Buddhist Disciples Receive the Three Jewels at Nung Chan Monastery
On the morning of 20 April 2008, one thousand five hundred people received the Three Jewels – the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha – from Venerable Master Sheng Yen at Nung Chan Monastery in order to become Buddhist disciples.
The Venerable Master expressed his gratification that religious belief is diverse and thriving in Taiwan. While emphasizing that Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) promotes tolerance of other religions, he nevertheless encouraged the public to engage with Orthodox Chinese Buddhism.
The Venerable Master went on to say that DDM's paramount objective is to promote the Dharma in society, so as to enable people to attain peace of mind and to diminish general social unrest.
Many relatives and friends of those who received the Buddha, the Dharma and Sangha were also present at the solemn ceremony, and had the opportunity to listen to the Master's Dharma talks about purifying the mind and attaining inner peace.
The Abbot President of DDM, Venerable Guo Dong, gave his warmest blessing to the new followers, adding sincerely that he looked forward to seeing them develop into devout Buddhists.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, venerables of the DDM Sangha community placed a small Buddha tag around the neck of each and every new follower, a meaningful gesture signifying their "enrollment" into Buddhism.
(translated by Jin Yang/edited by DDM Australia Editing Team)
