DDM Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the Spiritual Environmentalism Campaign
Dharma Drum Mountain celebrated the 20th anniversary of its ‘Spiritual Environmentalism’ movement on the morning of 5 February, 2012, at the DDM World Center for Buddhist Education.
Spiritual Environmentalism was initiated and compassionately advocated by the late Venerable Master Sheng Yen as the vision of ‘building a pure land on earth’.
Abbot President, Venerable Guo Dong, monastics of the DDM Sangha Community, as well as honorable guests including the President of the Republic of China (ROC), Ying-Jeou Ma, Vice President of the ROC, Wan-Chang Hsiao, Premier of the Executive Yuan, Dun-Yi Wu, and His Eminence Cardinal Paul Guo-His Shan, attended the prayer ceremony, offering their warmest blessings and making their earnest vows to uphold and perpetuate the idea of Spiritual Environmentalism from generation to generation in the hope of building a pure and peaceful land on earth.
Abbot President Venerable Guo Dong said in his speech that Spiritual Environmentalism is actually a universal value that is beyond mundane boundaries of ethics, race, national borders and even faith. “This is the most precious advice that Venerable Master Sheng Yen has given us and an invaluable lesson to share with future generations – to consciously be aware of the need to protect this precious and pure land on earth.”
The Abbot President therefore is looking forward for everyone to actively promote and practice this concept in their daily life and to compassionately pass it on to others and to future generations, not only for one’s own self preservation but also for cultivating a peaceful society and a pure land on earth.
In closing, the Abbot President declared the year 2012 as the ‘Year of Spiritual Environmentalism’ in remembrance of the Master’s compassionand hoped that increased effort will be made to expand the concept of Spiritual Environmentalism to more people who will not only practice compassion and uphold the idea of ‘uplifting the character of humanity but conscientiously work towards the building of a pure land on earth’.
(translated by Jin Yang/edited by DDM Australia Editing Team)