Dharma Drum Mountain Receives Award for Advocating Protecting the Spiritual Environment
At 2 p.m. on September 1, representatives of 277 religious groups attended the 2017 Religious Groups Award Ceremony at the Ministry of Interior, to receive awards of appreciation presented by Interior Minister Ye Junrong, for their charitable endeavors and social transformation efforts.
On behalf of Dharma Drum Mountain’s sangha and its lay supporters, DDM Buddhist Foundation, Nung Chan Monastery, Yunlai Monastery, and Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture jointly received the award that marks the efforts of Dharma Drum Mountain in promoting Protecting the Spiritual Environment and engaging in social education. In addition, the Interior Minister presented a special award to Nung Chan Monastery for having consecutively received this honor over the past 10 years.
DDM expressed gratitude to the government for recognizing its endeavors and to society for affording it the opportunities to keep learning, practicing, and contributing. By joining efforts to realize the ideal of “uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on earth,” DDM’s branch monasteries and practice centers around the world will continue to uphold its core value of “protecting the spiritual environment” advocated by Master Sheng Yen, founder of Dharma Drum Mountain, in the hope of benefiting the public by facilitating their good intentions and thoughts.
In his opening speech, Ye expressed appreciation to religious groups for showing support for the government’s policy by helping promote social care activities focused on child-and-juvenile welfare, anti-drug campaigns for teenagers, as well as family and community care. Always ready to reach out to each and every corner of society, religious groups have been shining light of love and hope throughout Taiwan, serving as a cornerstone to bring peace of mind to people and stability to society.
Translation: Chang,Chengyu (張振郁)
Editor: Chang, ChiaCheng (張家誠)