Chronological Highlights 2024 , Master Hsin Tao
Seventy-six Years of Age as of 2024
‧ Mid-Februrary saw the reception of a religious dignitary from Thailand - Phrakru Sangkasitthikorn - a high-ranking monk from Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, commonly known as the "Monastery of the Supreme Patriach"(僧王寺).
‧ Late Februrary saw the Master embark on a Dharma propagation mission to Malaysia. Upon the formal establishment of the LJM Faculty of Peace Meditation Instructors (Malaysian Branch), the Master bestowed Letters of Appointment upon Faculty President YANG Wen-Chuan and Faculty Chief Executive SHEN Ken-Ming. The Master then joined the Chinese New Year celebration party at LJM Meditation Center and presented certificates to local honorary Board of Directors members in Kuala Lumpur.
‧ Late Februrary to mid-April saw the Master preside over the Spring Retreat 2024 at Wu Sheng Monastery
‧ Early March saw an interfaith dialogue take place at the Patriarch’s Hall, with parties including Fr. Paulin Batairwa Kubuya, Undersecretary of Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue (Vatican; Fr. Lin Chih-Ting Vice President of Fu Jen Catholic University; and Prof. Leo D. Lefebure, Chair of the Department of Theology at Georgetown University, USA, among others.
‧ Mid-March saw the Master grace the 14th Nationwide Pu-Jen Award Ceremony at the Fulong Hotel, Fulong, New Taipei City.
‧ Mid-March also saw the Master joining the company of a well-befriended Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the latter’s invitation for talks on initiatives related to love and peace . Grand Hyatt Taipei was the venue.
‧ Mid-March saw the Master hold a dialogue with visitors from Myanmar at the Patriarch’s Hall. Visitors were LJM co-op partners from the Liver Foundation Myanmar, and a medical delegation of Community Partners International, whose executive director Si Thura was present on the occasion and presently promised a medical co-op project with LJM near the Thai-Myanmar borders.
‧ Late March saw Master Hsin Tao joining a China mission delegation as a Presidium member of the Chinese Humanistic Buddhism Association for activities relating to the Association’s ‘Donation Ceremony for Buddhist Artifacts & Cross-Strait Exchanges on Humanistic Buddhism in Beijing, Shanxi, etc. The Master delivered a speech at two seminar sessions in Beijing, presided over the consecration ceremony for the Ji Mei Space in Xia Men, and met with lay followers from different corners of China at Beijing’s Xiang Tang on the last day of the delegation’s China mission.
‧ Mid-April saw the Master attend the 6th Meeting of the 3rd Board of Directors and Supervisors of the Chinese Humanistic Buddhism Association at Xiang Guang Temple, Daxi District, Taoyuan City. Master Hsin Tao delivered a speech on the occasion.
‧ Late April - Mid-May was the time period when the Master practiced the 21-day Mahaikaruna Dharani Retreat 2024 at the Eleven-faced Guanyin site of the Wu Sheng Monastery.
‧ Mid-May saw the Master embark on a preaching mission to Hong Kong to address the congregation entitled ‘HK Appreciation Gala Dinner - One Heart, One Will, One Journey’at the HK Dragon Castle Hotel International. The Master was the star attraction for the next day’s program - a keynote speech at the Wong Lai-Song Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong University for the occasion formally named ‘Dharma Master Hsin Tao on Loving the Ecology with Spiritual Wisdom’
‧ Late May saw the Master embark on a Dharma propagation mission to Thailand to attend the 19th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations. The Master paid a post-event courtesy call on Most Venerable Prof. Dr. Phra Brahmapundit, the President of the International Council for the Day of Vesak (ICDV) and former Rector of Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU) in Thailand. The meeting focused on an exchange of ideas on education and the ideology of spiritual ecology.
‧ In early June, on the occasion of the completion of the 8th Asian Buddhism Camp, the Master gave an online Dharma talk. Another online Dharma sermon was given the following day to bless the grand opening of a new lecture hall of the Johor Buddhist Society, as the Master presided over the consecration ritual via video conferencing.
