Hsinhsing Monastery Hosted Year-End Gratitude Gathering to Welcome the Lunar New Year

On January 12^th, 2025, Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) Hsinhsing Monastery in Taitung invited 135 volunteers who support and fundraise for DDM, through a year-end gratitude gathering starting from 9:00 a.m., in which the DDM Sangha expressed blessings and loving care to the participants. The event was simultaneously livestreamed with its counterparts at DDM affiliates around the world.

Ven. Guo Huei (果暉法師), the Abbot President of DDM, gave a Dharma talk which was livestreamed to express his wishes to Dharma supporters and devotees on site and around the world. He first thanked DDM monastic members and laypeople for their dedication and devotion. He then pointed out that 2025 is a significant year for DDM. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to generate the power of great aspiration so as to realize DDM's core value of protecting the spiritual environment. This can be realized by having great aspirations, keeping good intentions, speaking kind words, and doing good deeds, thereby setting our fortunes in a positive direction. In this way, we not only can help others but also improve ourselves while we build a pure land on earth together. Chang Chang-pang (張昌邦), President of DDM General Association of Dharma Supporters, expressed his appreciation for the support of the volunteers, which facilitates the work of Dharma propagation. He indicated that the volunteers are the most beautiful assets of DDM, and he sincerely appealed to everyone to continue to generate and realize meritorious wishes. He also wished everyone to be replete with blessings, wisdom, peace, and well-being.

On behalf of DDM Sangha, Ven. Guo Shyan (果賢法師), Managing Director of DDM Cultural Center, came to Taitung to send loving care for the local devotees. She expressed her gratitude for being able to revisit Hsinhsing Monastery. Moreover, with DDM's 2025 annual theme "The Power of Great Aspiration, Ven. Guo Shyan encouraged everyone to have aspirations and to fulfill them all the time. As long as we have aspirations we will have the power to achieve them. She also emphasized that DDM's spirit is to "be grateful, repay kindness," and devotees can repay the kindness they've received from others through practicing Buddhist teachings. In addition to practicing the teachings, Ven. Guo Shyan hoped that devotees can support and propagate the Dharma, thereby becoming happy Buddhist disciples and sharing the benefits of Buddhadharma with as many people as possible. Ven. Guo Shyan also reminded everyone once again to be thankful for having the virtuous karmic roots to be exposed to the Three Jewels and learn Buddhist teachings. Therefore, we should feel joyful first, smile often, and build good connections with people. If we can practice the three aspects of eliminating karmic hindrances, cultivating meritorious blessings, and building good interpersonal connections, we will become happier, and our mind will become purer.

Li Fu-mei (李富美), a caring volunteer of the Senior Citizen Class, and her husband, Wang Tz-chiuan (汪子權), shared that it was their first time to participate in the gratitude gathering, and they were happy to have such a great opportunity to come to the monastery and accompany the elders in their learning and growth. They realized that, as a caring volunteer of the Senior Citizen Class, it is not that the elders need them, but that they learn more from them. They mentioned that they often listen to late Master Sheng Yen's Dharma talks by watching the Great Dharma Drum videos, and they find each video clip short but helpful to them. 

In order to thank the Dharma supporters and devotees of Hsinhsing Monastery for their support and dedication, the volunteers in the kitchen prepared hearty handmade dishes and the popular dessert "Soft Hearted Red Dates" (心太軟, stuffed red dates with sticky rice balls) in advance. Chef Jan Shu-luan (詹樹鑾) said that the vegetarian meals served at the monastery are usually quite simple, but for the lunch at the gratitude gathering, they made it lavish to express Hsinhsing Monastery's gratitude and blessings to the devotees.

At the end of the event, Ven. Guo Yueh (果悅法師), Director of Hsinhsing Monastery, and the Venerables on site thanked the volunteers for their hard work and dedication, encouraging everyone to continue to support the propagation of Buddhist teachings. Hsinhsing Monastery also gave out a book titled "The Power of Great Aspiration" to everyone, and invited them to make a vow and to wish one another well by writing a prayer card before Welcoming Guanyin at the reception.



Original Chinese text / Pan-li Yung-chi (潘李泳淇)
Photos / Tsau Li-hua (曹麗華)
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL