President Simon Ho hosts a Chatroom themed “The Impact of Abhidharmakośabhāṣya on Understanding of Life Experience”
Hosted by Professor Simon Ho, President of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK), the “President’s Chatroom Series” made its triumphant return on 6 November 2024 (Wednesday). It was honoured to have invited Venerable Professor K L Dhammajoti, Chairman of The Buddha-Dharma Centre of Hong Kong Limited; Dr Stephen Suen, Founder of Buddhist Lodge of Laity and Chamber of Young Snow; Dr Eliza Fok, and Dr Siu Sai-yau, Assistant Professor at School of Translation and Foreign Languages, and Director of Research Centre for Translation of Buddhist Texts at HSUHK, to explore the insights of the renowned Buddhist classic Abhidharmakośabhāṣya (AKB) on how people can face life challenges. The Chatroom attracted over 400 alumni, students, staff members, friends of HSUHK and members of the public, all engaging in interactive discussions both in-person and online.
During the Chatroom, Venerable Professor Dhammajoti elaborated on the humanism and compassionate wisdom found in the AKB, explaining how to understand adversity and transcendence in simple terms. He shared that practising mindfulness can bring in positive energy that relieves worries and difficulties. Dr Suen used visual retention experiments to provide the audience with an entertaining explanation of the scientific rationality in the AKB. Dr Fok highlighted key points related to the “twenty-two faculties” in the text. President Ho noted that participants could use this opportunity to understand the perspectives and methodologies of the AKB, fostering personal growth and gain inspiration.
The Q&A session was filled with dynamic interactions between the speakers and audience. Discussions included how to alleviate worries and achieve inner peace, particularly in light of unprecedented changes brought by artificial intelligence and self-improvement strategies..
Additionally, Dr Siu Sai-yau introduced the translation project of the AKB undertaken by the Research Centre for Translation of Buddhist Texts at HSUHK.
The “President’s Chatroom” has been uploaded on YouTube Channel. Happy viewing!