‧ Early to late June marked the time of the ‘LJM Meditation Camp in Europe,’ where the Master provided online coaching in Peace Meditation to participants from Germany and Austria, respectively, at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Emmeram in Regensburg, Germany, and at the Reichersberg Monastery in Austria. Master Guang Chun was present at both locations consecutively for personal, hands-on guidance.
‧ Late June saw the celebratiions of the 41st Anniversary of the Founding of LJM.
‧ Early July saw the Master interacting digitally with an academic delegation from the MinNan Buddhist Colleage of the Nanputuo Temple in Xia Men, China, that was touring the Museum of World Religions in Taipei.
‧ In early July, the Master attended the 18th Round of Dialogue between Muslims and Buddhists at the Museum of World Religions to deliver a keynote speech on ‘Spiritual Ecology for Cross-Domain Dialogue.’
‧ Early July saw the Master enter a pre-event retreat at the Guanyin Hall of Wu Sheng Monastery in preparation for the upcoming Water-Land and Air Dharma Assembly 2024.
‧ Early August saw LJM conduct the 31st Water-Land-Air Dharma Assembly at the Taoyuan Arena, running on the theme of ‘Spirituality is Ecology - Spiritual Awakening for Ecological Sustainability.’ The event also featured the inaugural launch of LJM’s ‘AI Smart Assistant,’ the ‘Heart of Peace’ Meditation Bus, and an interactive Spiritual Ecology Display area where attendees could sign up for an Earth protection petition, embodying the principle that ‘Spirituality is Ecology.’
‧ Late August saw the Master attend a donation ceremony honoring Professor Chen Yu-Fong’s gift of his series on ‘Spiritual Ecology in Mountainous Forests.’ Upon accepting the donation, the Master presented a certificate of gratitude and then led participants in a Peace Meditation walk through the woods surrounding the Plenary Hall of Meditation.
‧ Early September saw the Master attend the 2024 Buddhist Studies Forum for Monastics and Laity, delivering Dharma talks at both the opening and closing sessions.
‧ Mid-September was when the 10-day Autumn Retreat for Monastics and Laity 2024 took place at Wu Sheng Monastery.
‧ Late September saw the Master grace the occasion of the ‘Ceremonies of Certification for New Honorary LJM Board Members & Appointment of New Executives for the LJM Honorary Board Members Association’to formally bestow certificates upon those as specified.
‧ Late September saw the Master deliver an online opening speech to officiate the 6th International Symposium on Guanyin Culture staged at the International Convention Center in Nagoya, Japan.
‧ Mid-October saw the Master assign Wu Sheng Monastery Chief Executive Master Chang Chun and Sheng Shan Monastery Supervisor Master Ken Huei as his proxies to attend the 6th World Forum on Buddhism at the Xueh Dou Temple in Ning Bo, Zhejiang Province, China. Master Hsin Tao was invited to present a paper, and it was read out by Master Ken Huei on site. The paper was entitled ‘Return to Spirituality equals Common Good, Safeguard the Ecology affords prosperity for all.’
‧ Early November saw the Master hold talks with a Singaporean delegation led by Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib, who is chairman of the Singapore Dialogue Centre as well as a co-founder of the Interfaith Appreciation Centre.
‧ On November 5, the Master attended the General Assembly 2024 of the Chinese Humanistic Buddhism Association to elect directors and supervisors to its 4th Board. Master Hsin Tao was elected one of the rotating presidium members.
‧ Late November saw the Master go down memory lane by paying a personal visit to the 10th Post-Humous Anniversary Special Exhibition in Memory of the Late and Inaugural Director of the MWR - Prof Han Pao-Teh. The memorial exhibit at the MWR was entitled ‘Drawings to Show How Han Esquire Perceived Architecture.’
‧ Early - late December saw the Master lead the execution of the Avatamsaka Dharma event. The Master’s opening sermon put emphasis on encouraging Buddhist followers to work hard and study the Avatamsaka Sutra in earnest. The promotional campaign for the Dharma event preceded the opening ceremony and as its campaign tagline suggested ‘A Chapter,A Person for All the Volumes of the Avatamsaka Sutra’all were cordially invited to join in to bask in the glory of the cosmic Avatamsaka.