2026-09-20 A Cup of Tea, A Mindful Thought: Miami Fo Guang Members Welcome the Mid-Autumn Festival with Tea Meditation

On the afternoon of September 20th, the Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) Miami Chapter hosted a study group themed "A Cup of Tea, A Mindful Thought" at the Fo Guang Shan Miami Temple. Led by Chapter Elder Advisor Mei Han-Zheng, the event centered on the topic of the "Way of Tea" from As Venerable Master Hsing Yun Says. Through tea tasting, reading, questioning, and sharing, he guided over 30 attendees to observe their own minds through a cup of tea and experience the daily practice of "tea and Zen as one flavor."

The event attracted participants of varying ages and cultural backgrounds. In addition to senior members, there were local Westerners and youths, bringing together three generations—the elderly, the middle-aged, and the young. In a relaxed and interactive manner, Mei Han-Zheng invited everyone to sip tea while enjoying snow skin mooncakes and pastries handmade by volunteers. He opened the discussion by asking, "How was the sip of tea you just took different from the tea you usually drink?" This prompted attendees to slow down, feel the aroma, temperature, and taste of the tea, and learn to focus on the present moment.

Mei Han-Zheng further quoted Venerable Master Hsing Yun's teachings on "the mind of brewing tea, the feeling of infusing tea, the way of serving tea, the completeness of tea utensils, the environment of drinking tea, and the flavor of tea and Zen." From the mindfulness in brewing and the respect in serving, to the awareness and gratitude while drinking, he led the group in experiencing "cultivation in a teacup." This helped them realize that the Dharma is never apart from daily life, and that a simple daily cup of tea can become a spiritual practice of self-reflection and forming positive connections with others.

Coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival and the centennial birthday of Fo Guang Shan's founding master, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the Miami Young Adult Division (YAD) read aloud "Learning Three Things from the Moon" from The Complete Works of Venerable Master Hsing Yun: Quintessence of Dharma Words 25. This expressed their remembrance of the Master, while the relay-style reading by the youth demonstrated the generational transmission of the spirit of Humanistic Buddhism.

Venerable Zhi Qun shared that during the Mid-Autumn Festival of 1983, Venerable Master Hsing Yun and the entire monastic community gathered on the Path to Buddhahood to admire the moon and converse. The Master used the "revelations of the moon" to encourage everyone to learn from its qualities of being "round, bright, beautiful, pure, and constant." "Round" signifies completeness and harmony in treating others and handling affairs; "bright" means discovering the inner light of compassion and wisdom; "beautiful" refers to cultivating a compassionate and kind personality; "pure" is purifying one's thoughts, words, and actions; and "constant" represents maintaining a steadfast and unwavering spiritual resolve.

Venerable Zhi Qun encouraged the audience, noting that just as the sun and moon orbit ceaselessly, one's spiritual cultivation should also continuously move forward. By constantly purifying one's thoughts, the inherently possessed bright moon of Bodhi can naturally shine forth. Amidst the fragrance of tea and mooncakes and the exchange of ideas, the attendees made friends through tea and gathered through the Dharma. In the festive atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn reunion, they learned focus, gratitude, and cherishing blessings, allowing the Dharma to be integrated into daily life through the interaction of different generations and cultural backgrounds.