2019.12.31
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Major Events and Milestones of 2019 - Chronicle of Dharma Master Hsin Tao

•In early January, the Master traveled to the LJM International Meditation Center in Yangon to preside over the First Winter School Program of the future University for Life & Peace. The theme of the two-week program was “Marching Toward New Strategies to Treat the Root Cause of the Earth's Ecological Crises”.

•In late January, the Master visited Kuala Lumpur and was guest of honor at the Year-end Party of the Buddhist Society of Malaysia in celebration of the Society's 15th anniversary. The Master expressed great appreciation for the donation of land by a major local patron for future use of the new LJM center in KL.

•From mid-February to early April, the Master led by example the implementation of the 49-day Spring Retreat of Chan Meditation at the LJM Wu Sheng Monastery.

•In mid-March and at the Fullon Hotel in FuLong, the Master graced the occasion of the Ninth Nationwide Award Ceremony to present the Pu-Jen Prizes as one of LJM's initiatives.

•From early April to month's end and at the LJM Wu Sheng Monastery, the Master led the 21-day retreat of “Million Chants of the Great Compassion Mantra”. A bi-annual Guan Yin Initiation of Perfection was held to coincide with the completion of the retreat to mark the great advancement of students of Buddhism and initiate them into Guan Yin's teaching of the Great Compassion Dharma.

•In late April, the Master blessed the ceremony of welcoming new faculty members at the LJM Myanmar Maha Kusala Yama Monastery at Naung Mon. Official letters of appointment were extended to the new deputy headmaster and Bhikkhu instructors.

•From early May to the end of the month, the Master conducted meditation camps in Germany and Austria. The Benedictus Center in Berghof, Germany, was the first stop, followed by the Peace Meditation camp at the Stift Reichersberg in Austria. The opportunity was optimized by meeting Prof. Dr. Ernst Pöppel of the University of Munich, who is on the core team of the think-tank of the future University for Life & Peace.

•Early June saw the Master give lectures on “Initiation & Instruction on the Four Foundational Practices of Tibetan Buddhism” for monks and members of the Nagarjuna Education Center for Life & Peace. For fourteen years since 2005, it was the first such initiation for young Buddhist followers with lectures on the ngöndro practices.

•Mid-June was when the Master traveled to ASEAN for Dharma propagation by first participating in interfaith activities with local religious representatives in an effort to connect the dots for the LJM campaign of “Loving the Earth” via the platform of the future University for Life & Peace. The Hundred Offerings for Guan Yin's Blessings Dharma Function was then held in Johor, Malaysia, and followed by the Fourth 1,000-People Peace Meditation & Concert in Penang at the southern capital's Botanical Garden.

•The 36th anniversary of LJM was celebrated in late June. With “Loving the Earth, Loving Peace” as its mission, LJM reserves no effort in taking the campaign across religions over to the whole world to materialize a diversified symbiosis as in the Avatamsaka World.

•From late June to early July, the Master traveled to the Jiangsu Province of China to grace the occasion of the seventh “Asian Symposium on Core Principles of Different Buddhist Traditions” at the Da Jue Temple in Yixing. The Symposium was organized by the LJM Association of Patrons and the Master was there to encourage them in doing deeds of the Three Merits and Five Virtues in the fulfillment of the LJM core principles of Great Compassion and Chan Meditation.

•In early July, the Master shared the “Fortune Hall Project” with honorary board members of the LJM Buddhist Society, who flew in from across the world to join the gala in their honor at Taipei's Dynasty Hotel. The project aims at transforming the Fulong township into one of blessed fortune by functioning as the seat of the Holy Mount of Avatamsaka , and the honorary board members were invited to join in the project. 

•Mid-August saw the Master personally lead the 26th LJM Water,Land and Air Dharma Assembly from beginning to end. For the enchantment at the Inner Shrine, the Master invited the Venerable Ashin Kumara of Myanmar as well as the Nyingma lineage holder Sakya Rinpoche of Tibetan Buddhism to symbolize a perfect harmony of the Buddhist Triyana. In late August, the Master led a crowd of disciples and followers to visit with the Venerable Master Xing Yun, Founder of Fo Guang Shan on the occasion of the latter's birthday.

•In late August, the Master welcomed the delegation from China, led by Venerable Master Tzeng Chin, Abbot of the Xi’an Dacien Temple and President of the Shaanxi Buddhist Association, also the Vice President of the The Buddhist Association of China

•In September, the Master led the '10-Day Autumn Meditation Retreat for Monks & Nuns' at the LJM Wu Sheng Monastery.

•The Master went to Indonesia in late-September to host the ‘Dharma Function in Prayers to the Medicine Buddha for Liberation & Blessings’. By month-end, the Master held a talk on practicing concrete deeds for the ‘Loving the Earth / Loving Peace’ campaign by upholding the Guan Yin spirit of great compassion and Chan meditation to illustrate that LJM is indeed a Guan Yin monastery. The talk was given at a gala dinner at the City Hall of the New Taipei City Government in conjunction with the 2nd International Symposium on Guan Yin Culture.

•In early October, the Master demonstrated in person how to practice Peace Meditation at a 3-day retreat at the Jian Tan Youth Activity Center, which was the first such en mass Peace Meditation in Taiwan. The Master then traveled to Nepal to conduct a 3-day retreat of Peace Meditation at the International Milarepa Center. The Master then visited the Bairoling Monastery - which His Eminence Sichen Bairo Rinpoche founded for life-long stay - and conversed in-depth with Khenpo 巴顛卻札.

•In mid-October, the Master traveled to Kuala Lumpur to preside over the Dharma Function in honor of Avalokitesvara in the Pray Ritual with Food Offering tradition of a grand event to ward off calamities and usher in blessings instead.

•In mid-November, the Master traveled to China's Jiangsu Province to personally instruct how to practice Peace Meditation for a 3-day retreat at the JianZhen Library in Yangzhou City.

•In mid-November, the Master participated in the ‘Sikhism Langar’ Workshop held for the very first time in Taiwan at the Museum of World Religions (MWR). The workshop was co-organized by the MWR and local Indian residents responsible for India's international cultural exchange. The Master spoke highly of the Langar as a Sikh manifestation of the spirit of equality and altruism.

•In late November, the Master traveled to Myanmar to host the ‘Short-term Ordination Camp of Theravada Buddhism’ at the Maha Kusala Yama Monastery in Yangon.

•At the month-end of November, the Master embarked on a journey to Thailand to hold Dharma lectures and to host the Dharma Function of ‘Hundred Offerings for Guan Yin’s Blessings’ in Bangkok. While there, the Master also led the ritual ceremony to officially unveil Buddhist statues of Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Ksitigarbha as well as Buddha Maitreya at the LJM International Meditation Center in Thailand.

•In early December, the Master flew to Myanmar to take charge of the 18th Annual Dharma Event of Maha Puja for Myriad Sanghas. The Master then went to Naung Mon to host the ritual ceremony to officially unveil the Sitting Buddha respectfully situated at the Green Jade Hall of Fortune Green Jade Buddha at the Temple of Fortune of Ling Jiou Mountain's (LJM) School of Sramaneras at Naung Mon, Myanmar. 

•From mid-December to the month-end, the Master headed up the Avatamsaka Dharma Function conducted at LJM's Lower Monastery, the Sheng Shan Monastery. The occasion also witnessed the first-ever live online broadcasting of the Dharma event to benefit those who could not physically participate in the event to rejoice in its Dharma bliss.