youths from different backgrounds and various parts of New South Wales ( including a representative from Melbourne) gathered at Nan Tien Temple in Wollongong to mark the opening of the 2002 CAMParadise.
CAMParadise is an annual youth Buddhist camp organised by the staff of the Sydney Division 2 youth group and it’s entering its second year. This year’s camp theme is called “Live Life, Love Always, Laugh Often”. The aim of the camp is to promote the application of Buddhism into our daily lives and live to enjoy it.
By simply following the theme above, everyone will be able to tackle life and its problems that they will confront as a young adult as well as new ways to enjoy and cherish life as it is.
Over the six days of the camp, participants were involved in various activities which were both fun and educational. Participants of the camp found it fun and a great way to make new friends, boost their confidence, cooperation and trust their group members. For the past few days of the camp, each day there was a different theme and activities were organised to follow that theme. Some of the highlights of the camp were “Ice breaking”, “Kung Fu”, “Theatre Sports”, “Wet’ n’ Wild”, “Tea Chan”, “Surprising Chef”, “The Amazing Race”, and “Moonlight Forever”.
The Moonlight show on the final night brought the camp to its climax. The show was performed in the courtyard of the temple and the moonlight was the spotlight, the ground became the stage and the sound of laughter and applause demonstrated that everyone had a great time. Every group demonstrated their boundless creativity and imagination towards their performance..like: hip hop dancing, break dancing or a hilarious act. The night was filled with surprises and entertainment.
To conclude the Moonlight show, Venerable Abbess Man Chien and other reverends led everyone in the light offering ceremony, in which we prayed for the blessings from the Triple Gem, to endow us with wisdom, compassion and to cherish every moment of our precious lives. Games and entertainment soon followed the light offering ceremony which lasted up until 1 am in the following day.
Every participant benefited greatly from this camp. On the last day of camp, participants cried as they bade farewell to their new friends. Although the camp has ended successfully, it does not mean that life has come to an end, it means that we have to put the past behind us and start a new beginning.
