English
To better propagate the Dharma in a post-pandemic era and to continue the development of Humanistic Buddhism, Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto and BLIA Toronto Chapter jointly hosted a special talk – “What Do We Know about Generation Z?” on February 25. The talk invited Venerable Miao Guang, the Deputy Chancellor of Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism, to share her insights on this subject. More than 370 Fo Guang people from all over the USA and Canada participated through Zoom Meeting and YouTube. Different generations came together during the talk, hoping to create a better future for Humanistic Buddhism.
“No one is forever young, but there will always be young people”. Venerable Miao Guang started off the talk by indicating that the young people will be leaders of this world. In order to better understand the younger generation, one must recognize which generation one belongs to. Different generations exhibit different characteristics. What characteristics does each generation have, and what can the Dharma offer to the various generations?
The population of Generation Z is 2.56billion. Venerable Miao Guang used PowerPoints systematically organized to present to participants her insights on Generation Z, such as their growth background, personality, and actions and behaviours. Venerable Miao Guang identified Generation Z as aborigines of the Internet and social media. They have multi-faceted values and like to have their own unique and personal style. They emphasize human rights issues and use creative ways to solve societal problems.
How can the people of Fo Guang Shan be good Dharma teachers to Generation Z? The answer is shown in Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s article, “The Relationship Between the Youth and Me.” Buddhism places great emphasis on compassion, as well as on the youth. Bodhisattvas possess a youthful presentation, like Sudhanakumāra, Nāgakanyā and novice monk, Kunti, are all representatives of youth – “Generation Z.” We can possess a youthful presentation too when we advance with society and keep a youthful heart. The Venerable pointed out that regardless of our age, we should always possess a heart of merit and offering, and we should also have a heart of tolerance, compassion and wisdom. Together, we can make contributions towards the future of Buddhism by setting our youths in the right direction in life and allowing our youths to establish their goals. In the process of reaching their goals and with our guidance, they make vows and grow to accept life’s challenges.
Regardless of who we encounter in life and what our circumstances are, we must vow to create a better future. Under the guidance of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, we continue to break through various limitations. We all belong to the V (Vow) Generation, a generation of willingness to create the future of Buddhism.
How do we guide Generation Z into Buddhism and how do we ensure that they continue on this learning path? Venerable Miao Guang indicated that it is imperative that they start at a young age – at an age while the youth are still in the stage of cultivating awareness, learning how to be responsible for themselves and how to problem-solve. Therefore, Buddhism’s conscious education at a young age encourages them to explore, understand and find answers through experience interaction.
By Kelly Liu
