DDM Abbot President Ven. Guo Dong presided over the wedding, during which he also performed the Refuge ceremony for the newlyweds, offering his blessings and wishing them to work together to establish Buddhist families, and thus lay a good foundation for building a pure land on earth. For the ceremony, Former Vice President Vincent Siew and his wife acted as the witnesses, while Wu Dongliang and his wife as the hosts, and Zhang Changbang and his wife as the introducer, traditionally known as the “matchmaker,” who offered their joint blessings to the new couples.

The newlyweds sounded the happiness bell couple by couple, to kick start this Buddhist-style wedding ceremony featuring simplicity and environmental-friendly practices. Amid the blessings of the attending guests, they made their vows before the statues of the Buddha and the bodhisattva, as a token of their promise to keep a merry marriage and live a life of true happiness. At the moment the venue was immediately filled with a warm atmosphere and ambience. Ven. Guo Dong then placed Buddha-card necklaces and prayer beads around the necks of the newlyweds, encouraging them to establish a Buddhist family by applying the Buddha’s teachings and using the Dharma. The venerable and honorable guests also presented special wedding gifts: images of the Wish-fulfilling Guanyin and copies of late Master Sheng Yen’s calligraphy works.

Master Sheng Yen, founder of DDM, once said, “Purification of the world starts with establishment of Buddhist families, and establishing Buddhist families starts from holding Buddhist-style weddings, an endeavor of ours to uplift the character of humanity.” DDM has so far helped form 1,213 happy families by organizing the Buddhist-style wedding since 1995. By attending the green and low-carbon emission Buddhist-style wedding, the new couples are already practicing environmental protection right at the start of their family life together.

The Buddhist-style group wedding represents a ritual to inspire spiritual and environmental purification. It also includes a series of premarital lessons to help prospective husbands and wives understand the essence of marriage, urging them to relish each other’s company and support each other by applying Buddhist wisdom and compassion in their marriage. DDM hopes the new couples can continue to practice wholesome deeds to benefit the self and others, starting from family to society, thereby jointly building a pure land on earth.

Report: Chang Tianpei (張田沛)
Photography: Shih Chuntai(施純泰)
Video: Lin Yaying(林雅櫻) Chang Tianpei (張田沛)
Translation: Ina Wang (王慧雯)
Editor: Chang Chiacheng (張家誠)