It wasn’t the typical drill at Dharma Drum Mountain this weekend.
As many as 5,000 Taiwanese devotees, lay people and monastics escaped the rain and huddled together on Feb. 8 to mourn the fifth anniversary of Chinese Buddhist Master Chan Sheng Yen’s death with a vigil held in his honour.
“He died of cancer one month before my mother did,” said Monica, a Hakka practitioner from Zhongli, who attended the service. “I remember because there was a newspaper article I read at that time. It said this type of Buddhism would die out now that my master has died, and I was really mad.
“Buddhism is a good thing, but too many people misunderstand it, and my master knew this. He used to teach people about it, and now we will continue teaching people about it.”
Yen studied, practised and worked with people in the Republic of China, Japan, the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America. He is widely recognized for taking over Venerable Master Dongchu as the abbot of Nung Chan Monastery and the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist culture in 1978.
He raised awareness about the Buddadharma and converted the methods so everybody could understand and practice Buddhism, but students who followed Yen outnumbered the resources that were available to him in 1989. A plot of land in Jinshan Township, Taipei County, was purchased to cater to his followers, and Yen named it Dharma Drum Mountain.
The cool weather did not hamper or hinder the commemoration of Yen’s life, although it was easy to hear water pouring down the roof of a temporary shelter. It drained off quickly, while the ringing gong reminded people to stay mindful, focused and relaxed while remembering Yen devoted his life to opening people’s eyes to Buddhism.
Buddhism is a widespread religion in Asia that developed a wide variety of spiritual practices to overcome suffering through self-awareness, kindness and compassion.
A procession of Buddhist practitioners and monastics began the service by chanting from the Heart Sutra and placing purple orchids across two large boards of wood covered in artificial grass. Afterwards, a wide variety of nationally elected officials addressed visitors with songs and prayers.
People from all walks of life engaged Yen in interesting dialogues about topics ranging from religion to art, and even history.
But, some people who attended the vigil believe his biggest legacy was teaching about Buddhism in a way that’s easy for everybody to understand.
Yen passed away from cancer on Feb. 3, 2009. His ashes and bones were buried at the Taipei County Jinshan Eco-friendly Memorial Garden where students continue to learn about Dharma.
“I read his biography and it was really humbling,” she said. “But it’s my first time coming to this ceremony. I think it was nice.”
Travelling in Taiwan 