Xiangyun Temple's "Light Sixty, One Hundred Years of Looking Up" Lecture Series Launches First Session

Reported by Su Bishan, Austin

After the joint cultivation session on Sunday, February 8, Xiangyun Temple held the first session of its "Light Sixty, One Hundred Years of Looking Up" lecture series. The guest speaker, Venerable Juefa, former abbot and current supervisor of Zhongmei Temple, traveled from Houston to give a talk on "Buddhist Life and Death Studies—Understanding Life and Death through the Four Noble Truths." Over 60 people attended, filling the hall to capacity.

Beginning with Siddhartha Gautama's journey through the four gates, the Venerable explained how the Buddha realized dependent origination, emptiness, and the Middle Way, and how he taught the Four Noble Truths—suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path—at Deer Park. He pointed out that all suffering in life arises from self-attachment and karma; only through cultivating precepts, meditation, and wisdom, practicing the Eightfold Path, and eliminating greed, anger, and delusion can we cease afflictions and realize nirvana. Everyone inherently possesses Buddha nature; by following the correct path, we can attain liberation.

The Venerable used vivid metaphors, such as a mirror reflecting images to illustrate that the mind should not be swayed by external circumstances, and a donkey tied to a millstone to illustrate how ignorance binds sentient beings. After the noon meal, participants gathered at the Drop of Water Teahouse to ask questions about end-of-life care and chanting support. The Venerable encouraged everyone to comfort the sick with compassion and guide the dying with right mindfulness. The lecture concluded successfully.

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