CHAPTER 3. GLOCAL-MODERNIZATION OF FGS IN TAIWAN AND MACAU
3.8 FGS’ P ROSELYTIZING IN M ACAU
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3.7 The Organizational Structure of FGS in Macau
The democratic element of FGS in terms of internal affair chair members election and empowering lay followers also succeeds in the BLIAM. The organizational structure of FGS in Macau constitutes the FGS association, the FGS Council and the board of supervisors. The FGS association includes a president, vice-presidents, a secretary, and an accountant; the FGS Council is composed of a council president, several council members; and the board of supervisors includes several supervisors.
Members of these three departments are elected every three years, and they can be reappointed for one more year. All of these administrative members work as volunteers. The abbot, dharma teachers or lecturers are dispatched by the FGS headquarter in Taiwan.119When holding dharma assemblies or organizing public activities, FGS mainly relies on their 182 registered local volunteers.
3.8 FGS’ Proselytizing in Macau
FGS started to propagate in Macau in 1995, to know its current activities one can subscribe to FGS Macau’s Wechat or pay attention to its website. FGS in Macau primarily announces its most recent events through its website and Wechat account.
FGS’ annual festivals and activities are organized and listed in the FGS Buddhist calendar (see the appendix 1). In Macau, FGS usually holds (a) Buddhist sutra reading classes; (b) Buddhist festivals and the precious litany of 88 Grand-name Buddhas; (c) hospital, old ages home and care center visits; (d) seminars on health-related issues;
(e) classes such as vegetarian cooking class, floral arrangement class; (f) “communal
119 Ibid，p. 40。
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cultivation” (gong xiu 共修); and (g) summer classes for young children (7 to 10 year-old). FGSMBC periodically holds the Vajra 金剛, three goods 三好, good karma 善 緣, and completeness sutra reading classes 經典概述班 and junior Buddhist class 佛 學初級班for the public, occasionally the sutra reading classes will include watching movies, stretching exercises and making handicrafts. The junior Buddhist class comprises eight lessons which include basic Buddhism concepts such as the twelve-linked causal formula 十二因緣, no-self 無我, and samsara 涅槃.120 In 2018, FGSMBC held the second Buddhism exams in Macau in which 37 examinees participated.121Besides, FGSMBC organizes the “three goods summer camp” for children. Although by name it is a camp, it only has activities every Saturday and Sunday from half-past two to half-past four. During these periods, children will learn Buddhist concepts and rituals, how to make desserts, basic English conversion and teamwork.122
120 During my interview with Master Jiue Ren (16th January 2019), she said FGSMBC could only offer junior level Buddhist to the public by far.
The 47th and 48th junior Buddhist classes which were held from 5th June to 24th July 2018 every Tuesday and from 16th October to 18th December 2018 every Tuesday had sixty and seventy-three students respectively.
121 佛光山澳門禪淨中心，〈第二期佛光澳門書院佛學會考〉，adopted 17 January 2019.
122 I have visited the FGSMBC branch, and it does not have a lodge for lay followers like FGS Buddha museum. Master Jiao Ren told me that the operation of FGSMBC mainly relies on volunteers. Therefore, FGSMBC does not have enough space and human resources to take care of these children and these children’s parents might not want them to sleep out either.
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Image 3- 1 FGSMBC One-day and Short-term Retreat123 Source: FGS Macau’s website
123 佛光山澳門禪淨中心，〈2018 三好兒童夏令班招生啦！〉，adopted 21December 2018.
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Because FGSMBC is limited in terms of space and human resources, it can only organize one-day Chan retreat annually for lay devotees, and it usually offers 30 quotas. For those who participate in the short-term monastic retreat in Macau, they will fly to FGS’ headquarter at Kaohsiung.
Chart 3- 4 FGSMBC’s One-day Retreat and Short-term Retreat Source: Data provided by FGSMBC, interview date: 16January 2019.
FGSMBC One-day Retreat FGSMBC Short-term Retreat Year Numbers of participants Year Numbers of participants
2011 30 2011 15
2012 33 2012 9
2013 25 2013 10
2014 19 2014 10
2015 30 2015 5
2016 30 2016 2
2017 28 2017 11
2018 29 2018 8
* The collected data shows that numbers of participants in one-day retreat are significantly higher than numbers of participants in short-term retreats. Most probably because over 90% of the government’s tax income is from the gambling industry, majority of the local citizens have to take shifts.
