DDM Sangha Welcomes Six Newly Ordained Monastic Members on the Birthday of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva

At 9 a.m. on September 21, the birthday of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva according to lunar calendar, the "2025 Tonsure Ceremony" was held at the Grand Buddha Hall of Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education. At the invitation of Dharma Drum Sangha University, DDM Abbot President Venerable Guo Huei (果暉法師), former Abbot President Venerable Guo Dong (果東法師), Vice Abbot Abbess Venerable Guo Shyang (果祥法師), along with Venerable Guo Jin (果鏡法師), Venerable Guo Ming (果明法師), and Venerable Guo Tzang (果奘法師), who performed the head-shaving ritual for six postulants, formally ordaining them as novices.

Amid blessings and well-wishes from nearly 600 family members and friends in attendance, Venerable Guo Huei encouraged the six newly ordained novice monks and nuns to emulate the great vows and deep filial piety of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. He also conferred upon them Dharma names within the Chan lineage as follows: Kuanliang Huizhi (寬諒慧直), Kuanchong Huihong (寬崇慧閎), Kuanyu Huijing (寬瑜慧璟), Kuanjia Huiqing (寬佳慧清), Kuanpu Huichun (寬樸慧淳), Kuanyi Huichan (寬意慧禪).
 
Venerable Guo Huei, on behalf of the DDM Sangha, also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the families of the newly ordained novices for offering their children to society—a merit of great and boundless virtue. He encouraged the novices to diligently cultivate the Dharma to correct their actions of body, speech, and mind, starting from themselves to help purify minds and improve social values—thereby uplifting the character of humanity and building a Pure Land on Earth. He added that, by offering themselves to the world, they are repaying the kindness of the Buddha, their parents, and all sentient beings.

Venerable Guo Dong addressed the newly ordained and fellow monastics, emphasizing that Buddhist practice is about eliminating ignorance and afflictions such as greed, anger, and delusion through precepts (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā). He encouraged everyone to collectively advance toward the mission of "spiritual environmentalism as the core, promoting Chinese Chan Buddhism, and achieving global purification through Threefold Education."
 
After receiving the tonsure, Venerable Kuan Jia (寬佳法師) expressed heartfelt gratitude to her parents, who live in Macau: "Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your broad-mindedness and your selfless support, like that of Bodhisattvas." She shared that she chose the monastic path in the hopes of discovering how to navigate both favorable and adverse circumstances through lived experience. She aspires to share the confidence and growth gained from practice with others to benefit the world.
 
Venerable Kuan Yu (寬瑜法師) shared that the structured and sincere practice life at Dharma Drum Sangha University helped her realize the importance of "calming one's own mind." No matter how turbulent the world becomes, maintaining inner peace and stability is essential. She hopes to share this method of finding peace with others. In addition, she wishes that her friends and family may, through this connection, draw closer to the Dharma and become Buddhist practitioners who can find peace in this and future lives.
 
Venerable Kuan Yi (寬意法師), from Yilan, was showered with blessings from local friends, family, monastics from the Lanyang Branch Monastery, and volunteers. Her father, Lin Yi-feng (林義豐), emotionally expressed his hopes that Venerable Kuan Yi would diligently learn at Dharma Drum Mountain, founded by Master Sheng Yen and embody the authentic Dharma as taught by the Buddha, thereby becoming a true religious teacher who both benefits herself and others.
 
Tan Bao-ping (譚寶萍), who traveled from Sabah, Malaysia with her children and grandchildren to support Venerable Kuan Chong (寬崇法師), joyfully shared: "Congratulations to my son for realizing his wish—may he be happy for life." She also encouraged all the newly ordained to study the Dharma with peace of mind at Dharma Drum Mountain. Hong Wei-qing (洪微青), Venerable Kuan Chong's sister, was deeply moved by the solemnity of the tonsure ceremony. She and many others in the audience were brought to tears, sincerely praying that all the newly ordained may smoothly and safely walk the path of Dharma propagation.



 
◎Original text in Chinese: 張曜鐘
◎Photos: 李佳純、傅莉嫻、姜智育、張曜鐘
◎Translation: Patricia Yang
◎Editing: Keith Brown