The venerable charity organization Tung Lin Kok Yuen (TLKY) initiated its 90th anniversary celebrations with an assembly performed by monastics and laypeople in Hong Kong on 20 October. The performance, titled “欣求和樂” or “Xingqiu hele,” was based on the 90th Anniversary theme of “大悲心，大悲行 (dabei xin, dabei xing),” roughly translated as, “Intent of Great Compassion, Action of Great Compassion.”
The theme of Great Compassion, maha-karuna, is also a reference to the key quality of the the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara or Guanyin, as well as the Great Repentance (大悲懺 dabei chan) confessional ceremony that Xingqiu hele assembly was based on. TLKY’s monastics were joined by participating singers from the Hong Kong Mantra School for Lay Buddhists, and the Hong Kong Mantra Institute for Lay Women Buddhists. The invocation of Avalokiteshvara at the concert was dedicated to liberating sentient beings, aiding society, and bless the world.
The event concluded with felicitation speeches by abbot Ven. Tsang Chit and director Ven. Hin Hung.
Founded in 1935, Tung Lin Kok Yuen is based at Happy Valley, with its building classified as a Declared Monument by the Hong Kong government. Its iconic stained glass window, unique for a Buddhist temple and representing the East-West heritage of its founder, Lady Clara Cheung Lin Kok, serves as one of the organization’s logos, with a crisp, modernized version serving as the dedicated logo for the 90th Anniversary. The logo was showcased by Ven. Tsang Chit, Ven. Hin Hung, director Mr. John Tam, and TLKY CEO Dr. Ernest Ng.
As mentioned above, Ven. Hin Hung gave a felicitation speech at the conclusion of the celebrations. The transcript, translated into English, is below.
Speech by Ven. Hin Hung, 20 October 2024
Respected Abbot Venerable Tsang Chit, Honorable Venerables, Mr. Steven Cheung Ho Yat, Assistant District Officer (Wan Chai), Members of the Board of Directors, Honored Guests, and Faithful Believers, greetings!
Today, with immense gratitude and joy, we welcome you to the Seeking Harmony and Happiness – Great Compassion Heart, Great Compassion Practice Hymns and Chanting of Buddhist Rituals Joint Appreciation Event. Here, I sincerely represent Tung Lin Kok Yuen in extending the warmest welcome and blessings to you all.
This event holds dual significance. First, tomorrow marks the birthday of Guanyin on the 19th of the 9th month, and we have specially organized this event of hymns and chanting of Buddhist rituals to commemorate and practise Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva’s Great Compassion Heart and Actions, and to wish for the prosperity and long-lasting of Buddhism, for world harmony and happiness, and for peace of mind for all beings.
Second, this event is also the launching ceremony of a series of celebrating events for the 90th Anniversary of Tung Lin Kok Yuen. Since its establishment in 1935 by lay Buddhist Lady Clara Ho Tung in Happy Valley, Tung Lin Kok Yuen has had nearly 90 years of history. Next year, in 2025, we will celebrate this significant milestone. Furthermore, the global website Buddhistdoor, the establishment of which being supported by the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Society, Tung Lin Kok Yuen, and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Hong Kong, will also celebrate its 30th anniversary. These two important anniversaries hold extraordinary significance for us.
The series of 90th Anniversary celebrations of Tung Lin Kok Yuen themed The Inheritance and Transmission of Buddhism starts from 2024 until the end of 2025. We will host a variety of events specifically focusing on the preservation and inheritance of the history and culture of Buddhism in Hong Kong, alongside promoting Buddhist teachings.
In promoting Buddhist teachings, we will confer the Yogacara Bodhisattva Precepts in December 2024 to enable Buddhist followers to cultivate Bodhicitta, follow the Bodhisattva Path, and uphold the Dharma. In December 2025, we will foster Dharma connections with the public to bring great joy to all by initiating the Great Compassion Heart, Great Compassion Practice Feast Offering Dharma Assembly and Lectures, culminating in the series of anniversary celebrations.
We will also pay tribute to our virtuous predecessors by collaborating with Buddhistdoor to produce the Remembering the Original Aspiration, Respecting the Virtuous commemorative video series. These videos will recount the stories of esteemed laypersons related to Tung Lin Kok Yuen over the past 90 years, honoring senior virtuous ones and esteemed teachers.
In 2024, we will release three commemorative videos on layperson Madam Susan Kong on her centennial birthday. In 2025, we will release three commemorative videos on Professor Lee Chack-fan and Lady Lee Mei Yin in celebration of the professor’s 80th birthday.
In terms of showcasing literature and artifacts, our archives-themed website will be launched officially this month, displaying historical documents of Tung Lin Kok Yuen. By the end of next year, we will hold the Inheritance and Transmission of Buddhism exhibition, sharing with the public Tung Lin Kok Yuen’s development history and its contributions to Hong Kong society and education.
To help the public understand the history and teachings of Zen Buddhism and to preserve the art of Chinese opera, we will narrate the story of the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism through the Cantonese opera Zen Monk from Southern Guangdong. In collaboration with Buddhistdoor, the video Development of Buddhism in Hong Kong will display the history of Buddhism in Hong Kong over the past century.
In academic research, we are undertaking the project of Research on Buddhist Hymns and Chanting in Guangdong, using short films, oral history, lectures, and archives to help the public understand the daily application of Buddhist hymns and chanting. In March 2025, we will co-host, with CUHK Centre for the Study of Humanistic Buddhism, the Five Sessions of Chanting and Master Guan Ben symposium to explore the spread of Pure Land teachings in the Five Sessions of Chanting from the Tang Dynasty and its application in South China. In August 2025, we will co-host, with the HKU Centre of Buddhist Studies, the international academic conference Tracing the Roots: The Everlasting Inheritance of Buddhist Propagation to explore, through historical changes in Buddhist doctrine, practice inheritance, and institutional development, the rich implications of Buddhist propagation.
The successful hosting of this series of 90th anniversary celebration is inseparable from the support and encouragement of the Board of Directors of Tung Lin Kok Yuen. Here, I sincerely express heartfelt thanks to them on behalf of Tung Lin Kok Yuen. We are also grateful to friendly organizations like the Hong Kong Mantra School for Lay Buddhists and the Hong Kong Mantra Institute for Lay Women Buddhists, and participating Venerables who contributed to this event of hymns and chanting of Buddhist rituals. We are grateful to all our distinguished guests and audience and thank you for your presence and guidance.
We sincerely hope that through these events, we can propagate the Dharma and inherit Buddhist culture, thus enabling more people to understand and benefit from Buddhist wisdom, achieve peace of mind, greater social harmony, and safety and happiness in life.
Once again, thank you all for your participation, and may you be filled with Dharma joy and blessed at all times!
Amitabha!
