The FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship is a chance for us to help young students achieve their higher education goals while they learn about Buddhism and what we do at the translation center, as well as the larger Hsi Lai Temple community. Each fall, we accept applications from new students into the program. Scholarship recipients are required to participate in workshops and various projects each semester, in addition to maintaining a 3.0 GPA all year long. This blog began as one of the student projects (or Talent Contributions, as we call them). We hope it continues to provide a glimpse into the experience as well as the inspiration to participate in the future.
Fall 2024
FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship: Sparking Wisdom and Creativity
On October 12, 2024, the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center (FGSITC) held the first Buddhism Friendship Scholarship Workshop of its third year at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California. Eighteen students from high schools and universities across California took part, diving into activities like meditation, studying Humble Table, Wise Fare, brainstorming and recording podcasts, improving time management skills, and discussing how to apply Buddhist principles in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).
Spring 2024
FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship: Nurturing Global Youth in Dharma Propagation
Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center (FGSITC) and the AJ Wang Foundation have been collaborating since 2023 to offer the Buddhism Friendship Scholarship to outstanding bilingual students from colleges and high schools in Southern California. On March 16, 2024, marking the second year of collaboration, FGSITC hosted its first workshop of the year at the FGS Hsi Lai Temple. The workshop aimed to enhance the twenty-six participants’ understanding of the translation center and leverage their diverse expertise in propagating Dharma while emphasizing the internationalization of Buddhism.
FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship Recipients Come Together to Learn
佛光山頒”佛教友誼獎學金” 獲獎者西來寺共學
March 22, 2024
(Video published by BLTV, Chinese language)
On March 16, the 26 recipients of this year’s Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center Buddhism Friendship Scholarship gathered at Hsi Lai Temple to participate in the first of two workshops. By attending these workshops, students gain a deeper understanding of Fo Guang Shan and are better able to utilize language and other areas of expertise to promote the internationalization of Humanistic Buddhism.
Fall 2023
FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarships Encourage Bilingual Learners to Translate
On December 23rd, the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center (FGSITC) held the FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship Appreciation Party at Hsi Lai Temple. Nearly 60 attendees—including Ven. Yi Kong, president of Fo Guang Shan Cultural Council; abbot of Hsi Lai Temple, Ven. Hui Dong; founders of the AJ Wang Foundation, Mr. JP and Alice Wang; teachers and scholarship recipients—gathered together and encouraged young bilingual learners to continue to fully step into their ‘translation shoes’ and celebrated their collective efforts in helping support the localization and globalization of Buddhism. Read more.
Striving to localize Humanistic Buddhism and Cultivate Talent through the FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship
拚人間佛教本土化 “佛教友誼獎學金”育才
January 03, 2024
(Video published by BLTV, Chinese language)
The FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship Appreciation Party was held on December 23, 2023 at Hsi Lai Temple. The 2023 scholarship recipients gathered with family, friends, monastics, temple staff and volunteers, as well as the founders of the AJ Wang Foundation, Mr. JP and Alice Wang, to celebrate the completion of their first year in the scholarship program. Congratulations!
Buddhism Friendship Scholarship: Having Fun at the Workshop
November 2023
(Video courtesy of Jonathan Thang, Hsi Lai Temple)
Recipients of the FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship attended a workshop at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights and learned about Meditation (sitting as well as walking), how to serve tea mindfully, classes on Buddhism, and more. Includes short interviews with scholarship recipients Anthony Wang, Angelina Lee, and Iris Wang.
Young Talents Gather for Translation Center’s Scholarship Workshop at Hsi Lai Temple
西來寺研習營 青年翻譯人才齊聚
November 28, 2023
(Video published by BLTV, Chinese language)
Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center, together with the AJ Wang Foundation, established the FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship to cultivate translation talents and promote the localization of Humanistic Buddhism. Recently, a workshop was specially held at Hsi Lai Temple in Los Angeles, USA, calling on young people who are interested in Buddhist translation to explore Buddhism in depth.
佛光山國際翻譯中心，攜手國際佛光會世界總會理事王家培的基金會，成立了佛教友誼獎學金，要培育翻譯人才，推動人間佛教本土化。日前，還特別在美國洛杉磯西來寺舉辦研習營，號召對佛教翻譯有興趣的青年，走入佛門深度探索。
Spring 2023
My Experience: Scholarship Blog for Spring 2023
Hi! My name is Ryan Kuo, and I am one of the recipients of the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center (FGSITC) Buddhism Friendship Scholarship. This blog is my talent contribution for the scholarship, and will showcase the activities we do in the scholarship.
I was introduced to this scholarship by Venerable Man Deng and Ms. Jo Ho, a staff member of the Buddha’s Light Hsi Lai School and the Saturday Chinese School. After a successful application and interview, I was formally accepted, and the requirements to continue this 4-year scholarship program were explained. One of the requirements was to participate in two workshops per semester. Read more.
Buddhism Takes its Roots into the Next Generation
On Saturday, May 6, the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center (FGSITC) Buddhism Friendship Scholarship hosted its second workshop for the 2023 year at Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, California. All seventeen of this year’s scholarship recipients attended, along with various Fo Guang Shan monastics and community members.
Each semester, the FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship requires students to participate in two Buddhism workshops, write a book report on a selected text, and make a talent contribution to FGSITC.
This recent workshop included several classes: (1) an introduction to meditation; (2) the history of Fo Guang Shan (Buddha’s Light Mountain) and its founder, Venerable Master Hsing Yun (1927–2023); (3) teachings on the four immeasurables and the four givings. Scholarship recipients attended a short speech by Venerable Hui Dong, the abbot of Hsi Lai Temple. After a vegetarian lunch at the Dining Hall, they were given a tour of Hsi Lai Temple, and then individual scholarship recipients participated in a storytelling activity, the final event of the workshop. Read more.
FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship: A Journey I Will Never Forget
Scholarship recipient Ryan Chu talks about how the Buddhism Friendship Scholarship has effected his life. This project was his talent contribution to the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center for Spring 2023.
FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship: Three Acts of Goodness Song
Recipients of the FGSITC Buddhism Friendship Scholarship attended a workshop and learned the Three Acts of Goodness Song: Do Good Deeds; Speak Good Words; Think Good Thoughts.