DDM Abbot President Visited Cifa Temple to Express Condolences on the Passing of Elderly Ven. Jing Yao

On January 28^th, 2025, Elderly Ven. Jing Yao (淨耀長老), the president of Buddhist Association of the Republic of China (BAROC) who spent 43 years as a monk, passed away at the age of 72. On the afternoon of January 31^st, Ven. Guo Huei (果暉法師), the Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM), visited Cifa Temple in Tucheng on behalf of DDM to pay homage to Ven. Jing Yao. Accompanying Ven. Guo Huei to offer incense were Ven. Da Huei (大慧法師), the president of the Buddhist Association of Taichung City (臺中市佛教會), and Ven. Kai Shan (開善法師), the disciple of the Elder Ven. Jing Yao. Ven. Guo Huei paid tribute to Elderly Ven. Jing Yao's lifelong dedication to the propagation of Buddhadharma, as well as to the Buddhist community and the society of Taiwan. Ven. Guo Huei was grateful for Elderly Ven. Jing Yao's long-term support and loving care for DDM, and prayed that Elderly Ven. Jing Yao would return to the saha world to fulfill his aspiration of extensively delivering sentient beings.

Born in 1954, Elderly Ven. Jing Yao was the 19^th and currently the 20^th president of BAROC, in addition to serving as the 11^th president of Buddhist Association of Hsinchu City (新竹市佛教會) and the chairman of Jinghua Society Cultural Foundation (淨化社會文教基金會). He was also the abbot of various monasteries and temples. According to Ven. Guo Dong (果東法師), former Abbot President of DDM, Elderly Ven. Jing Yao was a warm-hearted person who always cultivated good relationships with others and tried his best to fulfill any requests for help. It is particularly admirable of Elderly Ven. Jing Yao to commit himself for years to social care by spreading the Dharma to inmates in prisons.

Elderly Ven. Jing Yao, who always venerated DDM founder Master Sheng Yen , had been supportive of DDM. When holding public activities, DDM always welcomes the participation and guidance from the senior members of the Buddhist community. Whenever Ven. Jing Yao had eminent guests or visitors from the Buddhist community, he would also take them to DDM World Center for Buddhist Education and purchased Master Sheng Yen's publications at the Dharma gift shop, sharing them with people from all walks of life. Now that Elderly Ven. Jing Yao has passed away, both monastics and laity of DDM are saddened to lose him, and will forever and always commemorate his contribution. DDM hopes that Elderly Ven. Jing Yao will soon return to the saha world to turn the Wheel of the Dharma again for the sake of all sentient beings.



Original Chinese text / Dharma Drum Mountain Cultural Center
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL