A Blueprint for World Buddhism: Venerable Guo Shing (果興法師) Discusses Master Sheng Yen's Founding Mission

Editor's Note:
Venerable Guo Shing, who once served as head of Dharma Drum Mountain's Chan Hall, was assigned to assist with its construction when the site was still desolate. He recalls Master Sheng Yen's words that Dharma Drum Mountain was not intended to be a traditional monastery, but rather a "World Center for Buddhist Education" to cultivate modern Chinese Buddhist talent and promote the compassionate and wise Dharma of the human world.
Let us follow Venerable Guo Shing in delving into Master Sheng Yen's life experiences, exploring the significance of Dharma Drum Mountain's architecture and how it strives to purify the human mind and society through the promotion of the Threefold Education, becoming a model for future world Buddhism.
 
■ Editorial Office

Q: Why is Dharma Drum Mountain called the "World Center for Buddhist Education," and what is the significance of this name?

From the outset, Dharma Drum Mountain was not positioned as a traditional Buddhist monastery. Instead, it was established as an educational institution, formally registered with the Ministry of Education. My vision for its architecture should reflect the Buddhist educational complex rooted in this era and this region of Taiwan— a contemporary Buddhist complex embodying educational functions.
—Master Sheng Yen, A Collection of Speeches by Master Sheng Yen

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the inauguration of the Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education. Looking back on its founding, it feels like a promise spanning millennia — one that began with the collective aspirations of great bodhisattvas and the initiatives of virtuous friends from around the world, after Chinese Buddhism had taken root. In response to the goodwill of the world, the fourfold assembly of the Buddha's disciples joined together to manifest the function of Chinese Chan Buddhism in the form of a World Buddhist Education Park, integrating the Threefold Education and the Four Kinds of Environmentalism into daily life.
These incredible achievements began with Master Sheng Yen's lifelong hardships and his experience of the revelation of Buddhist teachings on life, which gave rise to the vision of a Pure Land on Earth that we now share with the world.

 
Twenty-five years ago, as I stood in the temporary dormitory (now the Lotus Academy) and the large parking lot, watching the buildings slowly rise on the Mountain, I wondered what influence such a large monastery might have in the future. At the time, I was assigned to the Mountain to work on interior audio installations and to prepare for the opening of Dharma Drum Sangha University the following year (2001).

Earlier, Master Sheng Yen had told his disciples at Nung Chan Monastery: "Disciples of the 'Guo' generation do not have the opportunity to attend a Buddhist college, so you must first cultivate merit and serve future generations of talented individuals. Dharma Drum Mountain was established as a world center for Buddhist education to cultivate modern Chinese Buddhist talent and promote the compassionate and wise Dharma of the human world."

This was because what Master Sheng Yen encountered in his childhood primarily involved temples serving as places for worshiping or chanting. In contrast the content taught at Buddhist colleges focused on traditional Buddhist terminology and recitation, lacking integration with practice and relevance to everyday life. Therefore, the Master always held this aspiration in his mind.
Life is full of challenges. In 1949, Master Sheng Yen arrived in Taiwan with the army. At a certain dock during that war-torn era, the decision he made to board the ship not only changed his own life but also influenced the future of Chinese Buddhism.
 
In 1960, Master Sheng Yen met Master Dongchu, who ran a Buddhist college in Beitou. The monastery founded by Master Dongchu was not given a traditional temple name, but was called the "Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture." At the time, Master Dongchu was overseeing the photocopying of 500 sets of the Tripitaka. His emphasis on education and culture inspired Master Sheng Yen to become his monastic disciple, receiving the Dharma name "Huikong Shengyen." While training under Master Dongchu’s guidance, Master Sheng Yen served as editor-in-chief of Humanity Magazine and assisted the institute with winter relief activities. These experiences left him deeply moved by the suffering and displacement of people in the post-war period.

Master Sheng Yen subsequently spent six years in solitary retreat at Chaoyuan Temple in Meinong. During this time, he compiled his insights from the original Agamas and Vinaya texts into two books, which later became classic textbooks of modern Buddhism. This achievement can be considered the fulfillment of a vow he had made as a young novice monk at Langshan, when he first aspired: "The Dharma is so great, yet so few people know it, and so many misunderstand it." To realize this aspiration, he interpreted the profound sutras and Vinaya in the vernacular, making them accessible to modern readers.

