DDM Abbot President Visited Vancouver to Propagate the Dharma - 66 People Fulfilled Their Wish to Take Refuge in the Three Jewels

After a lapse of four years, Dharma Drum Mountain Abbot President Ven. Guo Huei visited Vancouver again to start a week-long journey of spreading the Dharma. At 10 a.m. on September 23th, the Dharma Drum Mountain Vancouver Center first cordially invited the Abbot President to give a public Dharma talk on "Blessings and Wisdom - The Way to Freedom". On the morning of the 24th, 66 people received the Three Refuges and Five Precepts from the Abbot President, thereby fulfilling their wish to become followers of the Buddha.

In his Dharma talk on September 23th, the Abbot President used "six words to cultivate peace of mind: Lightness, relaxation, slowness, carefulness, smallness, and cooperation" to share with the 170 participants some practical Buddhist tips for life. The Abbot President first explained tips on cultivating "lightness" and "relaxation". Modern people tend to be physically and mentally tense, so they are prone to making mistakes in judgment. The key to stress relief is thus to relax. "Where the body is, there is the mind" is the basic principle of Dharma Drum Mountain meditation practice, and its corresponding method is "to be clearly aware of the sensation of relaxation, and relax the whole body." Only when we relax our body and mind and are clearly aware of the sensation of relaxation, can we bring peace both to ourselves and others.

Afterward, the Abbot President elaborated on "slowness" and "carefulness". When eating and drinking in our daily life, we should chew carefully and swallow slowly. When walking, standing, sitting and lying down, we should always be aware of our physical and mental sensations. If we can apply the concept of "soft fire makes sweet malt" to our work or Buddhist practice, our efforts will flow in a small but steady stream, thus ensuring long-term success.

Lastly, Ven. Guo Huei went on to explain "smallness" and "cooperation". We should learn to start small, harbor good intentions, do good deeds, and thus transform our fortunes for the better. What we should do is to minimize our ego and fulfill our duties and responsibilities. When cooperating with one another, try to put ourselves in other people's shoes. Furthermore, Ven. Guo Huei shared his personal experience when he was very focused in reciting the name of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, thereby encouraging everyone to practice diligently and keep their minds in the present moment. 

After the solemn blessing ceremony on the morning of September 24, Ven. Guo Huei transmitted the Three Refuges and Five Precepts to 66 people who wish to become  Buddhist. Nearly a hundred family members, relatives, friends and Buddhist followers witnessed the ceremony. Those who took refuge in the Three Jewels are quite young, with an average age of about 40 years old. Many of them are fellow classmates of Buddhist courses and members of Dharma Drum for Young People. Among them, 3 English speakers came all the way from Seattle in order to take refuge in the Three Jewels and receive the Five Precepts.

Valerie Laporte said that she was grateful to the Dharma Drum Mountain Vancouver Center for providing simultaneous English translations for English speakers, so that she could receive Chan teachings without difficulties. She mentioned that she especially liked the teachings about "Song of Enlightenment" given by Ven. Chang Wu, and further shared that receiving the Three Refuge from Ven. Guo Huei gave her more confidence to delve into Chan practice. Wang Jingjing, from Beijing, came to Vancouver three months ago and signed up for refuge-taking ceremony for herself and her two sons. When Ven. Chang Wu hung a Buddhist pendant around her neck and said "welcome home," she felt extremely happy.

One of the Buddhist followers asked Ven. Guo Huei: how can we practice diligently without being lax or self-indulgent, especially living in Vancouver where the life is comfortable and the pace is slow? Ven. Guo Huei responded that practice is not limited to chanting sutras, prostrating to the Buddha, meditating, and so on. One should always be aware of the state of the body and mind, and practice the way one would adjust tuning strings, since the string produces a tuneful sound only when is not too tight and not too loose. At the same time, Ven. Guo Huei suggested that the public often return to the Center to participate in group practice, serve as volunteers, and actively dedicate themselves to activities that benefic others, thereby practicing the Six Perfections and myriad of virtuous actions.


Text: Dharma Drum Vancouver Center 
Photos: Dharma Drum Vancouver Center 
Translation: YKL
Editing: Keith Brown