Recent Visitors to Nung Chan Monastery from Oversea

9/28/2001

New and Old Friends from Far Away Places　

On September 27, Venerable M-Anuruddha and Venerable Pandit Madampagama Assaji Thero visited Master Sheng-yen at Nung Chan Monastery. Ven. M-Anuruddha is from New Zealand, currently Chairperson of the United Buddhist Council of New Zealand and abbot of Sri Lanka Buddhist Temple in New Zealand. Ven. M. Assaji Nayaka Thero is from Sri Lanka. He is the executive secretary of the Inter Religious Peace Foundation, and President of Ruhunv Praja Kendraya -- a social service and social work organization. Master Sheng-yen asked about the social and religious conditions in Sri Lanka, and the political and ethnic conflict there. Ven. M-Anuruddha invited Master Sheng-yen to propagate Buddha Dharma in New Zealand, and reported the status of Buddhism there.  Master Sheng-yen gave each of them a copy of "Hoofprint of the Ox", a recent comprehensive book of his Chan teachings. In response to Ven. M-Anuruddha's call for supporting materials for dharma propagation in New Zealand, Master Sheng-yen provided him with more than 20 popular booklets in English or Chinese. They also discussed the possibility of future scholar/student exchange programs.

Mr. Bawa Jain, Secretary General of the Millennium World Peace Summit, visited Master Sheng-yen at Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Culture and Nung Chan Monastery on September 19 and 20. Mr. Bawa Jain has known Master Sheng-yen since the days preparing the UN Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders.  Sharing a common sense of mission and an interest in interreligious dialogue and world peace, the two were quickly engaged in intense discussion on the role of religious leaders in promoting world peace, and how religious understanding could impact society and the world. The discussion during the first visit on the 19th was so stimulating that Mr. Bawa Jain decided to pay a second visit on the next day. Mr. Bawa Jain was in Taiwan for the International Conference on Religious Cooperation from September 18 to 20. 
 

New Disciples of Master Sheng-yen from the Overseas

Mr. Volker Olles from Germany visited Master Sheng-yen at Nung Chan Monastery on September 10. Mr. Olles teaches at the Asian Study Institute of Humboldt University in Berlin. He is also engaged in the research for his doctoral thesis. He has been interested in Buddhism and Chan for a long time , and has learned about Master Sheng-yen through one of his lineage disciple, John Crook, in Europe. He decided to come to Taiwan to learn about Dharma Drum Mountain and to experience Master Sheng-yen's Chan teaching first hand. He will stay in the Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies for a few weeks. Mr. Olles speaks perfect Mandarin Chinese. Master Sheng-yen encouraged him to give rise to the wish of propagating Chan teaching in Germany one day.

Mr. Denial Mair from the United States visited Master Sheng-yen on September 12. Mr. Mair had wanted to meet a good teacher and take refuge in Three Jewels, and came to Nung Chan Monastery through a friend who was a graduate of the Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies and student of Master Sheng-yen. He speaks, reads and writes Chinese fluently. Master Sheng-yen instructed him to learn through practice and cultivation, to avoid the trapping of intellectual games. Both Mr. Olles and Mr. Mair took refuge in Three Jewels on September 9 in Nung Chan Monastery.