In 1969, at the age of forty, Master Sheng Yen resolved to pursue studies in Japan. Before departing, he prayed before the Buddha, "Disciple Sheng Yen is going to Japan to study for the revitalization of Chinese Buddhist culture and education." While abroad, he focused on the study of late Ming Dynasty Buddhism, hoping to pass on its legacy and the wisdom of Chinese Buddhism. Six years later, he received his doctorate, thereby establishing a solid academic foundation for the future of Buddhist higher education.
 
Q: How will the concept of the educational center be implemented?

At Dharma Drum Mountain, we are currently promoting the Threefold Education: Extensive Academic Education, Extensive Public Buddhist Education and Extensive Social Care Education. Through these three educational initiatives, we aim to purify society and people's minds—this is the bodhisattva path that benefits both self and others. Such efforts are not only necessary for the future of global society, but will also provide the best conditions for the long-term survival and promotion of Buddhism.
                       —Master Sheng Yen, A Pilgrimage to the Wellsprings of Chan

While studying abroad, Master Sheng Yen noticed that traditional Japanese temples had developed modern cultural and educational organizations to spread the Dharma, which left a profound impact on him. After completing his studies, he went to the United States, where he launched the English-language magazine Chan at Temple of Enlightenment in the United States, followed by the founding of the Chan Meditation Center and the publication of the monthly Chan Newsletter. In 1982, he established Dharma Drum Publications to further promote Buddhist culture.

In Taiwan, Master Sheng Yen established Dongchu Publishing House at the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture and resumed publication of Humanity Magazine. At Nung Chan Monastery, adhering to the principle of "simultaneous cultivation of concentration and wisdom," he promoted a variety of Buddhist education and practice activities, including Dharma Assemblies, Meditation Group, Buddha-name Chanting Group, and Association of Dharma Supporters. He also organized lectures, theme-based seminars, and long-term Buddhist education programs. These activities allowed the public to gradually absorb the Dharma and put into practice "Protecting the Spiritual Environment" and the "Fivefold Spiritual Renaissance," thereby realizing Extensive Public Buddhist Education that combined the cultivation of merit and wisdom.

In addition, Master Sheng Yen's in-depth studies in Japan provided him with a broad perspective on academic Buddhist studies. After returning to Taiwan, he founded the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies at the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture, proposing the motto: "Rooted in China yet maintaining a global perspective; specializing in Buddhist studies and protecting the Dharma; fostering mutual support between understanding and practice as well as compassion and wisdom; prioritizing practical application and putting altruism first." Later, he established Dharma Drum Mountain in Jinshan District, New Taipei City, an educational institution registered with the Ministry of Education. By emphasizing practice alongside academic research, the institution laid the foundation for Extensive Academic Education in modern Buddhism, which eventually led to the establishment of Dharma Drum Sangha University, the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, and the Dharma Drum College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Master Taixu's concept of Humanistic Buddhism advocates that Buddhist disciples practice the Ten Wholesome Actions and cultivate bodhisattva conduct in the human world, thereby benefiting society and transforming the saha world into a pure land. This concept, passed down from Master Dongchu to Master Sheng Yen, has been further promoted by encouraging adherents to actively participate in volunteer groups, recitation groups, merit-field programs, community colleges, and charitable foundations. Through the practice of Protecting the Social Environment, we promote Buddhist-style joint weddings to build harmonious Buddhist families, study programs for young people, Evergreen Class and Buddhist-style joint birthday celebration for the elderly, as well as Buddhist funerals. Even at the final stage of life, we learn to return to nature, ensuring the sustainable use of the Eco-friendly Memorial Garden, thus forming the Extensive Social Care Education of Humanistic Buddhism.

In addition to promoting the Threefold Education and implementing holistic care, Master Sheng Yen further advocates that Buddhists should make vows of great compassion, diligently observe the Bodhisattva precepts, and practice the Bodhisattva conduct throughout each lifetime of reincarnation. From birth until the end of this life, we should live in accordance with the Dharma and dedicate ourselves to serving society. He also emphasized that this is the spiritual legacy of the fourfold assembly—serving not only as a model for future generations, but also as a virtuous karmic root for our future return to the human world.

