Honoring Elders Day and Cherishing Youth Day are two special events celebrated every year. The goal is to promote a harmonious family, a wholesome society and a peaceful world. During Cherishing Youth Day, children and youth gather to celebrate together. It’s also a way to remind children that they are our future and they hold a special role within the family, society and the world.

Gold Buddha Monastery—Gourmet Food。Juice Stand 。Art Exhibit

This year, Cherishing Youth Day at Gold Buddha Monastery was held on April 4, 2004. To add more meaning to the event, our theme was to “Make Offerings to the Triple Jewel.” We made foods to offer to the Triple Jewel. Forty people ranging from five-year-olds to adults, including students, teachers, DRBY members and volunteers, made food. There were eight groups in total, two groups making the burritos, two groups making sushi, two groups making spring rolls, one group making pizza and one group making cookies.

After the Meal Offering Ceremony, a Dharma Master gave a brief talk. During lunchtime, we also played a five minute movie introducing the 2003-2004 Gold Buddha Monastery Instilling Goodness School.

To make the event more enjoyable for the youngsters, a little juice stand was set up. Children placed their order, while a few teachers and volunteers were behind the bar making juice slush and bubble tea.

In addition, a mini-gallery was set up where the works of the students were displayed. At the end of the lunch, parents, students, teachers, DRBY members, and volunteers, all helped out in cleaning the school.

To the students, it was one of the enjoyable things they’ve done, since they got to make food for their mom and dad. To the parents, most of them were surprised that their children could make food and they were quite pleased. And to the teachers, DRBY members and volunteers, it was one of the most exhausting yet enjoyable day. We look forward to next year’s Cherishing Youth Day!

Avatamsaka Vihara—Bowing。Performances。Garden Party

In continuing the tradition of honoring elders and cherishing youth established by the Venerable Master, the Avatamsaka Vihara invited local youth to celebrate Cherishing Youth Day together on April 11th this spring. This was the first-ever Cherishing Youth Day hosted by the Avatamsaka Vihara since its relocation. Nearly a hundred young people and their parents gathered to spend an entertaining yet meaningful day together.

At 9:00 a.m., a Dharma Master led the children and guests in bowing to the Buddhas for blessings. Our young friends were thus exposed to the Buddha’s light and planted the seeds of Bodhi. After that, the children from the Chinese School made offerings to the Buddha to repay the Buddha’s kindness, and bowed to their parents to repay their parents’ kindness.

The program started off with the singing of the Dharma Realm Buddhist University’s anthem. Whether it was the memorization of the Shurangama Sutra, or a cultural folk dance, or a musical performance, all brought joyful laughter to people’s faces.

A dazzling performance given by the Avatamsaka Chinese School’s Lion Dance Troupe was the highlight for the day. The best program was Elder Layman Huang’s storytelling accompanied by rhythmic taps of bamboo clappers.

After a delicious and healthy vegetarian meal, children were drawn to an amusing garden party. There was straw weaving, wood carving, calligraphy, painting, Chinese knots, and kneading dough. All these activities made the kids reluctant to leave.

They not only wanted to watch these activities, but they also summoned up their courage to try them out themselves. Numerous art projects sprang up from their hands, and even though they may have been awkward, they were also fun and lively.

Time slipped by silently, and Cherishing Youth Day ended with the laughter and celebration of the children.

Prajna Guanyin Sagely Monastery—Games。Basketball Matches

On Sunday, April 18, Cherishing Youth Day was held at Prajna Guanyin Sagely Monastery in Kuala Lumpur. This time round, it was decided that we move away from the traditional concert style of celebrations. Instead, the younger students played games in their respective classes, while the older ones held basketball matches in the open spaces.

Activities proceeded immediately after a round of speeches by Dharma Masters, Teachers and Student Representatives in the Buddha Hall after an assembly at 7:25 a.m. Loud whoops and gales of laughter rocked the Dharma classes as the assigned youth leader led their charges through the organised games with the respective class teachers overseeing the activities.

Out in the open spaces, the youths took the challenge of the basketball matches with the vigor and enthusiasm of Michael Jordon and the Chicago Bulls. Today, the students were freed from normal Sunday lessons and they were all bent on relishing every second of it.

At ten-thirty, all activities came to a halt, as they prepared for the Meal Offering Ceremony followed by a scrumptious lunch. The kitchen volunteers prepared a feast of vegetarian kebabs, fried noodles, rice and sandwiches as well as huge platters of cakes, cookies and fruits, all of which were eaten with delight.

