Guided by the motto “True Love is Borderless, Together We Overcome Hardships”, the Centre for Spiritual Progress to Great Awakening (“SPGA”) was founded in 2009 by the late Venerable Yin Yeung to enable those who are facing different challenges to embrace life, and find positive energy through the practice of mindfulness, compassion and wisdom.
In view of a wide service gap between the provision of Buddhist hospice and spiritual care services and the demand from the Hong Kong community, SPGA established Buddhist Chaplaincy Unit (“BCU”) in 2011. BCU is now offering chaplaincy service in 17 hospitals and hospice service units. Simultaneously, a team of volunteers named Spiritual Envoys「心靈大使」are engaged to help extending the service to those in need.
The Foundation recognizes the value and importance of Buddhist chaplaincy service and therefore continues collaborating with SPGA by supporting “Hospital Outreach Caring Service and Buddhist Life & Death Education Program” (the “Program”) from 2022 to 2025. It represents an extension of the previous Buddhist Chaplaincy Service Program supported by the Foundation since 2017.
Life-and-Death Education Talk at The University of Hong Kong with honourable guest speakers (from left): Ven. Chuan Xian, Buddhist Chaplain (interpreter); Ms. Wang Yu, Head Nurse; Ven. Tsung-Tueng from Taiwan Dabei Xueyuan; Ven. Chuan Deng, In-charge of the Buddhist Chaplain Unit & Dr. Vincent Tse, Founder of the Society for Life and Death Education.
The Annual Gratitude Day at the Shatin Hospital with Buddhist Chaplain Ven. Chuan Xian, guiding patients to practice Meditation on Loving Kindness.
First Gratitude Day at the Queen Mary Hospital in June 2019 – happy moment with Buddhist Chaplains, performing artists and Spiritual Envoys.
Buddhist Chaplain, Ven. Chuan Xian, leading a workshop on positive life for out-patients and their carers at the Prince of Wales Hospital.
The Program, led by the service objectives of “5W-holistic care” 「五全照顧」 (全人、全家、全程、全隊、全社區) and「三善」(病人善終、家屬善別、活著的人善生), provides three service components including hospital outreach, professional training and life & death education.
With volunteers of Spiritual Envoys paying regular visits to general medical wards, Buddhist Chaplains will focus on serving patients in Clinical Oncology and High Dependency Units with more frequent bed-side visits and spiritual support during their stay in hospital, as well as offering hospice service to accompany their end-of-life journeys.
Professional training courses will also be organized to nurture qualified Buddhist Chaplains and Spiritual Envoys. In addition, the Program will conduct various community talks and workshops about life and death education for the general public.
The Foundation is keen to set the scene for meeting a critical community need in comforting the sick and dying with the SPGA dedication. As the forefront of providing Buddhist spiritual care services in Hong Kong, it is hoped that SPGA would promulgate Buddhist compassion and wisdom in the community through social welfare approaches, at the same time enhance the quality of death in Hong Kong.