The DDM Anhe Branch Monastery in downtown Taipei hosted a Buddhist-style Joint Birthday Celebration for the Elderly on Monday morning, October 10, 2014. About one thousand seniors and their family members attended this celebration. The participants recited the Heart Sutra, Verses of the Medicine Buddha as well as his sacred name to pray for the well-being of all seniors present in addition to the well-being of all sentient beings.

The third lecture of the Wisdom of Fa Hua (Lotus Sutra in Chinese) lecture series started at 2 p.m. on Oct 19, 2014 at the Taichung City Hall. In this lecture, Alan Ko, a new generation of Asian pop singer, Shen Hsin-Ling, winner of the Ten Outstanding Youth and Ven. Guo. Yi, DDM Sangha representative, discussed issues revolving around the theme “Treasures of the Heart”. Each speaker narrated how they transformed their life of poverty into a driving force to succeed.

The Buddhist Lotus Hospice Care Foundation is a Buddhist hospice that uses Buddhist philosophy and practices to comfort and inspire the dying as well as the bereaved. Its 10th Buddha Dharma and Hospice Care symposium was held on October 10 to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The Abbot President of DDM, Ven. Guo Dong, as well as several community representatives were invited to deliver the opening speech at 9 a.m.; these speakers expressed their gratitude to the late Venerable Master Sheng Yen for the Dharma affinity he created lasting until today.

The opening ceremony of DDM Hong Kong Island Center on Queen’s Road West was held on October 11, 2014. At 11 a.m., the Abbot President of DDM, Ven. Guo Dong, led devotees in a consecrated chanting session to bless the center.

DDM will be organizing the 2014 Great Compassion Water and Land Dharma Service from December 6 through 12. Besides, from October 18 through November 21, a series of special exhibitions warming up the said dharma service. Among them, a special exhibition themed the “Missing Post Office” (a real Japanese post office which specially deals with postcards and mail without addressees) invites the general public to write in a postcard their feeling of unhappiness, regret, yearning, lost love, etc.; these postcards are then displayed in the “Missing Post Office”. The purpose of this process is to enable those who are suffering to face and let go of their unhappiness or sorrow. In addition, devotees could utilize DDM’s Digital Prayer system to pray for the well-being of themselves as well as others. Participation in the form of volunteers during the service is also a good way to gain some merits. Those who wish to support the event by volunteering are invited to sign up at the DDM Volunteers Room.

In keeping up with current social development, the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (DILA) and the NGO Institute of Tsinghua University, PRC, jointly organized a symposium entitled “Social Enterprise and Innovation”. This symposium was held at the National Central Library, International Conference Hall on October 3, 2014 with two other workshops at the DDM World Center for Buddhist Education on October 4. The Abbot President of DDM, Ven. Guo Dong, shared the development process of DDM “Humane Care and Social Practice” seminar series in the opening ceremony; he pointed out that this development process has been a rewarding, inspiring and joyful journey.

Each and every Buddhist tradition has its own way of practice. Are you familiar with the Chinese Chan methods?

The Water and Land Dharma Service is the biggest dharma service event in Chinese Buddhism. Dharma Drum Mountain will be organizing The Great Compassion Water and Land Dharma Service from December 6 through 13, 2014; applications for certain individual altar positions will be open to the public from October 11, 2014. In addition, DDM is utilizing digital memorial tablets as well as cloud computing system for the chanting sessions to reflect on its environmental protection policy; with immediate effect, those interested to serve as volunteers for this event can sign up with the DDM Volunteers Room.

The late Venerable Master Sheng Yen, founder of Dharma Drum Mountain, once said: “Death is neither a happy occasion nor a cause for mourning; it is but a solemn Buddhist event”. In an effort to establish the right view on life and death, DDM Zhaiming Branch Monastery invited Ven. Guo Kae from DDM to deliver a lecture titled “Appreciating Life and Death” at 9 a.m. on September 27, 2014; this lecture attracted an audience of about 400.

At 2 p.m. on September 27, 2014, about one thousand people took refuge in the Three Jewels at the DDM World Center for Buddhist Education. These new Buddhists vowed to learn the Dharma as practicing Buddhists and pledged to observe the Five Precepts. This ceremony was administered by the Abbot President of DDM, Ven. Guo Dong.