In May 2026, Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia welcomed a rare and auspicious Buddhist event. Venerable Master Kuan Ru, Abbot of Gondesan Temple in Taiwan, the 48th Great Master of Linji School of Chan Buddhism, and the Main Instructor of Gondesan Branches throughout the world, was once again invited to East Malaysia to preside over the “2026 Buddha Bathing and Smoke Offering Grand Dharma Assembly.”
Deeply respected and recognized by Malaysian federal ministers and the Sarawak state government, Venerable Master Kuan Ru’s return to East Malaysia once again demonstrated the far-reaching influence of her longstanding global Dharma propagation efforts and compassionate mission to benefit sentient beings.
The Dharma Assembly received significant attention from both federal and local political leaders in Malaysia. Major Malaysian Chinese leaders, including YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia and Member of Parliament for Bintulu, as well as YB Datuk Amar Dr. Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Sarawak, strongly supported this grand event and attended in person.
Their presence reflected the deep recognition Venerable Master Kuan Ru has earned over many years through her international Dharma propagation efforts, compassionate education initiatives, and dedication to bringing peace and spiritual harmony to society.
Hundreds of devotees from across Malaysia and various countries around the world gathered for the Dharma Assembly to participate in the Buddha Bathing Ceremony, cultivate blessings, generate Bodhicitta, and pray for world peace, social harmony, and the liberation of all beings from suffering.
YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, a disciple of Venerable Master Kuan Ru, has been deeply inspired by her compassionate vows and dedication to benefiting sentient beings. He shared that harmony in society begins with kindness and goodwill, and that compassion should be transformed into meaningful action to benefit society, foster positive connections, and help create a peaceful and harmonious Pure Land in this world.
YB Datuk Amar Dr. Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Sarawak, is one of the most influential Malaysian Chinese leaders in East Malaysia and has taken refuge under Venerable Master Kuan Ru for many years. He believes that in today’s fast-paced society, where people face increasing stress and anxiety, the power of spiritual guidance, compassion, and inner stability is more important than ever. He highly praised Venerable Master Kuan Ru’s decades of global Dharma propagation and compassionate education, noting that her efforts have not only benefited countless devotees, but have also brought positive, peaceful, and stabilizing energy to society.
【About Venerable Master Kuan Ru】
Venerable Master Kuan Ru is the Abbot of Gondesan Temple and the Main Instructor of Gondesan Branches throughout the world. For decades, she has immersed herself deeply in the Buddhist scriptures and the vast treasury of the Buddha’s teachings, dedicating her life to propagating the Dharma and benefiting sentient beings.
Her Dharma teachings are profound yet easy to understand, filled with wisdom and insight, often attracting large audiences wherever she teaches. Many devotees have shared that after listening to her teachings, their minds and lives were transformed, their families restored harmony, and their lives rekindled with hope. For this reason, she is widely praised by followers as a “Modern Bodhisattva.”
For many years, Venerable Master Kuan Ru has guided people with Buddhist wisdom and compassionate vows, helping countless individuals overcome hardships and rediscover hope and inner peace. Wherever she travels, she cares for all beings with equality and compassion, allowing those who encounter the Dharma to experience Dharma joy and spiritual peace.
In the fields of international Dharma propagation and philanthropy, Venerable Master Kuan Ru is also highly respected. She currently serves as President of the World Buddhist Sangha Youth Council (WBSY), a position she has held for fourteen consecutive years, and also serves as Asia-Pacific Chairman of the United Nations Chinese Unions Youth Education Council. In recognition of her longstanding dedication to world peace, education, and charitable causes, she received the Sweden World Peace Award in 2022 and has been internationally honored as a “World Peace Ambassador.”
Over the years, her Dharma activities have extended throughout Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, and many other regions. Wherever she travels, she uses Buddhist wisdom to purify hearts and promotes the Bodhisattva spirit through compassionate vows, allowing the light of the Dharma to spread throughout the world.
【Auspicious Causes and Conditions for Dharma Propagation in East Malaysia】
Since 2019, Venerable Master Kuan Ru has repeatedly traveled to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, Malaysia, to conduct the Great Compassion Bodhi Dharma Assembly. Every Dharma Assembly has drawn enthusiastic participation from devotees and rapidly united a strong foundation of sincere Buddhist practitioners in the region, establishing a deep and stable foundation for Dharma propagation in East Malaysia.
