In September 1992, at the invitation of Dharma friends
in Dallas, Master Hsing Yun established the BLIA Dallas chapter, and in 1993, purchased a
three-story office building with 35,000 square feet of space in Richardson. The Master
personally conducted the inauguration ceremony on September 11, 1994 which has since
provided a spiritual home to Buddhist practitioners in north Texas.
Fo Guang Shan
International Buddhist Progress Society (IBPS) in Dallas upholds Venerable Master Hsing
Yun s ideals: To propagate Buddhist teachings through cultural activities, to nurture
talents through education, to benefit societies through charitable programs, and to
purify human hearts and minds through Buddhist practices. With these goals as
guidelines, IBPS Dallas has strived to promote various Dharma propagation activities.
Facilities established at the center include a school, dining hall, tea house, main
shrine, compassion hall, memorial hall, lecture hall, and library, all of which are
skillful means for benefiting people from all walks of life. In order to nurture the
spiritual lives of Dallas members and to help them realize Buddhism in their daily
lives, IBPS Dallas offers many programs such as meditation classes, chanting,
transcription of sutras, repentance ceremonies, the taking of the three refuges and five
precepts, and the eight precepts retreat. Through hearing and experiencing Buddha
Dharma, members could further develop their wisdom. Through repentance services, members
could cultivate merits. Through taking precepts, members’ spiritual interests can be
elevated and can become a true Buddhist with the right view. The Buddhism programs offer
bilingual meditation classes, Dharma lectures, sutra study classes, reading clubs, and
children’s Buddhism classes. The center focuses on moral development for children and
emphasizes spiritual development of adults. Besides providing Buddha Dharma classes, the
center also promotes the quality of life.