On September 19th, winners of the 2018 Fervent Global Love of Lives Award from Chou, Ta-Kuan Cultural & Educational Foundation visited the Buddha Museum with their family members. The Foundation aims to encourage all people to love life. An emphasis on happy living is particularly promoted together with emphasizing the encouragement from mental challenged people, cancer children, people with rare diseases and those life-struggling people from home and abroad to show us the endless potential in life. The winners were from around the world such as Antti Pentikäinen, Finland Ambassador of Hope, Alexandra Kutas, Ukrainian Wheelchair Model, Sindhutai Sapkal, Mother of Indian Orphans, Francisco Vañó Ferre, Spain’s Paraplegic Congressman, Rutger J B Tamminga & Mohamukta, and a Dutch-Taiwanese Couple.
Antti Pentikäinen’s contributions to the promotion of peace and human rights have won him the Ambassador of Hope Award from the President of Finland and TYOP Medal from International Youth Federation. Sindhutai Sapkal has received 750 charity medals worldwide, and three Indian presidential affirmation medals. She is one of the greatest mothers - for over the past 40 years, she has founded four orphanages and adopted more than 1,400 orphans. Alexandra Kutas has never given up to become a model, although she was diagnosed with paralysis in the lower back since childhood. To chase her dream of becoming a model, she was rejected by model agencies cruelly 516 times one after another in 4 years. Rutger J B Tamminga & Mohamukta, Dutch-Taiwanese Love Couple taught the uneducated children in poverty under the trees, followed by establishing more than 20 kindergartens, elementary schools, and women’s skills training homes one after another. After doing medical, financial, educational and cultural development consistently for 12 years, their efforts have paid off to benefit tens of thousands of disadvantaged in Africa.
During the tour in the Buddha Museum, they learnt about the origin of the Buddha Museum and Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s One-Stroke Calligraphy. They also visited the Two Assemblies Pagoda, where Rutger J B Tamminga from Netherlands said that he would like to bring the idea “Three Acts of Goodness” back to his country. Toward the end of the tour, they experienced the Buddhist tradition of offering a lamp and picking Dharma words at the Golden Buddha Shrine. Rutger J B Tamminga also shared that the facilities and spirit are quite inspiring and lovely. Antti Pentikäinen, Finland Ambassador of Hope was also amazed by the work of the Museum’s dedicated staff and hoped that there would be a further cooperation on world peace and religious harmony with Fo Guang Shan.