2015 North America Buddha's Light
Young Adult Regional Conference
BLIA Dallas Young Adult Division
The Buddha's Light Young Adult group in Dallas, Texas established their charter in 2000 by a group of youths whose main objective was Buddhism education for children of the IBPS-Dallas Temple. Since the revitalization of the Dallas YAD in 2006, membership has increased year after year resulting in a strong presence in the YAD community in the United States and worldwide.
The mission of Dallas YAD is that of compassion, teamwork, friendship and service while promoting the understanding of Buddhism and its function in our daily lives. Our members have manifested the desire to learn Buddhism and help others despite having their own personal responsibilities. Our goals are to improve the lives of people within our community, spread the Buddha's teachings beyond our temple, and to create a more closely intertwined network of YADs in North America and beyond.
In addition to volunteering around the temple, the members of the Dallas YAD host annual summer camps, organize community service events, and encourage member participation during all dharma functions and buddhism classes. The Dallas YAD strives to uphold the BLIA-YAD objectives:
1. Use Humanistic Buddhism to establish a direction in life for young people.
2. Cultivate leadership in young people through their experience of organizing a social group.
3. Expand young people's social life through encouraging their participation in activities.
4. Cultivate Buddhist beliefs through education.
5. Encourage young people to serve their communities to enrich the meaning and value of life.
BLIA Austin Young Adult Division
The Buddha's Light Young Adult Division in Austin, Texas was officially re-established in 2014 by a group of former Dallas YAD members who moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas at Austin (UT). We serve as the first YAD group in the United States to officially charter to a university campus. On UT campus, we are known as the BLIA Austin YAD: Longhorn Chapter.
The mission of Austin YAD is to form a community of students who are interested in Buddhism. We are a group dedicated to Buddhism education, community service and forming life-long friendships. We host general meetings every other week on campus where we meet for Buddhism workshops and discussions. We have also invited our advising venerable to campus to teach Mindful Yoga Meditation to students!
Our interests also extend beyond campus grounds, as we volunteer frequently at the Austin Fo Guang Shan temple. Though we are a new YAD and have not yet hosted a kid's camps, we still strive to be involved with the younger generation of our temple by teaching Basic Buddhism Workshops to the temple youth.
