Master Sheng-yen Invited to Award Ceremony by the Temple of Understanding

8/23/2001

Master Sheng-yen, founder of Dharma Drum Mountain International, has been invited by the Temple of Understanding to the Juliet Hollister Award Ceremony and Memorial Celebration, scheduled to take place on the 11th of September in New York City. Recognizing the significance of the award and the valuable works the Temple is engaged in, Master Sheng-yen has appointed his disciple Venerable Guo-yuan, prior of the Ch'an Meditation Center in New York, to represent him at the ceremony. Master Sheng-yen will be in Taiwan during the month of September and will not be able to  attend the ceremony in person due to a scheduling conflict.

The Juliet Hollister Awards are awarded to secular and religious leaders whose vision and lifeís work have supported and generated new interfaith understanding. Previous recipients include His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Mr. Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa, and Ms. Mary Robinson, the current United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. This year the Award will be given to Dr. Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement of Kenya.

Master Sheng-yen has been a long time supporter of interfaith dialog and cooperation. He strongly advocates that religions should be promoters of world peace. He spoke at the Millennium Peace Summit in the United Nations in 2000, and at the International Conference on Religious Cooperation. He is a member of the steering committee of the World Council of Religious and Spiritual Leaders.

The Temple of Understanding was founded by Juliet Hollister in 1960 to foster interfaith dialogue and harmony among the people of the worldís religions. It is a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It has organized and participated in many global spiritual summits, including The Symposium for Children in Armed Conflict and The World Conference Against Racism. It co-sponsors the Annual Interfaith Service for the opening of the General Assembly of the United Nations with the Interfaith Center of New York. The Temple also puts great emphasis on educational programs. Current programs include the conference Our Environment is a Religious Issue, and the on-going program A Spiritual Journey: Interfaith Perspectives.