2023 July 30th outdoor caring event with the Former Abbot President Venerable Guo Dong at Macquarie University

It was a wonderful opportunity to partake in the outdoor caring event with the Former Abbot President Venerable Guo Dong (退居方丈果東法師), Venerable Chang Cheng (常楨法師) from Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) Taiwan as well as the new Guiding Venerable of DDM Australia, Venerable Guo Chwan (果傳法師) on Sunday, 30th July 2023, held at Macquarie University, Sydney.
 
It was an enlightening day in learning and gaining more theoretical understanding as well as the practical application of the dharma in our daily lives with many others in the community.
 
In the morning, participants were invited to engage in a series of games to learn about the dharma. For example, there was a game to practice mindfulness and concentration through moving the balls, along the cardboard tubes. The participants then enjoyed a lovely lunch under the beautiful sunny weather engaging in dialogue, sharings and conversations on the dharma.
 
In the afternoon there was a mindfulness-oriented game in carrying bowls filled with water, in navigating differing barriers in representing the challenges faced in life. The participants were invited to concentrate and be mindful in the process whilst carrying the bowl, in representing how our mind can be altered and affected by external states and conditions, and to try to be still, calm and practical mindfulness amidst all the adversities that may occur in one's life journey.
 
It was then followed by the highlight of the day, a dharma talk given by the Former Abbot President, Venerable Guo Dong, in which he reinforced the concepts of wisdom and compassion. There was also a Question and Answer session where participants asked questions such as how to live a meaningful life, in which Venerable Guo Dong shared the importance of cultivating wisdom and blessing through shifting one's mindset from continually thinking of oneself to supporting and helping others. This is evident with the theoretical concepts of the 6 Paramitas, including generosity, ethical discipline, patience, heroic effort, concentration, and wisdom.
 
Thank you sincerely to Dharma Drum Mountain Sydney for the memorable, enlightening and wonderful day in sharing and learning the dharma with many like-minded peers and practitioners.


Written by: Nina Lee
Photo: Dharma Drum Mountain Sydney