CNEWS Reporters Li Yi-lun, Lin You-wei / Sri Lanka Report

The “One Buddha One World” international Buddhist organization was grandly established in Sri Lanka at the end of May. This international Buddhist event, which took three years to prepare and brought together over 30 countries and hundreds of monks, was made possible by two great driving forces behind the scenes: Sri Lanka’s Ven. Anurudda Thero and Taiwan’s Ven. Shih Da Hui, Abbot of Guang Xiu Zen Monastery.

After a dusty journey through winding mountain roads, the tour bus finally arrived at the monastery personally founded 11 years ago by Ven. Anurudda Thero, Secretary-General of One Buddha One World and Sri Lankan National Teacher. Leading over a hundred monks and lay practitioners who had traveled from afar was Ven. Shih Da Hui, the inaugural Assembly Chairman who had first been approached by Anurudda 20 years ago and now, with karmic conditions fully matured, co-founded One Buddha One World with him.

Anurudda’s monastery is nestled among surrounding mountains, facing a valley with lush flowers and trees creating a verdant landscape. Being there brings peace to the heart, like a paradise on earth. Speaking in Chinese with a beaming smile, he greeted Ven. Shih Da Hui: “Welcome to Sri Lanka! You are very happy, we are very happy! One Buddha One World, we are together!” Ven. Shih Da Hui was also delighted to return to Anurudda’s monastery: “This time we jointly established One Buddha One World, very complete and very auspicious.”

One is a Sri Lankan National Teacher, the other a Taiwanese Great Master – what karmic connection brought them together? Ven. Shih Da Hui recalled that 20 years ago, Anurudda was staying at Sheng Jue Temple across from Guang Xiu Zen Monastery in Xizhi, when one day he suddenly came to find Ven. Shih Da Hui at Guang Xiu Zen Monastery. “I asked him why he came here. He said he came specifically to find me. He wanted to establish a World Buddhist Youth Association and invited me to join him in international Dharma propagation.”

“From that invitation 20 years ago to today, we didn’t meet for 17 years in between. It wasn’t until three years ago that we met again internationally, and Anurudda invited me once more. He believed I could make greater contributions to world Buddhism, so we jointly initiated and prepared One Buddha One World.” Looking back on this journey, Ven. Shih Da Hui considers this an incredibly miraculous karmic connection.

“When we discussed One Buddha One World, it represents Buddhism without borders, represents that the true teachings of the Buddha must be propagated in the human realm through our unity. Although Buddhism is flourishing, there are still crises. We must unite to maintain the true Dharma in the world, to propagate the Buddha’s teachings, and to let more Dharma teachers and sentient beings receive the nectar of the Dharma.”

As fellow Buddhist disciples, Ven. Shih Da Hui laughingly calls Anurudda his elder brother, and Anurudda also says he and Ven. Shih Da Hui are family, connected by karma from past lives. “We have the same ideals and the same vow-power, walking this path to Buddhahood on the Bodhi path, which is extremely difficult.” Ven. Shih Da Hui said that it is because of people like Anurudda who generate bodhicitta and work tirelessly for the suffering of sentient beings, constantly traveling internationally and promoting exchanges, that this One Buddha One World event had participation from over 30 countries. He believes that with Anurudda’s great virtuous power, the future of One Buddha One World will certainly be even more prosperous and flourishing.

Yesterday (2nd), Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Buddhist Affairs Mr. Gamagedara Dissanayske and the Sri Lankan Sangha Raja also visited Anurudda’s monastery. The Deputy Minister received the Sinhala translations of the “Platform Sutra by the Sixth Patriarch” and the “Diamond Sutra” translated by the team led by Ven. Miao Tsan from Vairochana Zen Monastery in the United States, while Dharma teachers and lay practitioners from various countries paid homage to the Sangha Raja and received blessings.

Photo source: File photo

《More CNEWS news reports》

【With video】[EXCLUSIVE] Joyful Housewarming! One Buddha One World’s 14,000-Ping International Headquarters Opens, Jointly Unveiled by Sri Lanka’s Ven. Anurudda Thero and Taiwan’s Ven. Shih Da Hui from Guang Xiu Zen Monastery

【With video】[EXCLUSIVE] Religion Transcends Borders! 23 Nations Unite as Taiwan’s Ven. Shih Da Hui Launches “One Buddha One World” International Organization, Officially Established Today in Sri Lanka

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