International movie star, Jet Li, visited Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM) Anhe Branch Monastery in the afternoon of Dec. 16. Visiting Taiwan for his new movie premiere, Jet Li, who has a deep affiliation with Master Sheng Yen, wished to pay the Master a visit to gain some enlightening teaching. He gave out all the tickets for the premiere at Miramar Cinemas Da Zhi on Dec. 18 in thanks to those who have donated 5475 NT dollars to the 5475 Project between Dec. 1 to Dec 15, as his own contribution in support of the Master’s great vow to establish a Dharma Drum University. For sentient beings to gain real peace and happiness, orthodox Buddhism to stay in the world forever, and the cultivation of more Buddhist talent, Master Sheng Yen, with his wisdom and compassion obtained from studying and practicing Buddhism all his life, vowed to establish the Dharma Drum University urgently required for the sake of Buddhism, Taiwan, and all people in the world, to realize protecting the spiritual environment.

At the press conference on Dec. 16, Master Sheng Yen, founder of DDM, said that many people enter Buddhism through doing good deeds, including helping others in doing good. Whether big or small, he who has a good mind enjoys peace of mind. When multiple good deeds are accumulated, the world will enjoy peace and harmony. When asked why he wanted to establish a university, the Master said that Buddhists should help others undertake tasks to purify people’s minds, uprooting the problems derived from greed, hatred, and ignorance, so as to build a peaceful world. That is why he wanted to promote Protecting the Spiritual Environment, Chan practice and daily life cultivation, to let go of burdens in the body and mind. The core value of DDM, Protecting the Spiritual Environment will also represent the University’s core value. The Master urged people by saying, “Please let’s give ourselves an opportunity to contribute, grow, and to cultivate blessings; please give our future generations a piece of pure land, a hope. Please urge more people to jointly support our education.”

Jet Li said that he will never forget, and will forever remember the lessons the Master taught him: to have a grateful mind and bring happiness to all. Jet Li encouraged everybody to realize Protecting the Spiritual Environment on a regular basis, for there won’t be harmony in the world if only the environment is improved without people who live in it feeling happy. Therefore he hoped to promote DDM’s ideal of Protecting the Spiritual environment to the whole world through the “One Foundation” he had set up. At the end, Jet Li donated 200 tickets for the premiere of the movie “Warlords” to the Master, in support of DDM’s “5475―a great vow to establish the University” fund-raising project. By this donation, he hoped to invite more people to support the Master’s ideal to build a university. In return, the Master gave him a pair of “Novice of Compassion and Wisdom” coin money boxes, a symbolized gift to the supporters of “5475” project. The event wrapped up with the Master and Jet Li embracing each other.

DDM invites people to support its plan to establish the University by making a good vow and by putting it into practice. Through daily fulfillment of the vow to donate five NT dollars, 5,475 million will be raised to build the University. The campaign also enables all children to have an opportunity to cultivate giving since childhood, and to invite more people to join DDM’s project of this great vow.