Continuing the Mission: Venerable Guo Huei Reappointed as Dharma Drum Mountain’s 8th Abbot President

On May 19, the Sangha of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) held the 9th Sangha Representatives Conference at the Auxiliary Hall of the Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education. During the meeting, the current Abbot President, Venerable Guo Huei (果暉法師), officially assumed office as the 8th Abbot President and took the oath of office. Representing the Sangha, Venerable Chang Guang (常寬法師), chair of the Abbot Appointment Committee, presented the official letter of appointment for the 8th Abbot President of the Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Order, with Venerable Chang Chii (常啓法師), representing the Xianshou Assembly (賢首會), serving as witness. A total of 62 Sangha representatives and members of the Xianshou Assembly attended in person, with 70 participants overall. Sangha representatives carrying out Dharma propagation overseas joined via video conference.
 
Under the guidance of the spiritual ideals and teachings of the DDM founder, Master Sheng Yen, and following the mandate of the Dharma Drum Mountain Sangha Assembly, the Abbot President formally continued his service as the 8th Abbot President before the representatives of the Sangha. In his oath, the Abbot President stated that he would uphold the Dharma, monastic precepts, and the regulations, bylaws, and principles of Dharma Drum Mountain; fulfill his responsibilities conscientiously as the Abbot President; and uphold and support the monastic community. 

Venerable Guo Huei also vowed to dedicate himself to carrying on and putting into practice the founder's ideals, spirit, direction, and methods in establishing Dharma Drum Mountain to serve the community, and regarding promoting Chinese Chan Buddhism as his mission so that it may continue to flourish in the world. He further prayed for the compassionate protection of the Three Jewels to remain mindful of karma at all times, strictly uphold the precepts everywhere, continue learning, make and fulfill vows, and, finally, repay the kindness of the Three Jewels, all sentient beings, and the Sangha.

Venerable Guo Huei first succeeded Venerable Guo Dong (果東法師) in 2018 as the 6th Abbot President, becoming the third Abbot President in Dharma Drum Mountain's history. In 2022, he was reappointed as the 7th Abbot President. On February 5 this year, the Sangha Assembly approved his continuation as the 8th Abbot President.

Reflecting on DDM's history, the Abbot President recalled that in August 1999, Master Sheng Yen convened the "First Global Dharma Drum Mountain Sangha Assembly" at Nung Chan Monastery, where monastics discussed the future direction of Dharma Drum Mountain and concrete methods for moving toward institutionalization and internationalization. After years of effort, the Dharma Drum Mountain Sangha has established a comprehensive system that allows the community to act in accordance with the Dharma, monastic discipline, and institutional regulations.

The Abbot President further noted that over the past decade, despite the founder's passing and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dharma Drum Mountain has continued to move forward steadily and expand its Dharma propagation efforts both domestically and internationally. This has been made possible not only because of its well-established institutional system, but also due to the collective support of the fourfold Buddhist community of monastics and lay practitioners. Looking ahead, he emphasized that Dharma Drum Mountain must continue striving toward greater youth engagement so that Chinese Chan Buddhism may continue to be transmitted and developed for generations to come, thereby carrying the vows forward from one generation to the next.

Original text in Chinese and photos: Dharma Drum Mountain Cultural Center 
Translation: Patricia Yang 
Editing: Keith Brown