Engaged Buddhism: Taiwan's Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society Launches Medical Assistance Program in Nepal

The Taiwan-based Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society (LJM) recently launched a large-scale medical assistance program in Nepal. Led by the LJM’s Nepal Milarepa Meditation Center in collaboration with medical institutions in Taiwan, and aimed at helping communities in remote areas of the Himalayan nation, the LJM said the initiative has already benefited more than a thousand people in Nepal.

“This program was developed based on the advice of Venerable Hsin Tao, the founding abbot of LJM, with the aim of spreading love and compassion abroad,” LJM said in a recent statement about the project. “Given the scarcity of medical resources in Nepal, especially in remote areas, where people have difficulty accessing basic health services, the center decided to launch this assistance project. Taiwanese medical institutions such as Taipei Medical University, the Tri-Service General Hospital, and the National Defense Medical Center have responded actively by sending medical teams to participate.” (Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society)

LJM said Taipei Medical University played a key role in the initiative, sending a 21-member medical team to Nepal. Medical teams from the Tri-Services General Hospital and the National Defense Medical Center followed. These teams provided a range of medical services, including basic health care and dental education, to teachers and students, Buddhist monasteries, and the elderly and underprivileged children in remote areas.

“Groups benefiting from this medical service include: schools located at 2 meters above sea level, where it is difficult to get medical advice; Trungram Ghumba Shelter; Thrangu Namo Buddha Monastery; Drikung Kagyu Rinchen Ling Monastery; elderly people and poor children in the remote town of Nuwakot; and Tzu Hui Orphanage,” the LJM explained.

"Recognizing the remoteness of the orphanage and the difficulties of transportation, the center staff have brought more than 50 novice nuns to receive medical care. So far, more than a thousand people have benefited from this program." (Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society)

The Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society, a community affiliated with the Linji school of Chan Buddhism, was founded in 1983 by Dharma Master Hsin Tao as a platform for sharing the Buddha Dharma. As a tireless advocate for peace and non-violence, Master Hsin Tao firmly believes in the importance of religion in manifesting real change in the world and has worked fervently on many projects and initiatives aimed at promoting respect, tolerance and love of peace within spiritual communities and teaching the diversity of religious expressions as a basis for mutual understanding, peace and love among the peoples of the world in order to bring about greater understanding and peaceful interaction.

Master Hsin Tao was born in 1948 to a family of Chinese origin in a small village in northern Burma (now Myanmar), during a period of instability and unrest. Orphaned at the age of four, he was recruited as a child soldier by the Kuomintang guerrilla army as it retreated from China to Burma, and then brought to Taiwan in 1961 when the army was forced to flee Burma. A chance encounter with the bodhisattva of compassion Guanyin in 1963 marked a turning point in his life, and in 1973, at the age of 25, he was ordained as a monk.

In addition to providing medical services to remote communities, LJM noted that its program in Nepal helped raise awareness among local residents about health, particularly the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene. The Taiwanese medical team members were also able to gain a deeper perspective on how to work with the needs of different cultures.

“The success of this medical service (in Nepal) is not only due to the enthusiasm and proactive efforts of the medical team members, but also to the long-standing commitment of (Nepal Milarepa Meditation Center) to foster good relations and create goodwill within the community,” LJM noted. “This effort has garnered significant support from the local government and private organizations. By gathering positive energy through goodwill, the plans were able to rally professional doctors to work together. Through careful planning, they have successfully brought this wonderful initiative to fruition.” (Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society)

Taiwan is a spiritually diverse country, home to a wide range of religious and spiritual traditions, among which there is considerable overlap in terms of personal beliefs and practices, particularly between Buddhism and Taoism. According to government data for 2020, Buddhists make up the largest segment of the island's population, some 24 million people, or 35,1%. Taoism accounts for 33%, while those with no stated religious affiliation make up 18,7%. Christians make up 3,9% of the population, while Chinese folk religions and other religious traditions make up the remainder.

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Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society
Medical mission in Nepal benefits thousands: LJM encourages love without borders (Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society)

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