by Lydia Brown (Australia)

The theme of "Social Responsibility" connects us as human beings. No matter where we live in the world, what our religion is or what career path we choose, we each have a responsibility to lead our best life. Attending the 2014 World Youth Buddhist Symposium in Hong Kong allowed me to reflect on this theme, and to learn from scholars and students from around the world, about how we can each lead socially responsible lives.

Under the auspices of World Youth Buddhist Society and The Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, this five day symposium involved fascinating discussion from top scholars around the theme of social responsibility. I was especially moved by the fusion of ancient Buddhist wisdom with contemporary science and other multi-faith perspectives.

Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche of the Larung Gar Five Sciences Buddhist Academy brought the magic of Buddhism to life. In his lively talks, he spoke about the importance of generosity, of having positive relationships with others, and the benefits of protecting our natural world. Through these talks, I realized that we don’t need to fight against our culture or heritage in order to embody these ideas. Instead, we can simply let our own natural goodness and beauty shine through positive actions, and thus transform the world peacefully, starting with ourselves.

While this symposium involved diverse ideas from around the globe, I was struck by the common thread of harmony that infused this event. In different ways, I was reminded that we are not just isolated individuals. Instead, we are connected to our environment, and we are connected to each other. It is through experiencing this common humanity that we can live in harmony with our world.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to attend last year’s World Youth Buddhist Symposium. I loved the opportunity to make new friends with like minded people from around the world. I think that this annual symposium is a truly positive movement, that can spread happiness and peace on our earth.