Abbot of Chuang Yen Monastery of BAUS Visits the DDBC
On 16 March 2012, Abbot Venerable Fa Yao (Dhammadipa) of Chuang Yen Monastery, home of the Buddhist Association of the United States, paid his first visit to the DDM World Center for Buddhist Education.
By the invitation of Dr. Wei-Ren Deng of the DDBC, Venerable Fa Yao delivered an inspirational speech at Dharma Drum Buddhist College (DDBC) titled "The Root and Discrepancy of Chan Tradition in Buddhism" to monastics, DDBC staff and the DDM Sangha community.
Speaking on the issue of being mindful of vexation and suffering, Venerable Fa Yao advocated that the purpose of Chan meditation is to nurture a clear mind, to gain a better understanding of one’s own character and to realise the true essence of all things, thereby reducing one's daily vexations, illusions and problems.
When Venerable Guo Guan of DDM Sangha University posed a question about the connection between psychology and Chan meditation, Venerable Fa Yao commented that psychology is in fact a modern language that could be developed and used to attract younger generations to explore the realm of Chan meditation and enable them to benefit from it.
The relationship between Dharma Drum Mountain and Chuang Yen Monastery is one of long history and great closeness – one that was built on a long-term friendship between the late Venerable Master Sheng Yen and Mr. Jia-Jen Shen, the late founder of Chuang Yen Monastery. This relationship continues today, reinforced by visits such as this one by Abbot Venerable Fa Yao.
(translated by Jin Yang/edited by DDM Australia Editing Team)