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Two thousand five hundred
years ago, Buddha sat on the peak of Vulture Mountain with
an assembly of monks, he picked up a flower and showed it to
them; only the disciple Mahakasyapa’s mind met with the
Buddha’s mind. Thus, the “light of Dharma” was transmitted.
Now, with the Buddha’s nature that is within you and me, let
us vow to write a glorious history for Buddhism; to transmit
our heartfelt inspirations, and to spread Buddha’s teaching.
The I.B.P.S. Manila is the “light of Dharma” that propagates
Buddha’s teachings in Humanistic Buddhism that gives off
energy and light in the Philippines.
 In 1989, while dharma masters of the I.B.P.S. were preaching
Buddhist teaching on the southern islands of Cebu and
Bacolod, they received ardent requests from the lay
followers in Manila. In November 1992, Venerable Yung Guang
brought along with her the Three Great Buddhas to the famous
Ongpin Street, in Manila’s Chinatown. In the beginning,
Venerable Yung Guang founded the Manila Buddhist Center in a
premises offered by lay devotees. After half a year’s
enthusiastic preaching, the number of lay followers
increased dramatically, and the space was no longer
sufficient to accommodate all of them. Having felt the great
potential of the capital of the Philippines, Venerable Yung Guang invited Venerable Tzu Chuang, director of the Overseas
Supervisory Council, to come to Manila to inspect a
historical building, the former USSR Embassy, and renamed it
the “Manila Lecture Hall.” This constituted a new page in
the history of Buddhist preaching in the Philippines.
 The Manila Lecture Hall propagates the Dharma, following the
guiding principles set out by Fo Guang Shan Temple, by
laying stress on spreading culture and education, concerning
the society aside from the temple, and organizing the Youth
Summer Camp, Children’s Summer Camps, Filipino children
classes, and lectures on Buddha’s teachings. Further to all
this, with the assistance of the local Buddhist community,
it also organized a seven day Exhibition of Hundreds of
Collections of
 Buddha’s Statues at the Century Park Hotel.
This was indeed an unprecedented, pioneering undertaking in
the history of Buddhism in the Philippines, and attracted a
huge number of non-Buddhists and Buddhist alike to come
appreciate the beauty of Buddhist art. In 1995, the Buddha’s
Light International Association held its board meeting here.
The Manila Lecture Hall also went all out to help the
Filipinos during times of natural catastrophes while
respecting local religions. With firm and steady steps, the
Manila Lecture Hall has successfully integrated itself into
the society and culture of the Philippines, and is now
invited to take part in many religious exchange activities. Every year it attracts hundreds of university students to
visit and learned more about Buddhism. Over the years, the
cultural, educational and charity activities organized by
the Manila Lecture Hall have attracted an increasing number
of participants, and have received affirmation and
recognition from both the lay and religious community.
Consequently, it has changed its name to the I.B.P.S.
Manila.
 
  The I.B.P.S. is the main branch of the Fo Guang Shan Temple
in the Philippines. Under the direction of its head abbess,
Venerable Yung Jau, who has spent twelve years in the
Philippines, and together with the dharma masters and lay
devotees of the Chu Un Temple in Cebu City, the Yuan Thong
Temple in Bacolod City, and the Iliolo Fo Guang Yuan, the I.B.P.S.
Manila strives to sow the seeds of culture and education
that help purify people’s minds in this beautiful
archipelago. |
