- by Qing Liu
On April 14th, Sunday afternoon, eight 13-year-old Girl Scouts from Troop 41104 of the United States joined female members of the BLIA Austin Youth Group II at Xiang Yun Temple to jointly conduct exercises on girls' defense knowledge and martial arts practice. Kung Fu instructor Chen Rui from Xiang Yun Temple simulated bullying incidents on campus for the girls and discussed how to respond when such situations occur. Subsequently, members of the Youth Group II and the Girl Scouts engaged in one-on-one self-defense demonstrations. Teacher Chen Rui instructed everyone on the key movements. Each movement requires repeated practice to develop muscle memory and conditioned reflexes, enabling quick responses and coping when encountering situations.
The two-hour training greatly benefited the participants. Many local American Girl Scouts and parents, who visited Xiang Yun Temple in Austin for the first time, expressed their intention to visit again for learning in the future!