As the chill of winter gradually gave way to the warmth of spring, the Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University once again held its Great Compassion Repentance Ritual Practicum (Dabei Chan Practice Service) on April 28. Dean of the College of Buddhist Studies, Hsia Yun-chung, participated throughout the solemn and dignified ceremony, while third-year undergraduate advisor Chien Ju-en was also present to offer support and encouragement to students, joining the dean in offering incense and prayers.

The ritual assembly was conducted under the careful guidance of Venerable Zhiru, instructor for Buddhist practice courses, who led students in actively participating in the various organizational and liturgical aspects of the ceremony. Through systematic coordination and collaborative division of responsibilities, students cultivated mutual support and communal harmony. In addition, with the support of participants and the dedicated assistance of student life advisor Venerable Miaojia, the ritual space was properly prepared with offerings including flowers, incense wood, purified rice, fresh fruits, and Dharma gifts, thereby creating a solemn ritual environment and fostering auspicious karmic affinities.

The Great Compassion Repentance liturgy originates from the spirit of the Chinese Tiantai tradition, which emphasizes the integration of doctrinal understanding and contemplative practice (jiaoguan shuangmei). Accordingly, the preparation of the ritual extended beyond the mere perfection of ceremonial procedures to include the internalization of contemplative insight and spiritual cultivation. From the initial planning stages to the final execution of the event, every aspect of the process served to strengthen communication, cooperation, and collective understanding among participants. The experience thus became not only a ritual performance, but also an immersive process of embodied religious learning and sincere spiritual dedication, fully manifesting the core educational ideals of practice-oriented learning (xingmen jiaoyu).
 

As the sound of ritual chimes gradually faded and the ceremony came to a successful conclusion, Venerable Zhiru cited the teachings of Hsing Yun, reminding participants that “a Dharma assembly does not end once the prostrations are completed; one must bring some aspect of the Dharma back into daily life.” Drawing further upon the repentance text of the Great Compassion Repentance, she explained that although Avalokiteśvara had already attained Buddhahood long ago, the bodhisattva nevertheless returns compassionately to the world through great vows, manifesting a thousand hands and thousand eyes in order to protect sentient beings, inspire the generation of the bodhi mind, and deliver all beings from suffering.

The compassionate vows of Avalokiteśvara, she noted, are believed to extinguish the sufferings symbolized by “mountains of blades” and “cauldrons of fire,” while teaching beings to recite the Great Compassion Mantra so that they may forever transcend the evil destinies, eliminate grave karmic transgressions, and ultimately be reborn in the presence of the Buddhas. The evening’s collective repentance practice conducted beneath the light of the Buddha was thus understood as a manifestation of Avalokiteśvara’s compassionate vows and salvific power.

“With wondrous voices chanting the Great Compassion Mantra,
may its majestic virtue resonate throughout the three realms.
Reverently contemplating the repentance text and arousing great compassion,
we bow before the Buddha and purify our karmic obstructions through contemplation.”