In memory of the 10th anniversary of Master Sheng Yen’s passing:
DDM followers pass on the lamp of the mind by renewing ones vows To repay kindness of late Master Sheng Yen and aspire to carry on Master’s compassionate vows, followers of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) lighted up more than 10,000 bowl-lamps which symbolize the bodhi-minds emitting from DDM to the ten directions of the world with radiant warmth far and wide.
Followers of DDM aspired to embark on Buddhists practices as the way of giving sincere appreciation and deepest respect toward late Master Sheng Yen (“Shifu”) through attending the services of Buddha-name recitation in commemoration of Shifu, for his dedication of his entire life to sound the dharma drum in promoting the dharma teachings to the world and leading all disciples toward the Path of Bodhisattva.
2019 marks 10th anniversary of Master Sheng Yen’s passing, also the 30th anniversary of founding DDM, DDM Sangha held
” DDM Passing on the Lamp Dharma Service - Rising Great Compassion with Continual Vows” at DDM World Center for Buddhist Education on Feb 16, at 13.30 p.m. More than 10,000 followers attended the services on-site; those from overseas could also witness the ceremony through the real time channels at the branching monasteries all over the world.
The scenes of the heart-sounding images, words, and sounds that were shared in the ceremony led the followers to relive the late Master Sheng Yen’s aspiration and exhortation: all beings can be freed from the worldly sufferings through the practices of buddhadharma.
Before commencement of the services, on behalf of four kinds of buddhist community (laymen, laywomen, monks and nuns), Venerable Guo Xiang (果祥法師), Venerable Chang Kuan(常寬法師), lay followers Chang, Chang-Pang(張昌邦) , Yao Shi-Zhuang(姚世莊), and a group of volunteers from DDM for the Young People recited altogether the Master’s articles, dharma talks, lectures in memorial of late Master Sheng Yen, further refreshing the visions of
“The Direction of Dharma Drum.”
Venerable Guo Huei (果暉法師), DDM Abbot President, lightened up each bowl-lamp of Sangha’s, one after another, followed by expounding the significance of passing on the lamp to global followers via real time broadcast. In that he gave his sincere gratitude and commemoration to Master, and shared his own path of learning buddhadharma as well as the participation of DDM initial establishment.
Venerable Guo Huei made a point that the yearly theme of DDM in 2019 is
“Make a Good Wish for the World.” He thus urged all followers to aspire, pray for, and make a wish for the world then put it into action, and have the wishes fulfilled.
By sharing his own wishes of
“inviting people to learn buddhadharma, encouraging heartfelt sincere practice; inspiring them to support dharma propagation through fund-raising, and recruiting Sangha to sustain the dharma teachings”, Venerable Guo Huei subsequently exhorted the four-kinds buddhist community could learn, support and spread the dharma; unceasingly carry on Master’s faith, aspiration, and arising the mind of great compassion all together as if the swan geese flying together in paradigm.
As Master Sheng Yen once taught before his passing,
“The immaterial universe may come to the end, whereas my vows never exhausted. For those tasks I couldn’t make in time, I wish to push forward in my countless lives in the future. I invite all of you to carry on those tasks that I couldn’t accomplish on my own. “
DDM Sangha are very grateful for the practitioners who had supported the movement of purifying the minds and the society through educational and caring activities over the past decades. They hoped that the four-fold group could share the common wishes so as to fulfill Master’s aspiration of
“lifting the character of humanity, building up the pure land on earth” , and transmit the unceasing brightness of the dharma lamp that is illuminated from our Bodhi minds.
Texts:
Lin, Ya-Ying (林雅櫻); Chang, Yao-Chuang (張曜鐘)
Photos:
Lee Fan (李東陽); Lee, Jia-Chun (李佳純); Liao, Shun-De (廖順得); Wang, Yu-Fa (王育發)
Translation:
Elenda Huang
Editing:
DDM Editorial Team; Min Shi (史敏)