The Bowers Museum is Honored to Host the Venerable Hui Chi, Abbot of the Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple

This Saturday, November 19 | 1:30 PM-2:30 PM

Lecture to Discuss the Influence of Buddhism on Chinese History and Culture

The Venerable will lead a lecture and discussion relating to the Bowers’ new exhibit, Warriors, Tombs and Temples: China’s Enduring Legacy which boasts the most sacred Buddhist relics, the four nesting reliquary boxes of Buddha’s finger bone. The reliquary boxes were blessed by monks from the Hsi Lai Temple in October.

On Saturday, November 19th, the Venerable will explore the influence of Buddhism on Chinese history and culture, and will begin to answer the question, “What is the meaning of the ‘Buddha’?”

The Warriors exhibit displays treasure that was once thought of as only a myth. Two hours outside of the ancient Chinese capital of Xi’an, the Famen Temple harbored some of the most sacred Buddhist relics known to man, including the finger bone of Buddha himself. Discovered in 1987 were a set of four nesting reliquary boxes that once held and protected Buddha’s finger. Along with these sacred Buddhist relics, a Medicine Buddha is on display for one time only in Southern California.

Buddhism was transmitted to China more than two thousand years ago, impacting the country’s culture in different levels. These included the impact of the teachings on the country’s traditional way of thinking and philosophy, the translation of sutras and teachings influenced the Chinese language, the development of the Eight Schools of Buddhism intertwined with the changes of the dynasties, and the blossoming of Buddhist art enriched the Chinese culture.

Sponsored by the Chinese Cultural Arts Council, the Venerable will speak for an hour, starting at 1:30 pm. The lecture will be in Chinese with an English translation. Tickets for Museum members are free while for non-members, the lecture is free with paid admission or $8 for lecture-only. For more information, please visit www.bowers.org/calendar.

About Venerable Hui Chi

Born and raised in Taiwan, Venerable Hui Chi studied Chinese Buddhism in Fo Guang Shan in 1986, two years later, in 1988 he tonsured under Venerable Master Hsing Yun at Hsi Lai Temple. Since 1990, the Venerable has been assigned to Vancouver, Deer Park, NY and currently at the His Lai Temple in Los Angeles, CA. The Venerable is also a distinguished Trustee at the University of the West and the Vice Secretary General of Buddha’s Light International Association World Headquarters, where he oversees the West Coast chapters of the United States.