The Founder of the Institute has emphasized continuously that only by establishing educational institutions can Buddhism have a future. Besides referring to how the Dharma Drum Mountain has used academic education as its main driving force, and accessible and great caring education as its auxiliaries, it also refers to how the Dharma Drum Mountain's educational territories include Buddhist courses offered to the general public. There are many people who are interested in courses offered by the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, but due to their work schedule during the day, they cannot attend these classes. The Center for Continuing Education was established to meet these peoples' needs. The Buddhist Center for Continuing Education, an affiliate of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, is a Buddhist educational unit designed to offer courses in Buddhist practice and doctrine to the general public.
The instructors for the Center come from the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, which is resourceful in providing professors. The Center has also invited key domestic and overseas scholars to join the effort. Thus, since the Center's inauguration ceremony in 1993, its programs have attracted a great many students, which have been increasing yearly.
In the last seven years, the Center has continued to offer traditional courses while adding new courses depending on the needs of the students. Up to August of 2001, there have been courses offeredin the following subjects: Tibetan, Sanskrit, Buddhist English, Buddhist Japanese, Early Buddhism, Abhidharma, Buddhist Languages, Introduction to Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhist practice, Buddhist history, History of Buddhist Art, Studies in Mind-only Buddhism, Studies in the Middle Way, Pure Land Sect, Chan Sect, Research Methods. Courses from other related fields include: Studies in Samsara, Care for the Dying in the Hospice, Studies in the Lotus Sutra, Studies in the Lankavatara Sutra, Introduction to Buddhist Culture, Introduction to Japanese Buddhist Culture, Studies in T'ien-t'ai Buddhist Thought, and Studying Poems and Verses.
Among these, some courses as a result of popular demand, have been offered continuously. The course on Agama Sutra, is a good example; each semaster lasts for over thirty weeks and students come from all over Taiwan to attend the class, often introducing friends and relatives to join them. However, this class does not meet in the Center but in the Hui-Jih Lecture Hall on Chu-lun Street.
In the beginning, in order to serve a public eager to learn about Buddhism, the Center borrowed classrooms from Dharma Drum Mountain An-ho Lecture Hall.
In 1997, because of the additional courses offered, we used space in the Hui-jih Lecture Hall. Then in 1999, Guo fu, a disciple of master Sheng-yen, donated her resident in Ai-chun Building to be used for the classes, which finally gave the center it's own classroom. However, due to the increase in the number of students , some of the classes still have to be taught at other venues.
As the Center is located in Taipei, students that benefit from the classes are limited to those in Northern Taiwan. In order to accomode those in Southern Taiwan, Mr. Yang Yu-wen, the instructor of Agama, responded to a request from students in Kaohsiung and began a new life teaching students in that city.
The Center has been fortunated in it's location. Situatedin the prosperous Eastern part of Taipei, it is conveniently located near one of the Taipei Metra Rapid Transit stations. As a result of it's ideal location benefit from the courses offered by the Center.
The Center offers a great opportunity to Buddhists who wish to learn more about the Dharma, yet have commitments that provent them from undertaking full time study. It is seed that has been planted in society where we hope will bear beneficial fruit.
To sustain the enthusiasm for learning about Buddhism for the sake of fulfilling one's aspiration between the busy schedule of family life and jobs, courses offered by the Center provide a good opportunity that should not be missed.
Through the courses of the Center, many students have generated interest in delving deeper into Buddhist Studies and were able to take the entrance examination for the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, or other graduate schools for the study of Buddhism, religion, and philosophy. After taking courses at the Center, some people even took ordination either within the Dharma Drum Mountain community or at other Buddhist monasteries.
The Center has followed the non-sectarian educational principles of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies and approaches Buddhism in an academic, systematic, objective, and panoramic way. The educational method employed explains the profound yet accessible vocabularies and encourages interaction between students and teachers. The students who attend courses may not necessarily be not devotees of Dharma Drum Mountain, in fact many are renunciants from other Buddhist monasteries, yet they are taking courses in the Center. Furthermore, the content of our teaching includes East Asian, Theravada, and Tibetan Buddhism. In other words, the Center provides a channel in which understanding of the depth and profundity of Buddhism is possible to all members of the sangha.
Some students decide to repeat the same course for three years, that means spending ninety Sunday mornings on studying the same subject profoundly. Other students would also come from as far way as Taichung to attend class and return home the same day, while others would also come from Chunghwa and Yunlin to stay overnight in Taipei in order to attend class. It is easy to imagine how tiring the travelling must have been, yet these students treated attending classes as part of their practice. Many of these students have busy schedules like most modern people; some of them even do volunteer work, so this diligence and effort is admirable. On the other hand, it is is evidence that Taiwan lacks a systematic courses to introduce Buddhism to interested people. In general, these kind of courses are only offered at Buddhist colleges or graduate institutes of Buddhist studies.
In addition, in order for the students to enjoy their study, instructors and students often hold teaching sessions off-campus. The Center has had a good response in leading guided tours to Japanese monasteries and sacred sites in India. The Japanese tour group is usually led by internationally renowned scholar Mr. Lan Chi-fu, who can introduce the beauty and humorous historical anecdotes of Japanese monasteries, and can guide the participants to see landscapes which ordinary tour groups would not have included in their tour. The pilgrimage groups led by Mr. Yang Yu-wen get to hear his detailed explanation of every object and site along the way on the basis of the scriptures. After they return to Taiwan from India, owing to the request of the participants in the tour, Mr. Yang offers a class to introduce the teachings that the Buddha expounded in the eight sacred sites. Mr. Yang believes it is important to learn about what the Buddha taught in those locations where he first expounded them.
The key of Buddhism is to be able to apply it in one's daily life and so further improve the quality of life. Studying the profundity of the dharma is necessary on the path to fulfilling one's life goals. The Center acts as a bridge between Buddhist practice and the human realm. It has assisted modern people to turn to right belief from superstition, to turn one's knowledge into wisdom, so that the dharma tunes of Mahayana Buddhism can become a beautiful piece of music that everyone can appreciate in every place.
Next time, when you are walking on the busy streets of Taipei andcome across the Center's small sign and see it like a clear stream flowing through the dusty human world, we welcome you to come in and take a break, to say hello to the Bodhisattvas, and have a mind-to-mind communication with the Buddhas.