Q: What educational implications do the facilities at Dharma Drum Mountain convey? How would you interpret this?

At that time, when Nung Chan Monastery was facing demolition due to an urban planning project, Master Sheng Yen led his disciples in chanting the Great Compassion Mantra. Through their sincerity, they were eventually able to find the land that became Dharma Drum Mountain.

When Master first arrived at the undeveloped mountain, he chose a location in the dense forest behind the mountain. While meditating on a rock, he felt tranquil and focused, entering a state of silent illumination. He decided that this would be the site of the Chan Hall. Later, under a century-old red-fruit fig tree, gazing out over the plains and ocean in the distance, he designated the site for the Library and Education Building. These core buildings symbolize the dual meanings of practicing meditation and developing wisdom.

Then, on the site of the old Guanyin Hall, the Wish-fulfilling Guanyin Hall was planned, which enshrined the "Island Guanyin." In fact, over 30 years ago, a mountain spring flowed behind the old hall. When the old Guanyin Hall was demolished, I saw five-colored soil and Tai Chi stones being dug out from its foundation. I believe that the three plaques inside and outside the Wish-fulfilling Guanyin Hall reflect the spiritual meaning that Master Sheng Yen sought to convey—the Tiantai school's sequence of Guanyin practice: emptiness, provisional positing, and the mean.


Beneath the Grand Buddha Hall in the First Building, Master Sheng Yen has established an "underground palace" to house Buddhist artifacts, scheduled to be opened a thousand years later. Above, a Buddhist hall built in harmony with the contours of the terrain bears a plaque inscribed with "The True Nature." This conveys the hope that visitors to the Mountain will experience the monastery not only from the perspective of "form," but also from the "formless" perspective of huatou in Chan Buddhism—guiding them to experience Chan as a spiritual reflection of their own nature, and to realize that all beings inherently possess Buddha nature.
 
In 2006, the Lotus Bell Tower was built in the hinterland of Longshan, on the left side of the mountain. It is prayed that the sound of the Lotus Bell will awaken the sentient beings of the three realms. The Sanmen at the main entrance was also built before the confluence of two streams, with a plaque on the lintel inscribed "Guanyin Monastery." On the right side of the mountain, in the hinterland of Xiangshan, the Eco-friendly Memorial Garden was designed as an ash burial site. Later, I discovered that the Lotus Bell Tower, the Guanyin Monastery, and the Eco-friendly Memorial Garden align in a straight line; likewise, the Education Building, the Welcoming Guanyin statue, and the National Taiwan University Hospital Jinshan Branch also form a straight line. To me, this alignment symbolizes the universal confusion over birth, aging, sickness, and death that set Shakyamuni Buddha on the path to enlightenment. This path continues in the present era and has become the central focus of lifelong education at the World Center for Buddhist Education.
 
In his later years, Master Sheng Yen stated in a 2008 media interview: "Human life—both living and after death—is integrated at Dharma Drum Mountain. We have an education center and a memorial garden. The education center is global, and the memorial garden is eternal—both in space and time, they are boundless."
 
Thus, I believe that Chinese Chan Buddhism—which teaches that after enlightenment one no longer fears life and death—embodies the essence of the entire Buddhadharma. Chinese Chan Buddhism can demonstrate to the global Buddhist community that the core of Humanistic Buddhism is spiritual purification. Practical cultivation is based on a life of contentment and few desires. Human-centered ethical environmental protection prioritizes dedication and respect for the sustainable natural environment. Purifying the human world through the eternal life of the bodhisattva is precisely the faith most needed in this world.



Related articles: 

An Invitation for All Devotees to Return to Their Roots

Inauguration of the Center and Establishing of the Dharma Drum Lineage: A Shared Vow of Inheritance and Innovation

20th Anniversary of the Inauguration of the Dharma Drum Mountain World Center for Buddhist Education

A Blueprint for World Buddhism: Venerable Guo Shing (果興法師) Discusses Master Sheng Yen's Founding Mission

Dharma Drum Mountain 20th Anniversary Gratitude Ceremony "Myriad Practices • Original Aspiration" Program Overview

Resource: Humanity Magazine No. 498
Photo: Humanity Magazine No. 498, Fan Lee (李東陽)
Translation: James  
Editing: Keith Brown, Venerable Yan Hsiang (演香法師)