Adherents in Vancouver Joined DDM Dharma Assembly to Transmit the Light of Dharma in Commemoration of Master Sheng Yen's Kindness

To mark the 15^th anniversary of Master Sheng Yen's passing, adherents gathered together at Dharma Drum Vancouver Center to participate in the "Dharma Assembly to Transmit the Light of Dharma" on February 17^th from 2:00 to 3:30 p. m. in remembrance of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM)'s founder, Master Sheng Yen.

After chanting the Buddha's name attentively, participants watched the video of Master Sheng Yen's Dharma talk entitled "What is Chan?" The Master expounded that Chan is not only about sitting meditation, but is also a method for us to revive our inherent benevolence, joy, compassion, and wisdom–in other words, a practice of Spiritual Environmental Protection. In the video "Dharma Lamp in Constant Illumination," Ven. Ji Chern (繼程法師) and Gilbert Gutierrez, representing Master Sheng Yen's oversea Dharma heirs, were also invited to share their experience of Chan practice. 


Amidst the solemn recitation of the "Verses of Transmitting the Dharma," Venerables of Dharma Drum Vancouver Center lit the 75 lamps one by one in the hands of the participants. Everyone devoutly vowed: "We hereby take Master's compassionate vows as ours and regard all sentient beings' well-being as ours" in the hopes that the Buddhadharma can be transmitted perpetually and that Chinese Buddhism can inherit the tradition of the past and inspire the future generations. Venerable Chang Xun (常勳法師), the timekeeper of the Dharma assembly, encouraged everyone to actively fulfill the Master's compassionate vows, thereby sharing the benefit of Buddhadharma with more people. In addition, she hoped that everyone would take good care of their body and mind.

Among the attendees, more than ten adherents had received Master Sheng Yen's teachings in person. After the Dharma assembly, the Venerable invited them to share the stories of their first encounter with the Master and how they began to follow the Master's guidance. After listening to the experience of senior followers, Gina, a young adherent, mentioned that she did not have the opportunity to meet the Master in person. However, just through reading "The Collected Works of Master Sheng Yen" and watching Dharma talk video recordings of the Master with translated subtitles during group meditation sessions, she felt as if she had been in the presence of the Master.

Mei-huie Lin (林美惠), a senior adherent, recalled Master Sheng Yen's first visit to Vancouver on April 22^nd, 1994, which attracted more than ten Taiwanese disciples. The Master encouraged everyone by saying: "We have more than ten people here. That's great! We can start now." Since then, Dharma Drum Vancouver Center has been operating for thirty years, becoming an important base for propagating Chinese Chan Buddhism in Canada.

At the end of the Dharma assembly, everyone received a precious gift from the Venerables, "The Four Major Beautiful Things Most People Seek in Life," a copy of Master's calligraphy. Furthermore, all the participants vowed to live up to the Master's aspiration and endeavor to spread Chinese Chan Buddhism in Canada. 



Original text written in Chinese by Dharma Drum Vancouver Center
Photos provided by Dharma Drum Vancouver Center
Translated by Siang-ling Li
Edited by YKL, Keith Brown