Ling Jiou Mountain's International Dharma Propagation Concludes with Scholarship Awards and Bhikkhu Training Program in Thailand
Uniting Over a Dozen Countries and 500 Monastics to Foster Transnational Buddhist Education
The "LJM Scholarship Awarding Ceremony" and the "International Dhammaduta Bhikkhus Training Program, Class 1/2025," co-organized by the Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society (LJM) and Thailand’s Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU), concluded successfully on June 9 at the MCU Main Auditorium. The event brought together over 500 monastics from more than a dozen countries, showcasing the strength of cross-border and inter-sectarian collaboration in Buddhist education, built on deep Dharma bonds and shared aspirations.
Led by Ven. Vimila Bhikkhu, Superintendent of the LJM International Meditation Center in Myanmar, the 24-member Ling Jiou Mountain delegation also included Venerables Jing Nien (LJM Committee on Religious Affairs), Miao Lang (supervisor of the Ling Jiou Mountain Thai Meditation Center), and Bao Shan (based in Myanmar), along with representatives from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. With great reverence, the group held a Mahāpujā ceremony to offer the Four Requisites—robes, food, bedding, and medicine—to 500 student monks. The touching occasion was marked by a dignified ambiance, radiating blessings, and the perfection of merit and wisdom.
Inheriting the Buddha’s Legacy: Cultivating Monastic Talent with Enduring Vows
Ven. Vimila Bhikkhu delivered a message on behalf of Grand Master Hsin Tao, stating: "In the spirit of the Buddha’s compassion and dedication to relieving suffering, Ling Jiou Mountain has long championed education, culture, social outreach, environmental stewardship, and world peace. We are devoted to bringing stability to the human heart through the Dharma and purifying the world. Buddhist education, in particular, serves as the foundation for sustaining the Sangha and spreading the teachings for the benefit of all sentient beings. The establishment of scholarships is intended to support young monastics who aspire to the path—offering them a worry-free environment where they can focus wholeheartedly on scriptural study and meditation practice, and ultimately become the next generation of Dharma transmitters and spiritual leaders.”
Grand Master Hsin Tao offered a special message of encouragement to the scholarship recipients: “You are the hope of Buddhism today and the light that will illuminate future generations. The world is rife with confusion and suffering. May you hold fast to your faith, advance diligently in your practice, and continue to deepen your wisdom and embodiment of the Dharma—bringing its light and compassion to every corner of the world where truth and warmth are needed.”
Eminent Monastics and MCU Leadership Join to Witness a Dignified Ceremony
With MCU President away in Germany for an international conference, the event was co-hosted by the university’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Ven. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phra Theppavarameti, and Vice President for International Affairs, Ven. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phra Sittivajirabundit. Joining them were 23 senior monastic and administrative representatives from various faculties and departments across the university. The atmosphere throughout was solemn and dignified.
Among the 189 scholarship recipients were 10 doctoral candidates, 20 master’s students, and 159 undergraduates. They hailed from over a dozen countries and regions, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bhutan, China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The diverse line-up reflects a model of educational collaboration between Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions in cultivating future monastic talent.
A Rigorous Program to Ignite Insight and Build an International Vision for Dharma Propagation
All scholarship recipients took part in an intensive two-day meditation training from June 7 to 8, culminating in a graduation certificate that embodied the integration of study and practice, as well as the unity of understanding and application. The program offered a rich curriculum covering topics such as English translations of the Pali canon, practical Dharma propagation in English, Buddhist counseling, diplomatic communications, and guided mindfulness meditation in English. Instructors included esteemed Buddhist scholars and teachers from MCU and other international institutions, laying a solid foundation for the monastics’ Dharma practice with a global perspective.
During the scholarship awarding ceremony, a solemn exchange of gifts took place as a gesture of mutual respect and gratitude. MCU presented Ling Jiou Mountain with a statue of the Buddha of Perfection along with a 33-volume set of the Tipitaka (Pali Canon), symbolizing the transmission of Dharma treasures and the continuation of Buddhist wisdom. In return, LJM gifted MCU a mounted calligraphic plaque inscribed by Grand Master Hsin Tao himself, bearing the phrase, “When the mind is at peace, the world is at peace,” as a lasting testament to their profound Dharma friendship.
