A Joyful Gathering of Two Sanghas – Buddhist College of Minnan Visited DDM

On July 2^nd, 2024 at 2:00 p.m., the delegation of the Buddhist College of Minnan (BCM), which will celebrate its 100^th anniversary next year, visited Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) World Center for Buddhist Education. Led by Ven. Ze Wu (則悟法師) and Ven. Hong Lai (弘來法師), the President and the Vice President of BCM, the delegation of 44 people consisting of BCM faculty members, PhD and master's degree students, and lay practitioners, made this special visit to exchange ideas on the transmission and development of Buddhist education across the Taiwan Strait. The delegation was warmly greeted by Ven. Guo Huei (果暉法師), the Abbot President of DDM, and the representatives of the Sangha and the educational institutions of DDM.

Ven. Guo Huei indicated that BCM is a respected seedbed for Chinese Buddhist education, as it has nurtured many Buddhist sages and great masters who propagate the Buddhadharma throughout the world. He also mentioned that Elderly Ven. Master Dong Chu (東初老和尚, the teacher of Master Sheng Yen) and Elderly Ven. Yin Shun (印順長老) were among the great masters who studied at the BCM, which thus has a deep connection with DDM. The three PhD graduates in the delegation also represented BCM's experience in nurturing the monastics in higher education, which is valuable for DDM to learn from.

Ven. Ze Wu mentioned that Elderly Ven. Master Dong Chu was not only a graduate of the College 90 years ago, but also a proofreader of the College's publication, the Temple Gazetteer (寺志). In addition, both Master Sheng Yen and Ven. Guo Huei had contact with the College from time to time. He exhorted the accompanying monastic students to gratefully remember and emulate not only Master Sheng Yen's dedication in passing on and upholding Chinese Buddhism but also his emphasis on cultivating talents.

Since the DDM World Center for Buddhist Education is where Dharma teachers are nurtured, the delegation seized the chance to propose pertinent questions. In addition to DDM's content and orientation for educating both Sangha members and the laity, they were keen to learn more about the curriculum of the Department of Chan Practice at Dharma Drum Sangha University (DDSU), the gist of DDM's Chan teachings, DDM's experiences in overseas Dharma propagation, as well as its schemes for digital courses. The questions raised by the new generation of monastics demonstrated their enthusiasm for learning. During the gathering, through watching DDM's annual documentary for major events, the delegation also had a glimpse of DDM's contemporary approaches to express the loving care and teachings of Buddhadharma in Taiwan.

After the conversation over tea, Ven. Guo Jin (果鏡法師), Vice President of Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts; Ven. Guo Guang (果光法師), Vice Dean of DDSU; and Ven. Guo Kae (果慨法師), Managing Director of the Sangha Education Department, accompanied the delegation to visit the Founding History Memorial Hall and the Wish-fulfilling Memorial Hall. The delegation lingered for quite a while at the display panels for Master Taixu, Elderly Ven. Master Dong Chu, and Master Sheng Yen, since they were deeply impressed by DDM's attention to the preservation of artifacts and archives.

Founded in 1925 by Master Taixu, BCM has inspired its monastic students with the notion of "Humanistic Buddhism." Elderly Ven. Master Dong Chu, who had studied at BCM, later founded Humanity Magazine (人生雜誌), the first local Buddhist monthly publication in Taiwan. Therefore, the DDM Sangha also prepared Humanity Magazine and a number of academic works as presents for members of the delegation, who felt delighted by the finely-crafted publications.

By the end of their visit, the monastic students of BCM prostrated to Ven. Guo Huei and thanked the DDM Sangha for their attentive arrangement. As monastic members exchanged blessings, the volunteers who assisted in the reception were moved by how the Sangha members cherished the Dharma affinity between both sides. Meanwhile, Ven. Ze Wu took the opportunity to invite Buddhist monastics and lay practitioners to participate in the various activities to be organized by BCM for its centennial celebration next year.



Original Chinese text and photos / Chang Yao-chung (張曜鐘)
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL