DDM Malaysia was established in 1999. The first convenor, Ms. June Ka Lim, having benefitted deeply from Chan meditation retreats conducted by Master Sheng Yen, was inspired to share the teachings of Chan in Malaysia. She was instrumental in the formative years of the Malaysian branch.
History of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Centre Malaysia
The branch was set up on the upstairs of June’s vegetarian restaurant in Subang Jaya. Back then, it was known as ‘DDM Malaysia Liaison Office’. In the early days, weekly guided sitting meditation sessions were actively promoted and the teachings of Buddhadharma were spread through books published by DDM publications.
Gradually, the number of people benefitting from the Buddhadharma increased. In 2001, our branch was moved to a more spacious rental premise in Petaling Jaya and was re-named as ‘DDM Malaysia Chan Centre’.
This move brought together the conditions of the visit of our founder, Master Sheng Yen to Malaysia in April 2001. He had been wishing to pay a visit for the past 19 years and the new premise was inaugurated with his blessings.
During his visit, Master Sheng Yen hosted two public talks that attracted an estimated 12,000 audience. Another highlight of his visit was a seminar on ‘Chan and Modern Enterprise‘ attended by leading local entrepreneurs.
Since then, interest in Chan practice as well as DDM Chan Centre grew. DDM Sangha members from Taiwan were invited more regularly to lead Chan meditation activities.
In 2004 Mr. Lim Tiong Piow took over as the convenor of the Malaysian centre. Apart from regular meditation activities, such as group sitting and beginner’s meditation classes , the centre started introducing a wider range of activities such as Buddha-name recitation dharma service, study group, Dharma instrument class and Buddhist choir class.
Over the years, significant growth in the number of disciples has propelled DDM Malaysia into searching for a bigger and more permanent premise. In 2007, Mr. Lim Tiong Hong took over to lead the Malaysian centre and also the responsibility of finding a new premise. After several large fund-raising activities, with the active participation and support of volunteers and supporters, this aspiration materialised. The new centre located on two floors of a shop lot at 8 Avenue Business Centre, Petaling Jaya was opened in September 2008.
July 2009 marked a new milestone of DDM Malaysia. Monastics were permanently stationed in the center, now officially known as DDM Buddhist Centre Malaysia. Under the guidance of the monastic community, in line with Master Sheng Yen’s compassionate vows, our programmes further expanded to cater for the needs of the diverse community. It was hoped that the vision of ‘uplifting the character of humanity and building a pure land on earth’ could be actualised through the spectrum of programmes so that everyone can apply the teachings of Buddhism actively in their daily life to benefit themselves and others.
By 2015, more members joined us after participating in activities by DDM Malaysia such as public lectures, teachers’ camp and student meditation programmes at our centre. We have also outreached our meditation programmes to universities, colleges, Buddhist associations and training centres.
Our Malaysian centre started as a seed of goodwill and after many years of irrigation has grown into a Bodhi tree, offering a refuge for the public to calm the body and mind, and further progress spiritually. In order to cultivate more seedlings, DDM Malaysia aspired to further expand.
After five years of fund-raising, preparation and construction, the new premise of DDM Malaysia was inaugurated on 10 November 2019. Our new centre continues to implement the environmental vision of energy saving and carbon reduction.
We hope that through continuous promotion of Chan practice and activities propagating Buddhist teachings, the general public can recognise Dharma Drum Mountain’s ideals and join our effort in actualising the protection of the spiritual environment and building a pure land on earth.