The recent event, both in form and substance, reflected a deep respect for and commitment to the inheritance of Dharma education. As the ceremony drew to a close, a heartfelt dedication prayer was offered: “May the merit accrued here plant bodhi seeds far and wide; may the Dharma Wheel turn endlessly; may the Sangha flourish in this world; may peace prevail globally, and may all sentient beings live in safety and joy.”
Led by Ven. Vimila Bhikkhu, Superintendent of the LJM International Meditation Center in Myanmar, the 24-member Ling Jiou Mountain delegation also included Venerables Jing Nien (LJM Committee on Religious Affairs), Miao Lang (supervisor of the Ling Jiou Mountain Thai Meditation Center), and Bao Shan (based in Myanmar), along with representatives from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China. With great reverence, the group held a Mahāpujā ceremony to offer the Four Requisites—robes, food, bedding, and medicine—to 500 student monks. The touching occasion was marked by a dignified ambiance, radiating blessings, and the perfection of merit and wisdom.
Inheriting the Buddha’s Legacy: Cultivating Monastic Talent with Enduring Vows
Ven. Vimila Bhikkhu delivered a message on behalf of Grand Master Hsin Tao, stating: "In the spirit of the Buddha’s compassion and dedication to relieving suffering, Ling Jiou Mountain has long championed education, culture, social outreach, environmental stewardship, and world peace. We are devoted to bringing stability to the human heart through the Dharma and purifying the world. Buddhist education, in particular, serves as the foundation for sustaining the Sangha and spreading the teachings for the benefit of all sentient beings. The establishment of scholarships is intended to support young monastics who aspire to the path—offering them a worry-free environment where they can focus wholeheartedly on scriptural study and meditation practice, and ultimately become the next generation of Dharma transmitters and spiritual leaders.”
Grand Master Hsin Tao offered a special message of encouragement to the scholarship recipients: “You are the hope of Buddhism today and the light that will illuminate future generations. The world is rife with confusion and suffering. May you hold fast to your faith, advance diligently in your practice, and continue to deepen your wisdom and embodiment of the Dharma—bringing its light and compassion to every corner of the world where truth and warmth are needed.”
Eminent Monastics and MCU Leadership Join to Witness a Dignified Ceremony
With MCU President away in Germany for an international conference, the event was co-hosted by the university’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Ven. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phra Theppavarameti, and Vice President for International Affairs, Ven. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phra Sittivajirabundit. Joining them were 23 senior monastic and administrative representatives from various faculties and departments across the university. The atmosphere throughout was solemn and dignified.
Among the 189 scholarship recipients were 10 doctoral candidates, 20 master’s students, and 159 undergraduates. They hailed from over a dozen countries and regions, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Bhutan, China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. The diverse line-up reflects a model of educational collaboration between Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions in cultivating future monastic talent.
A Rigorous Program to Ignite Insight and Build an International Vision for Dharma Propagation
All scholarship recipients took part in an intensive two-day meditation training from June 7 to 8, culminating in a graduation certificate that embodied the integration of study and practice, as well as the unity of understanding and application. The program offered a rich curriculum covering topics such as English translations of the Pali canon, practical Dharma propagation in English, Buddhist counseling, diplomatic communications, and guided mindfulness meditation in English. Instructors included esteemed Buddhist scholars and teachers from MCU and other international institutions, laying a solid foundation for the monastics’ Dharma practice with a global perspective.
During the scholarship awarding ceremony, a solemn exchange of gifts took place as a gesture of mutual respect and gratitude. MCU presented Ling Jiou Mountain with a statue of the Buddha of Perfection along with a 33-volume set of the Tipitaka (Pali Canon), symbolizing the transmission of Dharma treasures and the continuation of Buddhist wisdom. In return, LJM gifted MCU a mounted calligraphic plaque inscribed by Grand Master Hsin Tao himself, bearing the phrase, “When the mind is at peace, the world is at peace,” as a lasting testament to their profound Dharma friendship.
The recent event, both in form and substance, reflected a deep respect for and commitment to the inheritance of Dharma education. As the ceremony drew to a close, a heartfelt dedication prayer was offered: “May the merit accrued here plant bodhi seeds far and wide; may the Dharma Wheel turn endlessly; may the Sangha flourish in this world; may peace prevail globally, and may all sentient beings live in safety and joy.”