Nung Chan Monastery Charity Auction Raised Millions for Youth Meditation Event

9/01/2001

In conjunction with the annual Treasured Repentance Ritual of Emperor Liang, starting August 19, the Nung Chan Monastery held a fund raising auction and sale to raise fund for the "Month of Great Goodness" and the planned ìTen Thousand Youth Music and Meditation Festivalî. Items for sale in the auction included Buddha and bodhisattva statues, and Master Sheng-yenís calligraphic handwritings of Dharma words, among other things. The handwritings of Master Sheng-yen were great successes in raising more than six million dollars. Master Sheng-yen explained that it was not the merit of his handwritings themselves, but the drive to propagate Chan practice, and the support from like-minded supporters, that made the items invaluable. The true meaning of the auction and sale is not in the monetary value of the items, but in supporting and recognizing the importance of introducing Chan to the younger generation.

The Treasured Repentance Ritual of Emperor Liang was a week-long event attended by thousands in Nung Chan Montastery. At the first day of the ritual, Master Sheng-yen explained the meanings of repentance prostration and the rites of "honoring the heavens" and "feeding the hungry ghosts". He emphasized that everyone participating in the ritual was practicing giving, and that it was necessary to cultivate both merit and learning on the bodhisattva path of growing compassion and wisdom.