About DDM
Ven. Guo Huei, the Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain
Venerable Guo Huei (果暉) was born in Yunlin, Taiwan, in 1958. He was ordained by Master Sheng Yen in 1985, and later earned a PhD in Literature from Rissho University in Japan. Over the years, he served as the Master’s attendant and secretary, monastic advisor to the DDM Meditation Group and the Engineering and Maintenance Office, among other roles, viewing each as an opportunity to practice the bodhisattva path of benefiting both self and others. In 2005, Master Sheng Yen designated him as one of his Dharma heirs. Since September 2018, he has been successively elected by the Sangha as the sixth, seventh, and eighth Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain.
Raised in a farming family in Dounan, Yunlin County, Ven. Guo Huei began exploring the meaning of life during his high school years. While studying at National Taiwan University, he joined the university's Buddhist student society and participated in Chan practice activities led by Master Sheng Yen. Through these experiences, he found his calling and set the direction for his life. During his military service, he spent many of his days off attending Chan retreats or serving as a volunteer at the retreats. Soon after completing his military service, he moved into Nung Chan Monastery as a postulant. The following year, he was ordained as a monastic and given the Dharma name Guo-Huei Zheng-Yuan (果暉正遠).
At Master Sheng Yen’s instruction, Ven. Guo Huei spent a year studying at Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Thailand in 1991. After returning to Taiwan, he was appointed Director-in-Chief of DDM Sangha. In 1997, with Master Sheng Yen’s encouragement and the support of the Sangha, he went to Japan for further studies at Rissho University. He obtained a master’s degree in 2000 and a PhD in Literature in 2005. His doctoral dissertation was entitled “A Study of the Path of Practice: Focusing on the Foshuo Da Anban Shouyi Jing T602 (修行道之研究——以《佛說大安般守意經》為中心).”
After returning to Taiwan that same year, Ven. Guo Huei continued to carry forward Master Sheng Yen’s compassionate vow and dedicated himself to the cultivation of Buddhist talents. He then served as President of Dharma Drum Sangha University, Director of the Department of Buddhist Studies at Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, and Vice Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain. His research has focused on dhyana meditation, An Shigao studies, early Chinese translations of meditation scriptures, and life-and-death studies. His works include “A Study on the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism Established by Master Sheng Yen,” “The Chan Practices of Zhi and Guan: A Key to Opening Up Our Spiritual Mind,” “Inner Peace Leads to a Blissful Life,” and “From Relaxing to Letting Go: The Wisdom and Wondrous Function of Chan Buddhism.”
Ven. Guo Huei is pure in his observance of the precepts, resolute in his aspiration for the Path, and modest and prudent in character. He works in harmony with others, treating people with respect and cultivating wholesome relationships. He often shares with others his motto for life: “Always relax the body and mind, and smile when meeting people.” He firmly upholds and practices Master Sheng Yen’s ideals and mission of uplifting human character and caring for society through the Threefold Education and the Protecting the Spiritual Environment initiative. Devoted to the DDM Sangha and to Chinese Chan Buddhism, Ven. Guo Huei has earned the recognition and reverence of the DDM community.
Raised in a farming family in Dounan, Yunlin County, Ven. Guo Huei began exploring the meaning of life during his high school years. While studying at National Taiwan University, he joined the university's Buddhist student society and participated in Chan practice activities led by Master Sheng Yen. Through these experiences, he found his calling and set the direction for his life. During his military service, he spent many of his days off attending Chan retreats or serving as a volunteer at the retreats. Soon after completing his military service, he moved into Nung Chan Monastery as a postulant. The following year, he was ordained as a monastic and given the Dharma name Guo-Huei Zheng-Yuan (果暉正遠).
At Master Sheng Yen’s instruction, Ven. Guo Huei spent a year studying at Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Thailand in 1991. After returning to Taiwan, he was appointed Director-in-Chief of DDM Sangha. In 1997, with Master Sheng Yen’s encouragement and the support of the Sangha, he went to Japan for further studies at Rissho University. He obtained a master’s degree in 2000 and a PhD in Literature in 2005. His doctoral dissertation was entitled “A Study of the Path of Practice: Focusing on the Foshuo Da Anban Shouyi Jing T602 (修行道之研究——以《佛說大安般守意經》為中心).”
After returning to Taiwan that same year, Ven. Guo Huei continued to carry forward Master Sheng Yen’s compassionate vow and dedicated himself to the cultivation of Buddhist talents. He then served as President of Dharma Drum Sangha University, Director of the Department of Buddhist Studies at Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, and Vice Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain. His research has focused on dhyana meditation, An Shigao studies, early Chinese translations of meditation scriptures, and life-and-death studies. His works include “A Study on the Dharma Drum Lineage of Chan Buddhism Established by Master Sheng Yen,” “The Chan Practices of Zhi and Guan: A Key to Opening Up Our Spiritual Mind,” “Inner Peace Leads to a Blissful Life,” and “From Relaxing to Letting Go: The Wisdom and Wondrous Function of Chan Buddhism.”
Ven. Guo Huei is pure in his observance of the precepts, resolute in his aspiration for the Path, and modest and prudent in character. He works in harmony with others, treating people with respect and cultivating wholesome relationships. He often shares with others his motto for life: “Always relax the body and mind, and smile when meeting people.” He firmly upholds and practices Master Sheng Yen’s ideals and mission of uplifting human character and caring for society through the Threefold Education and the Protecting the Spiritual Environment initiative. Devoted to the DDM Sangha and to Chinese Chan Buddhism, Ven. Guo Huei has earned the recognition and reverence of the DDM community.