After lunch, games resumed until 1:30 p.m. Then everyone trooped out for cool refreshments. They greeted the drinks with glee and helped themselves to several cups each!

When they had their fill, they made a bee-line for their classrooms to receive their gift pack, which included a T-shirt and shorts, and a chocolate bar.

The day came to a close all too soon, and the students filed out to the waiting area where their parents had gathered. Waving their gift packs above their heads, the younger students surged towards the waiting group of parents to show them their presents.

Celebrating the Youth at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas celebrated Cherishing Youth Day on Friday, April 23rd. This year’s theme was “Cherishing the Earth and All Life.” Local schools from Ukiah joined us in celebrating this multicultural event.

The day started off with a lion and dragon dance performed by the Boys’ School. The morning program also included Chinese songs, Chinese greetings, a Fan Dance, Hungarian ballet, African drumming and dance, and a Dutch Dwarf Dance that the audience was invited to join in.

DM Heng Sure shared some songs with the youth of Ukiah. One particularly moving song called “She Carries Me” was about Guanyin Bodhisattva. To conclude the morning, DM Heng Tsung led the kids in several fun exercises.

The assembly arrived and led the meal offering. Then as the audience enjoyed a tasty lunch, they listened to Taiko drumming and more songs and watched several skits, including one on “The Life of the Buddha” performed by the Girls’ School. The three Chinese Orchestra groups from the Developing Virtue School played several pieces with traditional Chinese instruments.

The program concluded with the long-awaited lion dance by the Boys’ School. They had two lions - one red and the other one gold - jump on 6-foot tall poles and tight wire. Many in the audience held their breath as the boys jumped from pole to pole to the rhythm of the drum and gong. When the performance was over, many of the children rushed over to the furry lions to touch them and try to go under the cloth and into the lions’ heads! It was amazing to see the children so excited by the lions. Each school was presented with a gift of a miniature Chinese lion’s head. The participants in this Cherishing Youth Day left with smiles and memories of the different performances.

The First Cherishing Youth Day at Gold Dharma Monastery in New Orleans

Gold Dharma Monastery’s first Cherishing Youth Celebration was held in conjunction with the Buddha’s Birthday Celebration on May 23, 2004. The program started at 7:00 in the morning. A Dharma Master talked about the connection between the two celebrations—one of cleansing the mind to return to purity and the other of cherishing the pure nature of youth. The children were entertained with a puppet show called “The Frog and the Child” that taught compassion for animals. A story about a filial boy and his poor, blind parents was told in Mandarin and Cantonese. The children also had great fun playing a game with jellybeans. A boy was given a chance to sing impromptu and he did it with flair. At the end of the day, each child was given a small gift.

The Buddha’s Birthday and Cherishing Youth Day at DRBBDS
—A Day to Develop Future Buddhas

May 23 was a big day for DRBBDS, when the ceremony began, the atmosphere resonated with pure chanting. This majestic and unified sound of the great assembly helped focus and calm everyone’s mind. Sincerely we prayed together in the Bathing the Buddha Ceremony (1) for world peace and harmony in people’s hearts, (2) for the Six Guidelines (no fighting, no greed, no seeking, no selfishness, no seeking of personal benefits and no lying) to serve as the basis for the education of all beings, (3) for every participant in the ceremony to realize Buddhahood soon.

A Dharma Master said, “The reason why Bathing the Buddha Day and Cherishing Youth Day are celebrated simultaneously is that we hope every child will have a new life and be a new hope in Buddhism.” That’s right! Not only children but everyone in the audience represents the life and future of Buddhism. This remarkable opening statement would be a perfect explanation for the occasion of Cherishing Youth Day.

Elder Upasaka Lin Fo-Hsien (“Before Buddha”) who is 96 cut the cake. His name comes from the fact that he was born the day before the Buddha’s Birthday.

The wonderful program started with English recitation, performances of martial arts and piano playing. Nothing was impossible for the talented children. Looking at their sincere expression and beautiful movements, you could tell they were well prepared and supported by their parents.

Finally, it was time for Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth (DRBY) to take their turn. The amateur actors performed “Little Yao Goes to School” to convey the message that cheating is bad and brings negative consequences.

All the voluntary workers felt greatly pleased to see the children’s innocent and joyful appearances. The smoothness and perfection marked the end of the activities.

