Buddhist Youth Cultural Exchange Across the Strait
On 28 July 2010, over a hundred university students and teachers from Taiwan and mainland China paid their inaugural visit to the Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education.
24 students came fromTaiwan’s Tamkang University while another 76 students were from nine sister Chinese universities, including Beijing University, Fudan University and Nanjiang University. Accompanying the students were representatives from the various faculties of each respective university.
The visit was an initiative of Tamkang University, which believes that the visit will provide an excellent opportunity for the youths of today, especially from across the Straits, to see and experience the beauty and wisdom of Buddhism in Taiwan, in particular the Chan practice.
The group was taken on a guided tour of the Wish Fulfilling Guanyin Hall, the Grand Buddha Hall, the Founding History Memorial Hall and the Lotus Bell Park and given an appreciation of the work and teachings of the late Venerable Master Sheng Yen so that they could understand his compassionate vows.
Miss Qihui Liu, a student from Fudan University, during an interview, commented that the surroundings as well as the welcoming and hospitable volunteers and monastics projected peace and a sense of tranquility that was truly remarkable here.
In particular, she was most taken in by the Wish Fulfilling Guanyin statue’s unique quality of being able to nurture and help cultivate the natural compassion within anyone who looked at Her. Miss Liu was confident that she would visit DDM again as she return to Taiwan.
(translated by Jin Yang/edited by DDM Australia Editing Team)
