On Saturday March 27th at 9am, Venerable Guo Fung of Dharma Drum Mountain led a purification ritual that included over 70 supporters and honored guests for the inauguration of the Xi Zhi Dharma Library.

At 10am Degui Academy broadcast the inaugural ceremony live via the Internet. A warm welcome was given to professors from the National Central University, directors from public welfare groups, and scholars from Nan-Jing University.

Venerable Guo Fung expressed appreciation for Venerable Guo Chi, who was instrumental in making these events possible and to Ms. Liao Chung-Yu for kindly making the space for the event available. Professor Chiang Ming-Shou of National Central University delivered a speech in which he envisioned that in the future Dharma Drum University would establish additional campuses to allow people to share knowledge and exchange information.

President Liu An-Chi noted that over the past year the active contributions and participation of Degui Academy and Xi Zhi Dharma Library have strengthened the foundation of DDU. In addition to regular library services, Xi Zhi Dharma library in Xi Zhi Science Park will also offer a series of seminars, multimedia workshops and family services to supplement resouces for the humanities and social services. Furthermore, local engineers can benefit from participating in Dharma Drum Mountain meditation classes and other Chan related activities. The Library also provides a welcoming environment for supporters in the area to practice meditation with the guidance of the fashis.

President Liu extended sincere appreciation to everyone who supported the development of Xi Zhi Dharma Library; especially Professors Wei Cheng-Tong and Hsieh Jing-Kuei Yu who donated their personal collections of over four thousand books. The director of the Himalaya Foundation, Mr. Chiang Hsien-Shin, very generously donated the entire NPO Management Library Collection, including books, journals, reports and pamphlets. Many others from all parts of the country also contributed a considerable number of books. These efforts help Dharma Drum University cultivate a better environment in which to learn and will give many more people access to learning resources. More campuses are planned for the future, and this will ensure that Dharma Drum University will continue to be a positive influence in the community.

After the inaugural ceremony, a video of “Trends of the World” was played to accompany the on going exhibition of “Drawing Exhibition of Life Education” held at Degui Academy. The ceremony concluded on a note of spiritual harmony and purification.