Abbot President Delivers Inspirational Speeches in Malaysia
The Abbot President, Venerable Guo Dong, visited Malaysia from 11 to 17 July,2013 to offer care and blessings. The purpose of the visit was to advocate protecting the spiritual environment, simplifying funerals and proclaiming the vision of Master Sheng Yen and Dharma Drum Mountain.
The Abbot briefed local media including the Sin Chew Daily, and Nang Yang Siang Pau and his visit was covered in the Sin Chew Daily on 12 July. During the brief, the Abbot President emphasized that Master Sheng Yen had always been an active follower of trends in society and actively promoted the protection of the spiritual environment. Simultaneously, Master Sheng Yen had been dedicated to improving social culture and continually cultivated young talent, leading DDM to promote education that extends loving care to all. Through good understanding of drivers for society trends, he hoped to purify human minds and society.
For example, in educating the public on funeral services, it is hoped that everyone learns to regard the funeral as a solemn Buddhist service which is simple but allows relatives and friends to grieve, thus putting into practice the protection of the living environment and avoiding extravagance and wastage. In addition, the simplification of funeral services also improves public morality, creates less disturbance to neighbors and the environment, not to mention the fact that it reduces environmental pollution and wastage of resources.
The Abbot President attended the refuge-taking ceremony and prayer for blessings at DDM Buddhism Information Centre in Malaysia on July 13th. In the ceremony, the Abbot President stressed that the meaning of life is dedication and fulfilling responsibility. The value of life lies in continual contribution. The Abbot President said that it is normal to expect returns when we make contributions. For instance, an employee who does not get his expected salary might think that he is not treated fairly and becomes unhappy. However, the Abbot President advises that we should realize the limitations of life, and the value of our lives is realized if we can take the body as a tool for practicing Buddhism to achieve compassion and wisdom.
The Abbot President attended another refuge-taking ceremony on 14th July. There were 700 people in the audience participating in the ceremony and he made another speech entitled “New Mindset, New Hopes” at Syuen Hotel, Ipoh. He encouraged the audience to look at everything in the light of its level of importance and priority. If we come across a problem that has no solution, then we should “Face it, Accept it, Deal with it, Let it go”. These “Four Steps for Handling a Problem” were advocated by Master Sheng Yen. It’s a mission and goal approach to dealing with problems. If there is no solution for a problem now due to the circumstances beyond our control, we can change our mindset and learn to let it go.
(Translated by Tom Hsieh/Edited by DDM Australia Editing Team )