Daily Practice
The City of Dharma Realm places great emphasis on the daily practice schedule, respectfully following the instructions given by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua to the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association and all its temple branches.
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If you are interested, please feel free to download our daily schedule file to review the detailed daily practice schedule.
Bowing to Buddhas and Great Compassion Repentance
Adhering to the tradition, The City of Dharma Realm (CDR) conducts a one-hour bowing session every morning from 5 am to 6 am. Within the adorned and solemn Buddha Hall, one chants the sagely name of Namo Shakyamuni Buddha (Homage to Shakyamuni Buddha), all the while bowing in respect, contemplating and repenting one’s karmic offenses and obstacles, sincerely making vows and cleansing one’s mind. Holding the daily Great Compassion Repentance is one of the unique features at CDR. During this session, one learns the dharma door of the great compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and chants the Great Compassion Mantra in order to nourish the cultivator’s compassionate mind.
Investigation of Buddhist Sutras
Listening to and investigating sutras and learning buddhadharma allow one to understand the principles expounded by the Buddha, incorporating Buddha’s views as one’s own, realizing the proper path for cultivation. Therefore, the ninety-minute daily evening sutra lectures are extremely important for one’s training, taking dharma as one’s food to nourish the wisdom life of the dharma body. Venerable Master Hsuan Hua placed great emphasis on these lectures, and utilized the method of “activating one’s inner wisdom" to encourage everyone to work diligently to develop one’s wisdom potential.
Precepts Lectures
One should always abide by the precepts and proper conduct whether one is a monastic or a lay person and rectify one’s body, mouth, and mind accordingly. Using precepts as the criteria and guide to cleanse one’s three karmas (body, mouth, and mind) we do not betray the Buddha’s compassion and kindness. Precepts are to help one to do no evil and to offer up all good. The purpose of taking the precepts is to uphold them according to the dharma and the precepts. When one is able to do so, one can purify one’s mind and get rid of afflictions and ignorance; therefore, learning and upholding the precepts is of the utmost importance.
Explaining Sutras and Speaking Dharma
Venerable Master Hua vowed that as long as he was alive, he would speak dharma. So the four assemblies of disciples should diligently learn Buddhadharma, speak Buddhadharma, propagate Buddhadharma, so that everyone can develop proper knowledge and proper views, cultivate according to dharma, and break through confusion and ignorance revealing what is proper.
Bilingual - Chinese and English
All the sutra volumes published by the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association utilize English and Chinese as the two main languages. The same applies to lectures, explaining Buddhadharmas, chanting, etc. are typically bilingual. This practice is an expedient allowing one to delve into the depth of knowledge. This is also a great opportunity for cultural exchange of the East and West, elevating one’s learning interest as well as broadening one’s horizons.
Saturday Shurangama Mantra and Great Compassion Mantra Dharma Sessions
The Shurangama Mantra is the efficacious language of heaven and earth; if one is able to uphold the mantra, Proper Dharma will pervade the world. Venerable Master Hsuan Hua arduously propagated his entire life the Shurangama Sutra, Shurangama Mantra, and the Great Compassion Mantra, with the wish to allow the Proper Dharma to always reside in the world, eliminating the disasters and calamities in the world, so that all living beings may leave suffering and attain bliss.