DDSU Held the Admission Briefing to Explain the Meaning of Renunciation

Master Sheng Yen, the founder of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM), once said: "All sentient beings need Buddhadharma and Buddhist communities must nurture monastic talents among the young." With this vision, Dharma Drum Sangha University (DDSU) held an admission briefing starting at 9 a.m. on March 23^rd, 2025 in the Activity Room at Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) World Center for Buddhist Education. The event attracted 34 people participating in-person and 11 prospective students joining via live steaming from Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and Canada. In addition, nine family members of the aspirants attended the briefing to gain a deeper understanding of monastic life and the educational ideal of DDSU. 

In the lively opening activity "happy monastic," Ven. Guo Guang (果光法師), Vice Dean of DDSU, applied the method of Chan to guide everyone in the practice of the contemplation of loving-kindness and compassion, thereby reminding everyone that "kindness and compassion have no enemies, and wisdom engenders no vexations." She hoped that the participants as well as herself aspire to be happy, compassionate, and wise monastics. 

In the postulants' sharing session of their experience with admission examination and monastic life, Kuan Liang (寬諒), emphasized that one's motivation to pursue renunciation is way more crucial than merely figuring out answers for exam questions. Kuan Mu (寬穆) indicated how they manage to overcome their obstacles in the English proficiency test by persistently performing daily practice and reviewing questions from past tests. Kuan Jeng (寬證) encouraged everyone to persevere with the aspiration to pursue renunciation through sharing the challenges they encountered. Kuan Bo (寬博) gently reminded everyone to keep on practicing regular and repentance prostrations during their exam preparation period. 

The on-site participants indicated that they found the sharing session helpful and proposed various questions regarding issues on taking care of their family members, dealing with their properties, and organ donation. Ven. Guo Guang indicated that the Sangha will provide support for monastics to take care of their family members in need of help. Ven. Yan Qing (演清法師), the Director of DDSU's General Service Office, used his personal experience to show that renunciation does not mean losing one's family, but, in fact, entails gaining more support. 

The online overseas participants focused more on how to communicate their pursuit of renunciation with their families. Ven. Chang Fa (常法法師), the Director of DDSU's Counseling Office for Nuns, indicated that aspirants must first empathize with their family's reluctance to be parted from them. Instead of defending their decision, the aspirants are encouraged to patiently listen to their family members' concerns and be consistently grateful. One of the participants shared that he has maintained the idea of renunciation for over a decade, during which he gradually deepened his cultivation in dissolving the notion of self. This year, he found a proper timing to let his family know of his pursuit of renunciation, which was supported by his family. 

A participant who worked as a social worker attended the briefing with her father. She shared that social work and monastic work are both altruistic careers, but the latter aims to purify human minds. Despite his reluctance to part with his daughter, her father respects her thoughtful decision. By sharing her motivation for renunciation, Ven. Guo Guang also encouraged the prospective students to courageously dedicate themselves to benefiting all sentient beings using the power of great aspirations. 

According to DDSU, after admission, the students will take courses on basic Buddhist studies during the first and the second years. During their third year, students will continue their study either with Buddhist study program or with Chan practice program based on their wish and academic performance. For the 2025 Admission Brochure, previous exam questions, exam schedule, and more, please visit DDSU's official website at https://www.ddsu.org/index_en.php. The registration is open from March 15^th to May 10^th, 2025.



Original Chinese text / Dharma Drum Sangha University
Photos / Li Jia-Chun (李佳純)
Translation / Li Siang-ling
Editing / Keith Brown, YKL