“An Encounter with DDM’s Abbot President”
“Nurture Blessings, and you will be Blessed”; a blessing to start the New Year with!
January 7th marked the debut of “An Encounter with DDM’s Abbot President” on DDMTV. This is a television series where participants could have a face-to-face dialogue with Venerable Guo Huei. The audience, from within the DDM organization or external parties, would ask questions of their immediate concerns. In response, Abbot President Venerable Guo Huei provided his insights from Buddha’s teachings.
First on scene were a group of about 20 volunteers from the Visitor Service Office and Volunteers Office at DDM World Center for Buddhist Education. These “bodhisattvas of unlimited good deeds” have always been described as “the most beautiful sight of the Dharma Drum Mountain”; their silent dedication and best efforts made at their daily positions have touched the hearts of many visitors, yet from time to time they may also reflect upon the work they volunteered for.
“What if the outcome is not satisfactory enough, how do I resolve any feelings of regret?”
“Every volunteer has their own perspective, how do we reconcile conflicting goals and manage to get a consensus?”
“Is giving dedication the only path to spiritual growth?”
Another question was, “What if one gets used to working on one’s own, and can’t fit in?”
These were genuine concerns that resonated powerfully with the audience. Abbot President sincerely shared the wisdom of Dharma with everyone, based on his close observations in everyday life, warm recollections of DDM’s past events, and approachable classic metaphors.
Head of the Visitor Service Office, Venerable Chang Ci, and head of the Volunteers Office, Venerable Chang Di, were very much touched by Abbot President’s empathetic and caring sharing, which is filled with Buddha’s words of wisdom. According to both Venerables, Abbot President shared his advice along the path to Buddhist practices, thus brought out the blissful joy for all.
After ending recording of the first episode, Abbot President thanked DDM’s volunteers and the production team in particular, “my sincere gratitude for this program, for giving me the opportunity to have close contact with people, and to share my understanding of Buddha’s teachings. I have learned and benefited greatly.”
After this debut of dialogue with volunteers, interaction and communication with youths and people from all walks of life will be continued, to explore people’s mental load in today’s restless society. Launched at 11 a.m., January 7, the episodes will be updated on DDMTV and YouTube channel every other Tuesday.
Text: Hu, Li-Gui (胡麗桂)
Photos: Lee, Fan (李東陽)
Translation: Chang, Cheng-Yu (張振郁)
Editing: DDM Editorial Team; Elenda Huang