Fruitful Outcomes from the Youth Growth Camp at DDM
The Annual Youth Growth Camp was held from 14 to 18 August 2008 at Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education in Jinshan Township, Taipei County. Two hundred and fifty youth from around the world participated in the five-day spiritual enrichment camp.
The activities were lively and creative. Not only were the youth able to learn from one another, they also learned how to release stress by practising and applying Chan meditation at all times.
The Abbot President of DDM, Venerable Guo Dong, encouraged participants by saying that pain in our life is caused by an imbalanced mind. If we could put down our ego and treat failure as merely an experience in life, we would experience happiness even in adversity.
A famous TV producer in Taiwan, Mrs Chen Yueqing, also shared her view that living at the present moment with a humble heart enables one to have a free mind and experience true happiness. She encouraged youth to actively learn the Dharma and to see the beauty in life through adversity. Famous TV anchorman, Mr Su Yihong agreed with the Abbot President that the one should gratefully face and accept hardship to cultivate wisdom in life.
The camp ended with beautiful memories and endless joy. Before leaving for home, participants unanimously expressed their views that the camp gave them much inspiration to passionately explore the meaning of life.
(translated by Jin Yang/edited by DDM Australia Editing Team)
