Parliament of the World’s Religions visits Dharma Drum Mountain: Exchanging ideas on climate change, ethnic harmony and social justice
Audrey Kitagawa (奧黛麗．北川), chair of the Programmatic Areas Standing Committee of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, the oldest interfaith organization, together with three other representatives, came from New York to visit the Dharma Drum Mountain complex on Oct 7 for a special report, in particular about DDM’s vision. At the interview, DDM Abbot President Ven. Guo Huei (果暉法師) gave her Master Sheng Yen’s works as a gift. Kitagawa also organized a panel discussion with DDM’s representatives Ven. Guo Chan (果禪法師), Ven. Chang Shen (常諗法師) and Prof. Deng Wei Jen (鄧偉仁), Director of the Department of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, on the hotly debated issues surrounding climate change, ethnic harmony and social justice.
Kitagawa first invited the abbot president and the panelists to give a blessing for the next year’s World Earth Day. As the abbot president emphasized, global human communities resemble the five fingers of the same hand: despite differences in length, they work together in cooperation. Likewise, all humanity should join hands in collaboration. He also used the DDM’s annual theme—A Good Wish for the World—to wish the world well.
In the panel discussion, regarding the issues of climate change, ethnic harmony and social justice brought up by Kitagawa, Ven. Guo Chan pointed out that the idea of the Six Ethics of the Mind campaign initiated by Master Sheng Yen was in line with the core value of global ethics advocated by the Parliament, as each and every individual has multiple roles to play throughout one’s life, which can be covered within the domain of Six Ethics of the Mind.
Audrey Kitagawa (first from the right), the current chair of the Programmatic Areas Standing Committee of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, interviewed Ven. Guo Chan (second from the right), Ven. Chang Shen and Prof. Deng Wei Jen, on global issues, including climate change, ethnic harmony, and social justice. Furthermore, as Ven. Chang Shen said, the philosophy of “protecting the spiritual environment” in fact derives from Chan Buddhist teaching. Facing current global challenges, we will find it helpful in developing sustainable environments, as well as good thoughts, healthy mind, as well as sustainable societies. Chan practice helps us better connect to our body and mind, relate to others, and interact with the natural environment, becoming more empathetic to others and aware of protecting the environment.
On the other hand, Prof. Deng proposed that in addition to cultivating an altruistic and compassionate mind Buddhists should also be conscious of social injustices, such as social inequality between the rich and ordinary people, and that Protecting the Spiritual Environment Economics, or Buddhist economy, can be an alternative to replace the conventional capitalism-centered economy.
Kitagawa expressed that the Parliament of the World’s Religions had long been concerned about the states of world peace, environmental protection, ecology, religion, women’s rights, and indigenous people, among other issues. In the past, it had a tendency to adopt Western religious perspectives; in the future, however, it would seek to explore more on Chinese Buddhism that had always played an important role in Eastern Asian religions.
Texts: Venerable Yan Xiao (演曉法師)
Dharma Drum Mountain Monthly Photos: Lee Fan (李東陽)
Translation: Chang, Cheng-Yu (張振郁)
Editing: DDM Editorial Team; Seo Kyung; Chang, Chia-Cheng (張家誠)