A Brief History of DDMMBA 法鼓山普賢講堂簡史
What is life? Why are we born here? How to get the vast road of life?
In 1987, a number of Buddhist scholars at home explored each other to search their inner maze, they all felt the Dharma is the light for human beings. But there was not a Chinese Buddhist group in Massachusetts at the time. So they founded Samantabhadra Buddhist Society in Lowell. After some time, in order to develop it further, in 1989, it changed its name to “Buddhist Association of Massachusetts” officially and began to search a Buddhist temple where more people can learn and grow together. In 1990, in order to make it more convenient for people coming from all over the state to learn Buddhism, the site was moved to a Lexington family. It may be because of the Budda’s help, a year later, the present Buddhist temple, “Samantabhadra,” was bought. Which was the first Chinese Buddhist temple in Massachusetts. It had since attracted many people who are interested in exploring the realities of life.
Although most of the members are intellectuals who studied in the United States, but under the equality of the Buddhism, they use the best of their ability to help each other. Because there is no resident Venerable, each month will invite the Venerable or lay teachers to visit the temple. The usual Sanskrit reading, study group and discussion were what we applied to help each other, and in turn laid the Dharma foundation. As a result of the principle of “If there is Dharma, there is grain”, this Buddhist temple has never had a problem of financial shortage. At that time, we do not differentiate people from different origins, Dharma from the North and South are all covered, and widely learned. Dharma teachers came all praised Samantabhadra is a very high quality and positive high level group.
In addition to the introduction of Buddhism, the lecture hall also added six Buddhist nuns to the Buddhist community. Six more Chinese Buddhist monasteries in Massachusetts have been in existence for more than 20 years. Only the organization of Samantabhadra is still the only “family group”. We still invite Venerable or lay teachers to visit the temple to teach; the difference is that most of the sentimental faces are now blurred, several moved to warmer states, and even some have faded. Impermanence has been clearly shows the reality of the world, never relax its enlightenment to human beings. With the pace of impermanence and the needs for future development, we began to consider other feasibility for the “transformation” .
We had a consensus when we first bought the temple, that this will be a ten-party nature’s temple, we only have the right of management, but no right of ownership. And the original intention of “to establish the temple, to provide a learning place for Buddhism,” has been achieved, the intended tree has been planted. Samantabhadra lecture hall should be returned to the teachings of “Buddhist monks to teach, Lay Buddhist to shield and sustain” normal mode of operation, let the more professional Buddhist monks to lead the groups, nurturing Buddhist talent, so that more people can be under the cool comfortable shade of the Dharma tree. After a rigorous procedures of choosing who will take charge Samantabhadra’s future, result came to “Dharma Drum Mountain”. The Lecture Hall hence was renamed to “Dharma Drum Mountain Puxian Lecture Hall”, but the group continued to use the name of the Buddhist Association of Massachusetts.
After a few months of transition after the run-in period, in 2016 the Dharma Drum Mountain officially assumed a large office, by the President Venerable GuoXing, and we finally have our first ever monastic Venerable GuoChi be the residing teacher in MBA’s history. Now all the activities are planned and led by the monastic, Lay Buddhists in the family shield and sustain Monk, in accordance with the planned order of practice, “Spread the teachings of the Buddha to benefit all the livings, to accomplish the Buddha-way” concept. Now the main activities are meditation, Buddha chanting, reading, Buddhist discussion, parent-child Bodhi, body and mind workshops etc. Lecture will follow the time in the season, and strive to follow the Dharma to carry out Bodhi and Buddha to ease everybody. As long as there is someone who wants to eradicate his/her suffering, and get the bliss, there is the need for continued presence of the temple, to provide more destined people to purify their life and mature all the affectionate creatures.
生命是什麼？我們為何生於此？茫茫人生路如何得超悟？
1987年數名在家學佛居士在互相探討內心的迷津中，常感於佛法是人類的明燈，但在麻州卻沒有一所華人的佛教團體，於是創辦普賢佛學社於Lowell。後由於發展上的需要，1989年正式改名為「麻州佛教會」，並開始尋覓可以讓更多人一起學佛的道場。1990年為考慮從各地來學佛的人方便，遂把活動地點移到Lexington某居士家。也可能是護法龍天的暗助，一年後佛教會買下現今的學佛道場 —『普賢講堂』，當時是麻州首座華人學佛道場，吸引很多有志探索人生實相的人士。
雖然成員多半是來美留學的知識分子，但在佛性平等下，各盡其力、互相提攜。由於沒有常住法師，每月便邀請各地法師或居士蒞臨弘法，平常則以讀書會、共修、討論，大家彼此砥礪薰修，將佛法依次第打下基礎。由於秉著「有道就有糧」的原則，這個居士道場一直都沒經濟短缺問題。當時，大家不分門派，對南北傳的佛法全都涉獵，可以說是廣學多聞，來此弘法者皆讚歎普賢講堂素質是具正見而高程度的團體。
講堂除了接引學佛，也為佛教界添了六名出家比丘尼；二十多年後在麻州的華人佛教道場至今增加了六所，只有普賢講堂的組織依然是唯一「在家團體」的樣貌，依然邀請法師或居士蒞臨弘法；所不同的是大部分當時青澀的面孔現已髮白眼花，好幾位搬到暖和的他州，甚至有些已凋謝。無常一直明白地顯示着人間的現實，絲毫沒放鬆對人類的教化。隨著無常的腳步與發展的需要，於是大家開始考慮「轉型」的可行性。
當初買下道場，大家本有共識，這是十方性的道場，我們只有管理運用權，沒有擁有權。而原本「興立道場、提供學佛」的初衷已算達成，該種的樹已經栽植，普賢講堂應該歸向教界「僧眾弘法、居士護教」的正常運行模式，請更專業的出家眾當家，領導團體，培育佛教人才，讓更多有緣人能庇蔭於佛法的大樹下清涼自在。於是，經過嚴謹的程序後，大眾選擇由「法鼓山」接掌弘法管理的大任，講堂從此也正名為「法鼓山普賢講堂」，但此團體依然沿用「麻州佛教會」之名。
經過數月的過渡磨合期後，2016年法鼓山正式擔起大任，由果醒法師任會長，法鼓山僧團果啟法師駐錫講堂。現在所有活動全由法師籌劃與領導，在家人護法護僧，依計劃有次序地實踐「弘法利生、成就佛道」的理念。現在主要活動為禪修、念佛、讀書會、佛法討論、親子菩提、身心靈工作坊等。講堂將隨順時節因緣，努力依着正法開展菩提與學佛方便，只要有人想超越煩惱、離苦得樂，講堂就有繼續存在的需要，提供更多有緣人一起來淨化人生，成熟有情。