Where Past and Present Meet

The IGDVS 50th Anniversary Alumni Reunion was a two-night, three-day retreat welcoming more than 120 alumni and their families from near and far (California residents, New York, and other US states, as well as Europe and Asia). The event took place at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas from October 23-25, 2026. It is the third of the IDGVS 50th Anniversary Celebration event series, made possible thanks to the careful planning and contributions by the IGDVS administrators, parents, faculty, alumni, and CTTB monastics and lay volunteers.

The retreat officially began at Jyun Kang Vegetarian Restaurant with a warm, scrumptious dinner filled with a wide array of dishes from various cuisines cooked by Mrs. Lau. Food preparation assistance and setup was done by DVBS dorm staff and students, Seng brothers (William ’18, Chee Hee ’19, and Alan ’22), Michael Zhao ’18, Steve Li ’25, Xiao Hui Lau, Qin Zhi Lau, Cintya Kandahsari, and Kusali Kandahsari. The first round of alumni socializing was surrounded by good company joined by IGDVS faculty and parents. The eggless dessert section featured Asian desserts and a beautiful 50th Anniversary themed cake made by alumna Cintya Kandahsari ’03. Guests were greeted with tables decorated with mini bouquets in ceramic vases arranged by alumna Xiao Hui Lau ’05. Participants were each given a thoughtful 50th Anniversary gift sachet containing a mini notebook, a dragon-themed sticker, a chocolate chip cookie baked by Xiao Hui, and sweets.

Afterwards, participants transitioned to the Buddha Hall to listen to Dharma talks by alumni Grace Yang ’16, Amy Shay ’12, Ngoc Mai Sixomphon ’11, