wisdom; we should give others opportunities, love, and trust. She correlated the Six Perfections with daily life: Giving is love, Precepts are teaching, Patience is letting go, Diligence is achievement, Concentration is blessing, and Wisdom is fulfillment. By keeping others in our hearts, the world becomes more beautiful. “It is all for them” means being “willing and joyful” in all circumstances. The “Contemplative Ease” (Guan Zizai) mentioned in the Heart Sutra<\/em> reminds us to observe ourselves, not others, and to practice “Giving without Form.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the sharing session, Superintendent Yu-Wen Huang shared how her relationship with her son improved after she relaxed her strict demands. Director Jin-Xiu Feng expressed her willingness to care for her elderly mother without regret. Member Hong-Wei Lin noted that love should be as light as a feather to avoid creating pressure for children. English Subchapter member Trudie Kanter reminded herself to use praise and encouragement instead of harshness. Friend of Fo Guang, Wei-Gang Wang, praised how the speaker used real-life examples to explain the Middle Way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Visiting member He-Yong Chen reflected that the lecture felt like “nectar poured on the head,” prompting him to ask if he truly understood himself. He noted that we often harshly demand things from others as a projection of our own hearts; only by being willing to do and happy to receive can we truly release ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Head Priest Venerable Yung Han concluded the lecture by stating that life is a shared entity. When we think well of others, we achieve ease like clouds and water. She encouraged the audience to be willing to “be grateful” to others for joy, “thank” both favorable and adverse conditions for growth, and be “moved” by everyone around them as a Bodhisattva. Through these interactions, one can cultivate good conditions and good fortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Following the philosophy of “…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-print-news"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",1230,942,false],"thumbnail":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",512,392,false],"medium":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",512,392,false],"medium_large":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",768,588,false],"large":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",512,392,false],"1536x1536":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",1230,942,false],"2048x2048":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",1230,942,false],"post-thumbnail":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",370,283,false],"great_lotus-thumb-category":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",362,277,false],"great_lotus-thumb-category-@retina":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",724,554,false],"trx_addons-thumb-huge":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",859,658,false],"trx_addons-thumb-huge-@retina":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",1230,942,false],"trx_addons-thumb-masonry-big":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",770,590,false],"trx_addons-thumb-masonry-big-@retina":["http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/\u4e2d\u5fc3\u85dd\u6587\u8d70\u5eca-\u4f5b\u9640\u4e00\u751f\u7279\u5c55.jpg",1230,942,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"bliachicago","author_link":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/archives\/author\/bliachicago"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Following the philosophy of “…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4505"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5704,"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4505\/revisions\/5704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ibpschicago.org\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}