'Chan: Portable Happiness' - Public Talk on the Benefits of Chan

'Chan: Portable Happiness' - Public Talk on the Benefits of Chan

Post
Subscribe

Posted 2013-09-05 by Mila Woodfollow

Sun 15 Sep 2013

"The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, and forgiveness." (Dalai Lama)

The Venerable Guo Dong, the Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain will honourably be gracing Sydney on the 15th of September to deliver a talk on Buddhism and how it can be a useful tool to bring happiness upon oneself.



Venerable Guo Dong is the Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain: a Buddhist association founded by the renowned Scholar and teacher of Chan Buddhism Chan Master Shen Yeng.



In 1993 he was ordained under Venerable Master Sheng Yen. (One of the four prominent modern Buddhist masters and was one of the keynote speakers in the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held in the United Nations. ) Among the accolades bestowed to Venerable Guo Dong are the following;

a. As a personal assistant for the Venerable Master Sheng Yen.
b. As guiding Dharma teacher of both the End-of-Life Chanting Group and the General Association of Dharma Upholders.
c. As supervisor of the Caring Service Department, and as deputy provost of the Monks' Department of the Sangha. (meaning "association", "assembly," "company" or "community" and most commonly refers in Buddhism to the monastic community of ordained Buddhist monks or nuns.

In 2005, he was among the Master's Dharma heirs at the Dharma Transmission Ceremony; then September 2006, he became DDM's second abbot president and finally in 2007, respectfully succeeded as president of Dharma Drum Sangha University.

But prior to his ordination, Venerable Guo Dong had been searching for the meaning and value of life. He once participated in a seven-day Chan retreat guided by Venerable Master Sheng Yen, where the Master say in his Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) talk that "the Bodhi Mind means giving of oneself to serve others, performing meaningful things," then realising that he found the answer and a focus point in life. Hence the decision to live a monastic life, and vowed to devote his life to the Three Jewels and all sentient beings.

He changed the concept of funeral and burial practices in Taiwan by successfully promoting simple, pure and solemn funeral ceremonies in line with Buddhism.

He is the first to lead the relief workers following the several natural disasters that inflicted stricken areas; he comforted the victims, performed funerary rites and offer emergency relief on behalf of DDM.

He had travelled extensively worldwide to spread the Buddhadharma, (the teaching of Buddha), participated in major seminars, gave speeches to various Universities, and delivered care to communities, in his simple, humorous and vivid language.

In his inauguration as Abbot President, Venerable Guo Dong took the oath to give himself for the benefit of all, to continue, spread and enable the perpetual existence of Chinese Buddhism as his mission, thus realizing Venerable Master Sheng yen's ideals, spirits, guidelines and approaches in founding DDM. Deeming him as most highly regarded by Venerable Master Shen Yeng.

According to the Dalai Lama;
"If you can cultivate the right attitude, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers because their presence provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop tolerance, patience and understanding."

On this much awaited rare visit, why don't you set aside a few hours of your day? Enlightenment might not come your way, but at least it might ignite something deep in your soul and perhaps find what you're searching for.

It will be held on New Law School Theatre - University of Sydney, starting at 3pm sharp until 5pm. It's free to attend, but it would be advisable to book your seat on www.ddm.org.au.



**Getting there;
**
By train
Catch a train to Redfern train station, and then take a 10-minute walk to the main campus.

Free buses run to and from Fisher Library and Redfern station in the evening during semester.

By bus from the City
For stops on Parramatta Road (closest to the Quadrangle) catch routes 412, 413, 435, 436, 437, 438, 440, 461, 480 from George Street or Railway Square.

For stops on City Road (closest to Darlington Campus) catch routes 422, 423, 426, 428 from Castlereagh Street or Railway Square.

By bus - cross routes
Route 370 runs between Coogee and Leichhardt. Alight on City Rd for Sydney University.

Route 352 runs between Bondi Junction and Marrickville. Alight on City Rd for Sydney University

#free
#nsw
#personal_development
#cbd
#city
#unusual_events
#september
!date 15/09/2013 -- 15/09/2013
%wnsydney
136151 - 2023-06-13 12:15:35

Tags

Free
Outdoor
Festivals
Music
Markets
Nightlife
Fundraisers
Family_friendly
Community
Arts_culture
Food_drink
Educational
Random
Theatre_shows
Holiday
Copyright 2024 OatLabs ABN 18113479226