HE PUSHES FOR 3 ACTS OF GOODNESS

There is an international ambassador for the Three Acts of Goodness (TAG), these acts being: to do good deeds, to speak good words and to think good thoughts. This ambassador is Junrey Alayacyac who says the program is a brainchild of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, founder of Fo Guang Shan (FGS).

How Junrey became TAG international ambassador is part of his life journey as an artist. He is actually a nurse by profession and worked as such at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Hospital for three years, and with the Department of Health for two years. But he was always into the arts, auditioning for parts in plays as well as concerts, and was involved with “Siddhartha, the Musical” where his first role was as a tree stump; then he became one of the five attendants; and in 2015, he became Prince Siddhartha. After a performance as Prince Siddhartha in Taiwan, he was called before a selection panel, was asked many questions, and before he knew it, he became the International Ambassador for Three Acts of Goodness that Master Hsing Yun was looking for.

The three acts of goodness program seems very simple and something most of us do without consciously thinking about them.

“It is a very simple formula. In doing so, what makes it challenging is that you have to be mindful about yourself when practicing them. When you practice them, it is not only concern about yourself but also concern for other people. It is concerned with a value of FGS: the value of co-existence because the practice is not just Buddhist but universal and can be applied to many people in their lives, whether you are of a different religion, race or belief. It is also, when practicing TAG, when you don’t consider yourself, thus becoming very effective and infecting others to do the same thing. TAG is also directed to the other core value, which is ‘four givings’—give others confidence, give others joy, give others hope, and give others convenience,” Junrey said.

As TAG international ambassador, Junrey has been to several places: the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Macau and Hong Kong to participate in organization meetings and conferences. Of these he says, “I usually face a lot of young people when I go to schools and conferences. After every travel, I give my report and go to Manila.”

To fulfill his role as TAG ambassador, he reveals he was greatly helped by Venerable Yung Guang, head of FGS in the Philippines, who mentored him in his duties as ambassador.

“In the first year it was tough. It was like being thrown into the middle of an ocean and you didn’t know how to swim. It was Venerable Yung Guang who taught me the different cultures of different countries and how to speak in front of many people to promote TAG,” Junrey said.

In the Philippines, TAG is in 100 schools—from Benguet down to Zamboanga. The program has the blessing of the Department of Education with which FGS has a memorandum of agreement. To each partner school, FGS gives a P10,000 contribution as monetary support and FGS also provides teachers training and art activities for the children. In Cebu, TAG partner schools are Pardo National High School and Oppra National School. At the Chu Un Temple in V. Rama St., Cebu City, TAG is promoted every second and fourth Sunday to 80 member women and 170 kids of Barangay Englis.

As part of his TAG activities, Junrey created a 45-minute interactive version of “Siddhartha, the Musical” in which he has incorporated the TAG values of Buddhism.

“We want to break down the fourth wall, trying to make the three acts of goodness part of our script: to highlight that Siddhartha was able to attain enlightenment following the three acts of goodness in his journey,” Junrey said. This year, this version of “Siddhartha” has had 11 performances and there were 4,000 in the audience in Aklan and 9,000 in Sagay. Part of his duty, Junrey said, is to promote TAG in all 300 temples all over the world but “what makes the Philippines different is that music and arts are the best vehicle to promote them. So we compose music, tell stories, have art workshops besides ‘Siddhartha, the musical.’ We also have a play about bullying and we are planning to create a play to promote eating vegetables and positive discipline in the future,” Junrey said.

“I personally believe that goodness is something everybody deserves and goodness is our own responsibility to other people. Therefore, we at TAG are trying to inculcate this in all the youth and the best way to promote this is through schools,” said the ambassador, which is why FGS has a university in Tagaytay and by March, an art institute in Cebu.