On February 5, 2016 (the 27th day of the La Month), over 60 Elderly empty nesters were invited by Hangzhou Yunlin Charitable Foundation to visit Lingyin Temple where they enjoyed Lingyin vegetarian meal and celebrate the Chinese New Year together.

Laughers were heard inside the dining hall of Lingyin Temple by noon. The elderly received warm blessing and words of Buddhist wisdom from the resident Buddhist masters of Lingyin Temple. The dining hall suddenly turned into a classroom where the elderly consulted the Buddhist masters about Buddhism and shared their own opinions in understanding of both the Buddhist culture and daily life.

Hangzhou Yunlin Charitable Foundation has been dedicated to social caring activities in recent years. Each year, elderly people from different communities are invited to Lingyin Temple to experience the traditional culture. This is the first time for Hangzhou Yunlin Charitable Foundation and Lingyin Temple to invite so many of the elderly to have a new year reunion dinner at the temple.

The focus on the elderly is a positive response to social aging and a new attempt of caring the elderly for Hangzhou Yunlin Charitable Foundation. The Foundation is about to hold more activities to care for the elderly in the future, such as visiting the elderly in these residential communities of Hangzhou. Through such activities, society would pay more attention to the wellbeing of the elderly and the caring atmosphere would be created, where filial would be advocated with a more harmonious society is be in view.

The elderly enjoying Lingyin vegetarian cuisines

Master Yiguang giving his new year wishes to the elderly

The elderly having a tour of Lingyin Temple
with Buddhist masters as guides

The elderly joyfully experiencing the Buddhist culture

All filled with Dharma joy