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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 41
Dot Connections Growth Centre
Dot Connections Growth Centre (DC) was founded in
2014. It is located in Pek Chuan Building, Singapore.
It aims to promote Buddhist wisdom and compassion
by developing emotional and mental well-being based
on practical application of Dhamma. The organisation
focuses on providing Dhamma education and Buddhist
counselling and training.
Ven. Ding Rong presented a Dhamma talk at People’s Buddhism Study
Society, Singapore.
Meditation classes, workshops, reading groups
and Dhamma education programmes are regularly
conducted. DC also provides Buddhist counselling
service and Diploma in Buddhist Psychotherapy and
Counselling course, which is supported and approved
by The Australian Counselling Association. Ven. Ding
Rong also conducts Buddhist Counselling course
in Mandarin. For more information, please visit DC
website @ www.dc.org.sg or contact them through
email (connect@dc.org.sg) or phone (+65 85014365). Basic Buddhist counselling workshop: students were having moments of
silence with breathing meditation.
Zhi Yi: Why did you establish Dot Connections
Growth Centre?
go hand in hand. To achieve our missions, we provide
systematic courses so that people can understand
Ven Ding Rong: In 2006, I served in an organisation
Buddha’s teachings and practise the Dhamma in their
in Hong Kong which was funded by Mr Li Ka Shing. My
daily life. The courses and workshops conducted have
roles involved supervising the Buddhist primary and
different levels and durations with the hope that even
secondary schools, training the teachers, and editing
people with hectic lifestyles can learn effectively to
the teaching curriculum. I also provided counselling
build a strong foundation in Dhamma knowledge and/
services based on the needs of students and teachers.
or counselling skills for subsequent pursuit of more
advanced courses. We also try to put in a lot of effort
After coming back to Singapore, I wished to continue
in educating and nurturing fellow Buddhists who will
promoting Dhamma education and Buddhist
serve the community with wisdom and compassion,
counselling service. Therefore, together with some
including Buddhist counsellors and Para counsellors,
enthusiastic volunteers, we started the preparative
Sunday Dhamma school teachers and prison volunteers.
work in 2013 and officially registered Dot Connections
Growth Centre with the Registry of Societies in
Zhi Yi: Can you please share with us your reason
2014, with the missions to promote the wisdom and
and experience for being ordained in Australia, a
compassion of the Buddha.
primarily Western country?
I realised that many people could not apply Dhamma in
Ven Ding Rong: Since my teenage years, I have
their daily life to benefit from it. With that in mind, our
been deeply inspired by the Buddha-dhamma and
organisation emphasises establishing the right view
have always had the thought of becoming a monk.
and practical application of the Dhamma. We believe
Serendipity led me to meet with my teacher, Ven. Tsang
that to be able to practice Dhamma rightly, one has
Hui (藏慧法師), who migrated from Taiwan to Australia,
to learn and acquire Dhamma knowledge; both must