On October 23, 2022, the Buddha’s Light Centre Waterloo launched another event of their Healing Arts Series , "Embracing Change Meditation, painting autumn leaves, sharing and support." On this sunny morning, we first introduced the principles of Humanistic Buddhism and BLC Waterloo’s development plan to the eight participants. We then guided them to visit the Zen garden which is in the making. After that, everyone sat quietly outdoors and meditated under the tree for an hour. Accompanied by the sound of birds and the gentle breeze, the participants expressed that they felt inner peace and were grateful for the beauty of the moment. In the Dharma Sharing session, we shared with everyone Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s teachings, “The Value of Impermanence.” We might sometimes feel painful because we can't accept some changes in our life, but the Master said being impermanent is indeed the driving force that moves our life and the world forward. Instead of being negative and pessimistic, we should understand the true meanings of “impermanence” that can bring us joy and endless hope.

In the second half of the event, watercolour and illustration artist Logan Soeder demonstrated the technique of wet-on-wet in painting the fall leaves. She taught the participants to mix and match the colour boldly, feel the beauty of nature and reveal the colours in our heart, stroke by stroke, with a calm and concentrated mind. Even for those who don’t have any art backgrounds, they enjoyed the painting process. One participant said that in the process of collecting her favourite leaves, she learned that there was no need to find the perfect ones. Small spots and cracks in autumn leaves represented the special experiences of the leaves. Another participant shared that while the flows of watercolour on the paper were often unexpected, she learned to accept and to appreciate them. There are chances that they would end up with unexpected yet wonderful work. Looking at the participants' works, autumn is not withered and sad at all, but it is bright and full of colour, which represents the beauty in our hearts.