Dharma Masters and good advisors: Last Saturday some alumni of Developing Virtue School returned to talk about the formation of the group, Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth (DRBY). I had hoped they would talk about this themselves, but they had too little time to explain the origin of the DRBY.

I feel a personal responsibility to give everyone a report. DRBY belongs not to any particular individual, but to everyone in the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association. It wasn't that any of us had the wisdom and foresight to form DRBY. Rather, the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua instructed us to do this more than two decades ago. When I heard the Venerable Master's tape concerning this, I thought that as Master's disciples, we should carry out our teacher's instructions to the best of our abilities. That is the origin of the DRBY.

Everyone knows that the Venerable Master served as a volunteer teacher while in Manchuria, teaching several dozen impoverished students. He also practiced filial piety, and everyone referred to him as Filial Son Bai. The Venerable Master lived by these principles through­out his entire life, including in Hong Kong and many other places. The Venerable Master continuously provided opportunities and money to help disciples, such as when his disciples wished to receive an education but had no money. The Venerable Master had an account in Hong Kong set up especially for his elder disciples. This account still exists. When the Venerable Master left Hong Kong, he said that if his aging disciples were in need of money due to illness or death, they could draw from that account.

How did the Venerable Master assist young people? I know these things because every year during the spring and summer breaks I used to return to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Each time, the Venerable Master would give me many sutras to take back. Once, the Vener­able Master gave me a bag of money. I didn't know how much money the bag contained, or whom it was for. Later, the Venerable Master told me to deliver that bag of money to a young man in Vancouver. He had been one of the ten outstanding young adults in Taiwan, but was experiencing some difficulty at the time. The Venerable Master helped numerous people from behind the scenes. Many lay people feel that they can't use the Triple Jewel's money to support their kids' education because it would be too much pressure for them. Actually, to respect elders and cherish the young is one of the Venerable Master's vows of compassion. We must nurture and provide opportunities for youngsters while also caring for the elderly. These are the fundamen­tals of being human.

It is said, "When one's humanity is perfected, Buddhahood will be realized." The Venerable Master served as a role model for us, teach­ing us to pay attention to the basics. That is why several years before his passing, the Venerable Master wanted every Wayplace of Dharma Realm Buddhist Association to celebrate Cherishing Youth Day in the spring and Respecting Elders Day in the fall. Each year, many people organize activities, talent shows, meals, and so on for this purpose. It has been this way for several years. Last year, I wondered: Is that really the way to respect elders and cherish the young?

Then, I heard an instructional talk given by the Venerable Master during the Hundred-Day Chan Session that was held when the Vener­able Master and his disciples first moved to the old Gold Mountain Monastery. The place was a little larger, so the Venerable Master des­ignated one of the floors as an elders' home and a youth club. Hence, I thoughts of another way to celebrate Cherishing Youth Day and Re­specting Elders Day.

The Venerable Master devoted his entire lifetime to reorganizing education and improving social trends. He founded Instilling Goodness Elementary, Developing Virtue Secondary School, and Dharma Realm Buddhist University to develop national talent. Over the years, many students have graduated from these schools and some are in college now. Once they leave the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, how do they continue to study the Buddhadharma? They are like kites whose lines have been cut: Who could guess in which direction they will fly? I personally believe that as their senior, I have the responsibility to help them continue nurturing their roots of goodness in their busy lives as students. Therefore, on Cherishing Youth Day two years ago, instead of the usual performances and food, some of us decided to organize a meeting for young people and have the alumni from the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas serve as the core of this group. I invited them to discuss the various pressures that they face during college and outside in general, as well as how they manage their lives and solve their own problems; I also wanted to ask about their needs.

The very first meeting of the DRBY took place at the City of the Dharma Realm two years ago. The DRBY was not formally estab­lished at that gathering. It was just a warm-up to give people a general idea about the youth group.

This year, at the end of last month, the group took on a rudimen­tary shape, bringing together enthusiasts of the DRBY and naming some young people as officers. That was a start. I personally believe that the youth meeting at the City of the Dharma Realm was very successful—not in terms of the number of attendees or the excitement, but because I noticed these young people's insights into the Buddhadharma and the importance of a youth group for them. I was filled with the joy of Dharma and was reassured. [Editor's note: Heng Gwei Shi will give a separate report on the enthusiastic support and expectations of parents towards the establishment of DRBY, as well as their hopes that through DRBY, their children and other young people will gain a better understanding of the Venerable Master's teachings and the Buddhadharma to help them in their life journey.]

During the meeting, I commented to Dr. Epstein that the idea pro­posed by the Venerable Master nearly thirty years ago is finally being realized, and that we sure move slowly. Dr. Epstein replied that it is simply a matter of the conditions having ripened. There was no need previously, for the Sino-American Buddhist Association was itself a youth organization. Most of the Venerable Master's students were in their 20's, so we really didn't need a youth organization. However, now that we are entering middle age and approaching old age, there is a need for a youth group.

I also believe that the conditions have ripened, and so tonight I wish to take ten minutes to play the tape of the Master's instructions in this regard. If I have an opportunity in the future, I'd like to share some of the ideas the young adults have regarding the youth organiza­tion and the Buddhadharma.

[The Venerable Master's Taped Instructional Talk: Please see the ar­ticle "Treating Others' Elders and Others' Children as Our Own: In­structions by the Venerable Master" on page 23]

Education is cultivation. To propagate the Buddhadharma is to model the principles ourselves and open up a bright and wide path. Together, we can create an elders home and a youth group. Then the elders have a resting place and the young are nurtured. That is how we bring peace to the world. The Venerable Master taught us to work on the root of things, and this applies to cultivation as well.

Some say, for example, that certain charity organizations really help the world by providing disaster relief. Of course it is important to provide relief for disasters, because the victims definitely need assistance once the disaster has occurred. However, it is even more impor­tant to prevent disasters from happening in the first place, by working on the root of things. That's why the Venerable Master actively pro­moted the trends of honoring elders and cherishing youth as the very basis of humanity. This is a matter that deserves our attention.