Over the years, these Dharma Assemblies have received strong recognition and support from local governments and the Chinese community. YB Datuk Amar Dr. Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Premier of Sarawak, together with Datuk Wong Aik Loung, Acting President of Gondesan Malaysia and Chairman of this year’s Dharma Assembly, have long supported these Dharma activities and expressed deep gratitude to Venerable Master Kuan Ru for allowing the Great Compassion Bodhi Dharma to take root deeply within the hearts of people in East Malaysia, benefiting society, bringing immense blessings to the local community, and encouraging kindness, harmony, and positive social values. They have sincerely invited Venerable Master Kuan Ru to continue visiting East Malaysia annually to propagate the true Dharma.
With the collective support of government leaders and various sectors of society, the Buddhist teachings promoted by Venerable Master Kuan Ru have become an important force for purifying hearts, cultivating compassion and positive values, and promoting social harmony. Her Dharma activities have also become a significant milestone in the development of Buddhism in East Malaysia.
【2026 Bintulu Buddha Bathing Grand Dharma Assembly】
In celebration of the Buddha’s Birthday and during the auspicious occasion of Malaysia’s Vesak Day, Venerable Master Kuan Ru from Taiwan was respectfully invited to preside compassionately over the grand Buddha Bathing Dharma Assembly held in Bintulu, East Malaysia.
Through this solemn and auspicious gathering, devotees were able to share in the joy of the Dharma and receive the blessings of the Buddha, welcoming the compassionate light of the Buddha with pure and sincere hearts, bringing peace, clarity, and spiritual comfort to both mind and world.
During the Dharma Assembly, Venerable Master Kuan Ru led devotees in the Buddha Bathing ritual, respectfully bathing the Buddha statue while guiding participants to contemplate the purity, compassion, and wisdom of all Buddhas, as well as the profound merits generated through Buddhist practice. She also compassionately explained the deeper meaning of the Buddha Bathing ceremony, encouraging devotees to reflect upon their true nature with gratitude and purity of mind, cleanse afflictions and negative habits, and cultivate mindfulness and compassion.
Through these auspicious causes and conditions, devotees cultivated blessings and wisdom, formed wholesome affinities, and prayed that all sentient beings may swiftly transcend suffering and ultimately attain enlightenment.
【Smoke Offering Dharma Assembly and Great Compassion Mantra Water Blessing Ceremony】
In addition to the Buddha Bathing Dharma Assembly, this East Malaysia Dharma program also included the “Smoke Offering Dharma Assembly for Prosperity and Obstacle Removal,” held beside the Bintulu Civic Hall.
With boundless compassion and vows to benefit all beings, Venerable Master Kuan Ru offered prayers for the liberation of suffering, the resolution of karmic obstacles and conflicts, and the increase of blessings and wisdom for all sentient beings.
A special “Great Compassion Mantra Water Blessing Ceremony” was also conducted, during which blessed Great Compassion Mantra water was sprinkled throughout the environment, praying for national peace, social harmony, and world peace.
Venerable Master Kuan Ru compassionately taught:
“Bodhicitta is the greatest treasure in this lifetime.”
“Gondesan is a place where people learn Buddhism, walk the path toward Buddhahood, and cultivate Bodhicitta. Practitioners must develop great determination and great vows, letting go of attachment to the self in order to truly progress.
When facing difficulties, we can reflect on the Dharma and use the Buddha’s teachings to transform negative thoughts. At the same time, we should develop humility and repentance, while strengthening our determination to continue practicing the Bodhisattva path and benefiting sentient beings.
Practice diligently according to the Six Pāramitās, the six core practices of the Bodhisattva path; faithfully uphold the teachings, cultivate the Ten Wholesome Deeds, stay away from the Ten Unwholesome Actions, work to subdue afflictions, and nurture compassion and selflessness. When we truly listen to and practice the Dharma, wisdom gradually increases, and life naturally opens toward a brighter and more luminous future.”
For many years, Venerable Master Kuan Ru has tirelessly traveled overseas to propagate the Dharma, with one Dharma Assembly successfully completed after another, all dedicated to the flourishing and enduring presence of the Buddha’s teachings in the world. Her Dharma footsteps have extended throughout the world, and wherever she travels, she uses Buddhist wisdom to purify hearts and compassionate vows to benefit sentient beings.
Her return to East Malaysia once again gathers wholesome affinities and broadly benefits countless beings, bringing greater light and hope to Malaysia while adding another important chapter to the history of Buddhist propagation in the region.
Photo Credit: CNEWS
《More CNEWS news reports》
【Please indicate the source when reprinting the article】