Dialogue between DDM Abbot President and Reverend Master Meian Elbert in San Francisco on Exploring and Applying Buddhadharma

On July 20^th, 2024, Dharma Drum Mountain San Francisco Bay Area Center hosted a bilingual event, "Exploring, Sharing, and Applying Buddhism Across Diverse Cultures," featuring Venerable Guo Huei (果暉法師), the Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM), and Reverend Master Meian Elbert, the Abbess of Shasta Abbey Buddhist Monastery in Northern California. They were invited to have a conversation on how to spread the Buddhadharma and promote meditation in a multicultural environment. More than 160 Easterners and Westerners were in attendance to listen to the dialogue between the two masters on their exploration and practice of Buddhist teachings.

During their conversation, the two religious leaders of different genders, races, and cultural backgrounds explored how to share the compassion and wisdom of the Buddha's teachings with people of different cultures and religions. They both agreed that, in a multicultural environment, we should proactively interact with other religions in the spirit of "seeking common ground while respecting differences." By interacting with other religions, we can have a better knowledge of our own beliefs from their perspectives, and respect one another while learning from them.


During the event, a question was raised: as Buddhists, how do we deal with the various tragedies in the world, such as pandemics and wars? Reverend Master Meian Elbert pointed out that imperfection is the reality of life. We should all learn from our own suffering while helping others to cope with theirs in life. When seeing other people's misfortunes or sufferings, we should not judge them, but, instead, pray and dedicate merits for them. On the other hand, Venerable Guo Huei quoted Master Sheng Yen's "Four Steps for Handling a Problem" to teach people to calmly accept impermanence in the face of difficult situations, such as pandemics, and to pay more attention to the present rather than worry about the future. The more people learn and practice Buddhadharma, the further the power of compassion can spread.

In the West, more and more people are learning and practicing meditation, thereby gaining physical and mental benefits from it. Some people are wondering why they should take refuge in the Three Jewels, and whether they can simply take Buddhism as a lifestyle, without having faith in Buddha. Venerable Guo Huei used the analogy of school enrollment to explain that, after taking refuge, one must receive the precepts and uphold them in order to have a truly deep connection with the Three Jewels. Reverend Master Meian Elbert believes that to lead a life according to Buddhist precepts is a way to show the world another lifestyle. To learn and practice the Buddha's teachings is to let go of selfishness, and to spread the compassionate concept that all sentient beings are as a whole. 


At the end of the event, Reverend Master Meian Elbert wished everyone good luck on their journey of learning Buddhism and practicing compassion. Venerable Guo Huei then thanked Shasta Abby Buddhist Monastery for allowing the representatives of the DDM Sangha to visit and learn from them. He also praised the Monastery for bringing Westerners to learn Buddhadharma. He presented the Abbess with gifts of the hanging scroll featuring Master Sheng Yen's replica of calligraphy of "Spiritual Environmental Protection" as well as some books. The Abbess, in turn, presented three meditation books in English to Ven. Guo Huei. 



Original Chinese text / Zhao Guo-siou (趙果修)
Photos / Dharma Drum Mountain San Francisco Bay Area Center
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL