Buddha's Light International Association
Initially formed on February 3, 1991 in response to the needs of local Buddhist practitioners, the Buddha's Light International Association gradually gained recognition worldwide. Subsequently, "Buddha's Light International Association" was officially inaugurated in Los Angeles, California on May 16, 1992, during which a new chapter in Buddhist history emerged.
"BLIA is not the organization of a certain sect, temple, or person. It is an organization that belongs to all the Buddhists in the world," says their spokesperson. People who subscribe to the guiding principles of BLIA are welcome as "Buddha's Light Friends." Currently, over 100 BLIA chapters have been established worldwide. For example, there are chapters in the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, India, Brazil, Argentina, Africa, etc.
BLIA works closely with members of other Buddhist temples, colleges, scholastic organizations, lay practitioners associations, and meditation groups. The primary objective of BLIA is to serve the multitude and help others to instill the virtue of compassion.
The BLIA states its mission as four distinct points:
- To propagate Buddhism with a global outlook.
- To live daily with a humanistic nature.
- To benefit the multitude with a compassionate mind.
- To distinguish between the truth and heresies with right knowledge and understanding.
Members of BLIA strive to emulate the bodhisattvas' spirit to help actualize the motto of BLIA:
"May kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity pervade all dharma realms; May all beings from heaven and earth benefit from our blessings and friendship; May our ethical practice of Ch'an and Pure Land help us to realize equality and patience; May we undertake the greatest vows with humility and gratitude."
