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.
Spring 2023 Articles
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.