Thousands Celebrate Vesak Day with Chan Meditation
On 13 May 2012 (also the Mother’s Day) Dharma Drum Mountain celebrated Vesak Day. Celebrations took place at the plaza of Taipei City Government and at the plaza of the National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, where almost ten thousand people gathered to practice Chan meditation and the Eight Form Moving Meditation.
Abbot President Venerable Guo Dong, Commissioner of the Department of Civil Affairs of Taipei City Government, Ching-Ju Huang Lu and many social celebrities attended to offer their blessings and to show their support for DDM’s compassion.
The Abbot President said that living in a busy and competitive environment, someone who is in the role of president can easily suffer from their own vexations and stress levels, which can accumulate as physical and mental irritations. The event aimed to deliver a message that Chan meditation can enable individuals to achieve peace and also to communicate with one’s own heart.
The event, including the practice of Chan meditation and the Eight Form Moving Meditation, ran smoothly and helped others to further understand the power of ‘Spiritual Environmentalism.’
The year 2012 marks the 20th anniversary of ‘Spiritual Environmentalism,’ where the late Venerable Master Sheng Yen compassionately brought this idea into society to foster peace in the world. The Abbot President said that in addition to celebrating Vesak Day and Mother’s Day, DDM wanted people to recover the tranquility in their heart.
(translated by Jin Yang/edited by DDM Australia Editing Team)