Therefore, it is difficult for them to participate in spiritual retreat activity like this. And because of the space limitation, FGSMBC only manages to accept around thirty participants.
Likewise, FGS has a Chan library and a tea house for lay devotees. The teahouse is a place where FG members can enjoy vegetarian meals every afternoon. FGS has been continuously posting the “Veg Plan A” to advocate the advantages of adopting a vegetarian diet and FGSMBC also has vegetarian cooking classes. Latterly, the
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Buddha’s Light Association Youth of Macau held a “Vegetarian Festival” on 16th and 17th February 2018 to promote a correct concept of not eating meat, the vegetarian culture and Buddha’s teaching to the public.124The VegFest includes vegetarian food stalls, lion dancing, magic show, singing, and dancing performance. (See Image 3 – 2)
“The VegFest food stalls and participants grow from 26 and 5000 people in 2013 to 28 and 20,000 people.”125One can see that people are increasingly interested in vegetarian diets. The Chan library sells Buddhist literature or trinkets, provides Buddhist sutras and books, reading rooms for adult and children. Additionally, FGS organizes guitar class, hiking, one-day pilgrimage, coastal cleanup activities as well.
To compare FGS’ propagation activities and social welfare organizations it established in Macau with those in Taiwan, its proselytizing and outreach in social works in Macau are not as versatile as in Taiwan. Nonetheless, FGSMBC is gradually developing. Since the majority of the participants do not crave for studying sophisticated and metaphoric Buddhist philosophy, and many jobs require people to take shifts. A one-off seminar on Buddhist philosophy or interest class is more flexible and suitable for Macau’s context.126
To sum up, religions in contemporary Taiwan and Macau encounter a chance that it never had before. Throughout many dynasties, while Confucianism monopolized the field of education, Buddhism was popular with social elites. Under Master Hsing Yun’s leadership, FGS became a Buddhist sect for all sentient beings. The innovative changes
124 FGSMBC’s Wechat post which posted on 23December 2018.
125 An interviewed which was conducted on 16th January 2019 and the data is provided by the FGSMBC.
126 During my visit on 16th January 2019, Master Jiao Ren told me that FGSMBC has been offering the Junior Buddhist class for the public for years and could not offer Buddhist class of the next level by far judging from the learners’ acquisition.
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that he makes modernized FGS’ organizational structure, doctrine, rituals and proselytizing strategies.
In terms of FGS’ organizational structure, it includes the ordained monks and nuns and laities in its management system. Not only do ordained monks and nuns have promotion guidelines but also the laities. Under these guidelines that Master Hsing Yun set up and FGS’ mobilization of lay members, lay members have the chance to take part in FGS’ religious activities and some internal affairs. Through empowering local lay followers, FGS achieves the localization of human resources and language of propagation.
In the aspect of FGS’ doctrine and rituals, Master Hsing Yun expresses that Buddhism should offer people confidence, joy, and hope. He affirms wealth and donation and thinks these are the things that help to establish a pure land on earth.
The rules that Master Hsing Yun brings up not only focus on the religious sphere’s problems but he also concerns sentient beings as a unity, what he presents is a spirit rather than religious disciplines for followers. The re-invention of Buddhist rituals helps to restore the link between people’s life and Buddhism. Master Hsing Yun’s tolerance and understanding towards some folk religions’ customs reflect FGS’ ability in responding to religious pluralism, the spirit that Master Hsing Yun presents shows FGS’ visions as a religion of the global.
Regarding FGS’ proselytizing strategies, its social engagement and its way of proselytizing are down to earth. People can get in contact with Buddhism in many different ways without categorizing themselves as a Buddhist follower. One can visit the Buddha museum at Kaohsiung and see it as a tourist attraction instead of seeing
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this as a pilgrimage site for Buddhist followers. One can participate in its vegan diet promotion for health purpose; one can join FGS’ one-day retreat and experience a less intensive life of renouncing from the secular world. People also can understand more about Buddhism via different social media, such as Facebook, FGS music on Youtube, its e-book and journal, its Open University’s courses, etc. According to FGS’
organizational structure, proselytizing strategies and Open Universities’ topics in Taiwan and Macau, FGS has tailor-made its propagation methods which suit the local context and adapt to the modern time.
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Image 3- 2 The VegFest
Source: FGSMBC’s Wechat Post on 28th December 2018.