Representative to Singapore Leads a Delegation to Dharma Drum Mountain for Chan Meditation Experience

At noon on 29^th March, Dr. Tung Chen-yuan (童振源), the Representative of Taipei Representative Office in Singapore, led dignitaries from Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan as well as his friends and relatives, totaling 42 people, to visit Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education. The Abbot President, Venerable Guo Huei (果暉法師) cordially gave a tour of the Center to the visiting delegation from afar, and Venerable Chang Sheng (常乘法師), the Director of the Chan Hall, led them through a Chan meditation session. 

Dharma Drum Mountain was the delegation's first stop in Taiwan. Representative Tung informed the delegation on how Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) was founded by Master Sheng Yen, and is a famous Buddhist site in Northern Taiwan. Under the leadership of the former Abbot President, Venerable Guo Dong (果東法師), and the current Abbot President, Venerable Guo Huei, DDM has cultivated many Buddhist specialists through Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (DILA) and the Threefold Education. Furthermore, he shared that DDM not only spares no effort in Buddhist studies and the promotion of Chan, but has also attracted worldwide attention from the Buddhist circles for its approaches to education. Therefore, he hoped to introduce the educational philosophy of Taiwan's religious groups to the delegation through this visit to DDM. 

The Abbot President especially explained the core idea of DDM, which is "Spiritual Environmental Protection," and arranged a Chan meditation session for the delegation. In addition to paying homage to the Buddha and enjoying the scenery at DDM, the Abbot President encouraged the visitors who are often occupied with their works to also learn the concepts and methods of Chan meditation to relax the mind and body, which can be applied in their daily lives for lifelong benefits.

The Abbot President also kindly fulfilled the wishes of the delegation from Singapore and Thailand by taking a photo with each of them and leading them to the Grand Buddha Hall to pray for blessings. He also took the opportunity of the exhibition in the Founding History Memorial Hall to introduce to the delegation the lineage of DDM and Master Sheng Yen's journey of propagating the Dharma. He also encouraged expatriates to participate in DDM's various activities in their local venues.

"Chan does not tell you what to do, but it helps you know what you should do and what you can do, thereby perfecting your inherent compassion and wisdom." Through experiencing their own breaths during the eight-form moving meditation and sitting meditation, Ven. Chang Sheng guided the participants to practice Chan meditation and enjoy the relaxation of the body and mind.

"Buddhadharma makes life better and more at ease." It was the first time for Mr. Wang Zai-lin (王載麟) and Ms. Huang Chi Hua (黃綺華), a couple from Thailand, to visit DDM. They felt comfortable and calm during the trip and noted that the Chan meditation practice was a rare experience, enabling them to cast distractions aside and relax the body and mind. They stated that they would definitely like to visit DDM again in the future. 

According to Singaporean oil painter, Fan Shao-hua (范少華), also a first-time visitor to DDM, the delegation visit led by Representative Tung was very rewarding as it has purified his body and mind. Thus, he felt grateful to Master Sheng Yen for establishing this precious venue for Chan practice that benefits the public.



Original text written in Chinese by Zhang Yao-zhong (張曜鐘)
Photos provided by Zhang Yao-zhong (張曜鐘), Fu Li-xian (傅莉嫻)
Translation: Siang-ling Li
Editing: Keith Brown, YKL