​Passing of the Abbess of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture, Ven. Jian Xin, on January 13th

On January 13^th 2024, at 4:25 a.m., the Abbess of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture, Ven. Jian Xin, passed away at the age of ninety-nine, having served as a monastic for sixty-nine years. The Abbot President, Ven. Guo Huei, has appealed to both the Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) monastics and lay practitioners to chant the Buddha's name and transfer merit to pay homage to her lifelong dedication to supporting the founder Master Sheng Yen's vocation of Dharma propagation and education. As with all aspirations, it is prayed that she will return to the human realm to extensively deliver all sentient beings.

Born in 1926, Ven. Jian Xin received ordination from Master Yan Pei in 1955. In April 1957, along with her sister, Ven. Ding Xin, Ven. Jian Xin came to the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture, assisting Elder Master Dongchu in the monastic operations, and has served as the Abbess of the Institute of Buddhist Culture since 1986.

The life of Ven. Jian Xin reflects the development of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture over the past sixty-seven years. From 1957 to 1977, she dedicated twenty years to assisting Elder Master Dongchu in propagating the Dharma. Since 1978, she has assumed the role of the Abbess of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture, carrying on the task of promoting Buddhadharma.

In 1985, the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies moved from the private Chinese Culture University to the current location of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture. In 2003, it then relocated to DDM World Center for Buddhist Education. During this period, faculty and students of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies received meticulous care from Ven. Jian Xin. Former Director of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Lee Chih-fu, and Professor Fang Ning-shu extended their gratitude for her dedication throughout these years.
 

Ven. Jian Xin devoted her life to the monastery, particularly in assisting the operations of both the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture and Nung Chan Monastery. From the challenging times during Elder Master Dongchu's tenure, to assisting the founder of DDM, Master Sheng Yen, in Dharma propagation and education, as well as during her tenure at the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture to promote Buddha-dharma, she maintained the same unwavering devotion throughout the past sixty-seven years, earning deep respect from the DDM monastics. 





Text and photos: Dharma Drum Mountain Cultural Center
Translation: Siang-ling Li
Editing: Keith Brown, James