Los Angeles Dharma Day Celebration Brings Joy of the Dharma, Showcases Humanistic Buddhism’s Cultivation of Merit and Wisdom

Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple
January 30, 2026

“What do we mean by reading sutras and reading books?” Members of the Fo Guang community in Los Angeles offered their answers—filled with Dharma joy—on Jan. 24, when the Buddha’s Light International Association (IBPS) Los Angeles Chapter hosted the Dharma Day Celebration—Sutra and Book Reading Reflections Program at Hsi Lai Temple. Nearly 230 people attended the event, held in celebration of the Buddha’s Enlightenment Day.

The program featured a wide range of presentations, including speeches, short plays, traditional xiangsheng (crosstalk), and even a bicycle rolled onto the stage—recreating a memorable scene from the early days of Fo Guang Shan, when Venerable Master Hsing Yun led the Yilan Buddhist Youth Choir. The event also recognized top achievers from the 2025 North America Buddhist Exam organized by IBPS.

In her opening remarks, IBPS Los Angeles Chapter President Echo Tsai noted a significant increase in both participation and outstanding results in this year’s Buddhist exam. With a busy calendar of activities, she emphasized the importance of reading to cultivate inner clarity. Quoting Venerable Master Hsing Yun—“Reading helps us understand principles more clearly, comprehend the human heart, and learn how to be a better person”—Tsai encouraged participants to cultivate blessings through service and wisdom through study, embodying the Humanistic Buddhist ideal of dual cultivation of merit and wisdom.

Venerable Hui Dong, abbot of Hsi Lai Temple, spoke on the significance of the Dharma Day Celebration as one of Buddhism’s three major celebrations, commemorating the Buddha’s enlightenment in the human world. He cited the Buddha’s exclamation upon awakening—“How wondrous! All beings possess the Tathagata’s wisdom and virtue, yet fail to realize it due to delusion and attachment”—as a reminder that everyone has the potential for liberation, urging attendees to apply the Dharma in daily life and purify their minds.

The individual reflections competition was evaluated by a six-member panel, including Venerable Hui Dong; Venerable Yi Chao, director of Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center; and IBPS World Headquarters Lay Dharma Teachers Jim Chen, Jerry Chen, Ming Lee, and Rachel Hsu. For the first time, winners in the group category were selected by audience vote.

Fourteen participants competed in the individual category, presenting reflections on Dharma sayings, Humanistic Buddhist music, and classical Buddhist wisdom. Lay Dharma Teachers Jim Chen and Chen Shu-feng also delivered talks titled “Cultivation in the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom—The Motivation I Gained from Reading Groups” and “Life and Prajna.”

Eight teams competed in the group category, showcasing performances ranging from crosstalk and poetic chanting to creative skits. One group even recreated a radish cake booth from Hsi Lai Temple’s Lunar New Year Food Fair on stage, while another reenacted Venerable Master Hsing Yun cycling as he led the Yilan Buddhist Youth Choir—prompting the audience to sing “The Song of Dharma Propagator.” Students from Fo Guang Hsi Lai School performed “Ode to the Three Jewels” and the “Manjusri Heart Mantra”, while the Hsi Lai Branch presented an English-language play.

Awards were also presented for group and individual excellence in the North America Buddhist Exam. Twenty participants who achieved perfect scores in the Chinese-language individual exam received the “Perfect Achievement Award,” while five top scorers—who also ranked among the fastest submissions in North America—were honored with the “Fo Guang Award.” Perfect scorers in the children’s English category from Buddha’s Light Hsi Lai School and the Three Acts of Goodness (TAG) School program were also recognized.

Individual Dharma Treasure Festival award recipients included:

Fo Guang Award: Huang Hui (Walnut), Hung Chun-hua (Rowland Heights 1), Chao Ming-jun (White Tower 3)

Prajna Award: Lin Wei-ta (Westminster), Mo Hsiu-wen (Hacienda Heights)

Heart Lamp Award: Hsu Huang-keng (Newport), Liang Yan (Irvine), Tsai Shu-shu (South Bay 2), Lo Li-hui (Newport), Wu Pi-lien (San Gabriel 2)

Group award recipients were:

Fo Guang Award: Walnut Branch, White Tower 3

Prajna Award: South Bay 2, Rowland Heights 1, Monterey Park 3

Heart Lamp Award: South Bay 1, Cerritos, Irvine

During the judges’ commentary, Venerables Yi Chao and Hui Dong led the audience in a round of applause, honoring presenters, audience members, judges, volunteers, lay Dharma teachers, and the entire Fo Guang community. They outlined evaluation criteria for individual presentations, including right view and understanding, integration of Buddhist teachings with daily life, structure, language, and dignified presence.

Closing the program, Tsai asked the audience, “Wasn’t today wonderful?” The resounding reply—“Yes!”—was met with warm applause celebrating the talent within the Fo Guang community.

Venerable Hui Dong concluded by noting that the event not only celebrated the Buddha’s enlightenment but also put Humanistic Buddhism into practice, offering inner joy and light as a tribute to Venerable Master Hsing Yun. He encouraged attendees to continue their studies through Buddhist examinations and to consider certification as Humanistic Buddhism speakers and Lay Dharma Teachers.