DDM Global News
Harness the Power of Blessing and Pray for the World
At 2 pm on Feb. 27, Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Centre in Malaysia held an online Dharma assembly, in which 153 devotees prayed together for the world, for an end to all disasters, and for the pandemic to end soon so that everyone around the world may be at peace and live at ease.
Before the assembly started, Ven. Yen Lian remarked: "Though we are not together in the same place, our wish and goal are the same, which generates power in our mind for making vows. Even though this kind of mind power is invisible, it can help us connect to Guanyin Bodhisattvas's compassionate vows when we are reciting her name, the Great Compassion Mantra, and the Heart Sutra with sincerity. In doing so, we will obtain peace of mind."
The Venerable encouraged everyone to keep diligent practice in their daily life after the assembly, so that there will be continuous blessing radiating to others; to cultivate faith in Buddha-dharma; and to vow to learn Guanyin Boddhisattva's compassionate vow to save all sentient beings. "As we are guided by Buddha-dharma in correcting our views and improving our behaviors, we can make a vow to become others' Guanyin Boddhisattva, thus helping others in the world."
Tai Shu-Yuan shared, "There were no interruptions when I was attending the assembly from home so I didn't find much difference between the virtual assembly and the actual in-house ones." She felt deeply that, "The power of the mind coming together from all directions was transferred as merits and blessings to others. This is marvelous. I hope that I can do my duty, take care of my body and mind, continue my daily and group practices, and transfer merit to everyone."
Liu Mei-Li, who attended the online assembly for the first time, shared that her scattered and unsettled mind gradually became focused and peaceful with the chanting of the Great Compassion Mantra and Heart Sutra. This echoed precisely the words of the Venerable: "When you have peace of mind, you can experience the monastery's stillness and peace right at home."
Huang Li-Chu and Lin Ching-Wan, who always volunteer for the in-house Dharma assemblies every Lunar New Year Holiday, said, "We are deeply grateful for having the chance to join the online assembly so that we could hear and learn the Buddha-dharma. This time, we appreciated the chance to volunteer for the monastery even more because there have been fewer volunteering opportunities during the pandemic, which in turn made us realize that we don't always have the opportunity to volunteer." The two volunteers hope that the pandemic will end soon and the centre can re-open again. They vowed that as soon as they get the chance, they will seize the opportunity to volunteer for the Three Jewels and to promote Buddha-dharma and the monastery.
Text: Chang, Feng-Chih (張鳳枝)
Photos: Dharma Drum Mountain Malaysia
Translation: Hsiao Chen-an
Editing: Mei Beh, Keith Brown
Before the assembly started, Ven. Yen Lian remarked: "Though we are not together in the same place, our wish and goal are the same, which generates power in our mind for making vows. Even though this kind of mind power is invisible, it can help us connect to Guanyin Bodhisattvas's compassionate vows when we are reciting her name, the Great Compassion Mantra, and the Heart Sutra with sincerity. In doing so, we will obtain peace of mind."
The Venerable encouraged everyone to keep diligent practice in their daily life after the assembly, so that there will be continuous blessing radiating to others; to cultivate faith in Buddha-dharma; and to vow to learn Guanyin Boddhisattva's compassionate vow to save all sentient beings. "As we are guided by Buddha-dharma in correcting our views and improving our behaviors, we can make a vow to become others' Guanyin Boddhisattva, thus helping others in the world."Tai Shu-Yuan shared, "There were no interruptions when I was attending the assembly from home so I didn't find much difference between the virtual assembly and the actual in-house ones." She felt deeply that, "The power of the mind coming together from all directions was transferred as merits and blessings to others. This is marvelous. I hope that I can do my duty, take care of my body and mind, continue my daily and group practices, and transfer merit to everyone."
Liu Mei-Li, who attended the online assembly for the first time, shared that her scattered and unsettled mind gradually became focused and peaceful with the chanting of the Great Compassion Mantra and Heart Sutra. This echoed precisely the words of the Venerable: "When you have peace of mind, you can experience the monastery's stillness and peace right at home."
Huang Li-Chu and Lin Ching-Wan, who always volunteer for the in-house Dharma assemblies every Lunar New Year Holiday, said, "We are deeply grateful for having the chance to join the online assembly so that we could hear and learn the Buddha-dharma. This time, we appreciated the chance to volunteer for the monastery even more because there have been fewer volunteering opportunities during the pandemic, which in turn made us realize that we don't always have the opportunity to volunteer." The two volunteers hope that the pandemic will end soon and the centre can re-open again. They vowed that as soon as they get the chance, they will seize the opportunity to volunteer for the Three Jewels and to promote Buddha-dharma and the monastery.
Text: Chang, Feng-Chih (張鳳枝)
Photos: Dharma Drum Mountain Malaysia
Translation: Hsiao Chen-an
Editing: Mei Beh, Keith Brown