Gold Sage Monastery—Watering the Roots of Wisdom through Fun and Educational Activities

He wore a light blue T-shirt and navy blue shorts, had a few strands of hair, and was the same height as a little boy. This was a styrofoam figure of a boy especially created by the Gold Sage Monastery Sunday School students for Cherishing Youth Day. They named the boy Good Root! Good Root and the other kids waited patiently for the arrival of April 25th - this year’s Cherishing Youth Day.

The special day finally arrived. Good Root was placed in the Buddha Hall to welcome the children. At 9 a.m. sharp, all the participants were introduced to the three hosts of the day. They then watched a Buddhist cartoon titled “Upali Leaves Home”. After watching the cartoon, the children participated in a Q&A session and shared their thoughts on the cartoon with everyone.

The next event was one of the highlights on this special day. It was the first time that the students and teachers of the Gold Sage Monastery and Burlingame HQ Monastery worked together to perform a play adapted from the book A Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. When the teacher who acted as a tree came on stage, the kids asked in amazement: “How can a tree walk?” The message of the story was clearly seen during the play, allowing the youngsters to realize that the Giving Tree represents the selfless and giving spirit of nature.

Next was the highly anticipated performance of “The Journey to the West” by the students of the Cupertino Chinese School. The talented actors and actresses with their colorful wardrobe and props lived up to expectations, much to the delight of the audience. Many kids later said that this play was their favorite event of the day.

Besides the drama performances, there were also singing and musical instrument performances by the Gold Sage Monastery Sunday School students. Another new addition to this year’s program was the meditation performance given by the students of the Burlingame HQ Monastery.

At about 11:30, after the meal offering ceremony, the participants slowly made their way out of the Buddha Hall for lunch. Lunch was served buffet style this year. There were seven food stalls serving a variety of Eastern and Western vegetarian cuisine.

The busiest stall of all was the one serving shaved-ice with syrup due to the warm weather that day.

Another new addition this year was the opening game for the outdoor activities that was designed to foster a closer relationship between the parents and their children. There were also ten other games carefully designed to instill goodness and virtue in the minds of our young people. One of the new games was “One Returns to Zero,” which required participants to meditate in full lotus position for three minutes to get points that could be exchanged for prizes.

Three children actually overcame the distraction of the crowd and noises around them and sat continuously for forty-five minutes without moving. Finally, to conclude the game, the supervisor of the game decided to announce that the three of them were co-winners. Everyone surrounded the winners and cheered for them as they left for the day.

The activities on Cherishing Youth Day were not only fun and exciting, but they allowed young people to spend a healthy day watering their roots of wisdom. A day without computer games, pop music, and fast food can be entertaining and meaningful when spent wisely!

Avatamsaka Monastery—Drawing Near the Triple Jewel and Having Fun

Avatamsaka Monastery in Calgary, Canada celebrated Cherishing Youth Day on May 30, 2004. About 120 young people and their friends attended the event, which gave them an opportunity to draw near the Triple Jewel and enjoy themselves. The youngest guests that day were two 5-month old twin brothers.

Chin Chin, a giant panda, welcomed everyone at the entrance. Not only did young people like to hug the panda, grandmas also drew near to find out who was inside the panda costume. People also lined up to take pictures with Chin Chin.

Magician Larry performed a magic show. The lively performance soon caught everyone’s attention, and as a result the 30-minute show extended to 40 minutes.

After meal offering ceremony, during lunch the emcee explained the purpose of Cherishing Youth Day. He also discussed the expansion plans for Avatamsaka Monastery. Since a solid foundation has been laid, three more stories can be built on top of the existing structure. Soon a regular Buddhist school will be opened, and the new facility will allow more people to participate Dharma events.

There followed instrumental music, songs, a play by DRBY, and talks by Dharma Masters. Dharma Master Heng Tso recalled how, thirty-some years ago when he was the principal of the Boys School at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, there were about thirty students from various countries, making the school a miniature United Nations. Since students learned the impartial spirit of Buddhism, they got along very well together. The schedules of the schools and Dharma Realm Buddhist University were integrated into the normal monastery schedule.

The children enjoyed games until 3:00 p.m., when they headed home with their parents, their faces filled with joy.

As the reader can see, every monastery has creatively and through hard work found various ways to celebrate and cherish our young people. While all our branch monasteries have been celebrating Cherishing Youth Day, we should be mindful of the children in Iraq and other war-torn nations; of children who suffer from starvation, child abuse, and lack of education; of children who sell vegetables or polish shoes, or have to go begging in the streets to survive. Through our celebration of youth, as well as our cultivation and transference of merit, may every child in the world will be cherished and be able to grow up in a peaceful environment.