Dharma Drum Mountain Joins the National Prayer Assembly and Donates Fire Engines to Kaohsiung
Tens of thousands of believers from various religions in Taiwan gather together in the “National Prayer Assembly” in the K-Arena, Kaohsiung where all religions across the country collect. At 10 o’clock on the morning of August 12th, the President of R.O.C., Ma Ying-Jeou, the Abbot President of DDM, Ven. Guo Dong and the representatives of Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, Christianity, and Yiguandao jointly pray for and present flowers to the deceased and injured of the recent Penghu air crash and the dire gas (propylene) explosion in Kaohsiung. The atmosphere there is very warm.
When offering care to the family members of the victims and encouraging the representatives of the government, the Abbot President said all the sentient beings in the universe are in the same boat. Therefore, when seeing disasters or accidents such as wars, we cannot help feeling sorry for the victims and being moved; he prays that everyone can keep calm at the very moment, which can bring a peaceful life accordingly, and console the victims and deceased with empathy, adding that we ought to seriously, without an attitude of fluke, ponder over the dreadful consequences that our greed causes from every disaster, and learn to treat people and things with compassion and wisdom, but without criticism.
Following the four principles, “cultivating a peaceful mind, cultivating a peaceful body, cultivating a peaceful family, and cultivating peaceful activity,” venerables and volunteers of DDM Ziyun Monastery in Kaohsiung, Baoyun Branch Monastery in Taichung, and Tainan Branch Monastery have been continuously offering comfort and care to family members of the victims since the said two severe calamities happened. There are thousands of believers of DDM also going to Kaohsiung to attend the prayer assembly today where they hope to purify the society and stabilize the human mind by right and compassionate right mindfulness Buddha Dharma.
Besides, in the process of offering care to medical personnel and relief workers of the gas (propylene) explosion, DDM find that disasters made many fire engines broken and hard to be repaired, which has to be urgently solved, especially for the people there and firemen’s needs of “cultivating a peaceful family and peaceful activity.” After discussing the methods of assistance with the Fire Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, DDM will use the disaster relief funds donated by people from all walks of the society to contribute 5 fire engines suitable for the urban area.
In view of several domestic and overseas accidents with heavy casualties having seriously disturbed the public, the Abbot President has instructed every affiliate of DDM to set up memorial tablets, pray for blessings and transfer merits for the injured and deceased in various Dharma services.
(Translated by Tom Hsieh)