Today, the fourth day of Lunar December, is Master Sheng Yen’s birthday. As his disciple, I express my gratitude and commemorate him on this day, even though he has already passed.
Master Sheng Yen once said that he did not celebrate his birthday. For Buddhists, our birthdays are actually days of suffering for our mothers, the days they gave birth to us. Therefore, we should repay our gratitude to our parents, being grateful for the merits through which they raised and nurtured us. He also said that after his passing, he wished to leave nothing else behind except the following two sentences, which express the vision of Dharma Drum Mountain: “To uplift the character of humanity and build a Pure Land on Earth.” If we can put these two lines into practice, that would be the best way to commemorate him and repay our gratitude. Moreover, the most genuine way to repay gratitude is to use the body our parents gave us to do things that benefit ourselves and all sentient beings; to speak words that benefit ourselves and all sentient beings; and to cultivate thoughts that benefit ourselves and all sentient beings. This is the true way to repay gratitude.
When Master Sheng Yen was in the Buddhist seminary, he was only a 16-year-old novice (samanera). He realized that the Buddhadharma is profoundly good, yet little known and often misunderstood. Therefore, he made a vow to share the Buddha’s teachings based on what he had learned. He not only shared through speaking but also through writing.
This photo was taken while Master Sheng Yen was pursuing his PhD in Tokyo, Japan. It reminds me to cultivate and practice the Buddha’s teachings, and to share them with consistency and perseverance, as best I can.
