Youth from Multiple Countries Participated in DDM Awakening Camp to Experience Monastic Life

From February 9^th to February 16^th, 2025, Dharma Drum Sangha University (DDSU) held its 22^nd "Awakening Camp" at Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) World Center for Buddhist Education. Led by DDM Sangha, a total of 159 young participants from all over the world, including Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Ireland, the US, and Mexico, experienced monastic life at the Center. With nearly half of the participants coming from overseas, English-Chinese simultaneous interpretation was provided during the programs for non-Mandarin speaking participants.

In addition to courses on various Buddhist teachings, the camp also organized practice sessions such as sitting meditation, liturgy chanting, repentance prostration, pilgrimage, and working meditation. On the morning of February 12^th, Ven. Guo Yi (果毅法師), Managing Director of DDM's Public Buddhist Education Center, gave a talk on the "Buddhist Perspective on Life and Self-Awakening" to help the participants understand how Buddhism perceives life, thereby helping them develop  their own life perspectives. When introducing the concepts of impermanence and samsara in Buddhist teachings, Ven. Guo Yi shared, "Buddhism is not about fatalism, but about the influence and interplay among causes, effects, conditions, and karmic forces. The time and space we live in are infinite."

Ven. Kuan Jing (寬敬法師), the vice chief coordinator of the camp, explained that the main purpose of the camp was for participants to experience monastic life, which involves aspects of spiritual cultivation ranging from being aware of our own vexations to learning how to live with them. During the camp, the Venerables shared with the participants their personal experiences and touching stories of Dharma practice in order to help them learn to awaken themselves, as well as help others to awaken while mindfully experiencing their own lives.

"I feel very blessed to practice Buddhism with so many people and to experience a real sense of community." Naomi from Ireland shared that she had learned a lot from the rich content provided by the camp. She aspired to apply what she had learned here in her daily life and to keep developing bodhicitta.



Original Chinese text / Fu Li-xian (傅莉嫻)
Photos / Fu Li-xian (傅莉嫻), Chen Ching-yuan (陳清源), Dharma Drum Sangha University
Video / Chen Ching-yuan (陳清源), Fu Li-xian (傅莉嫻)
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL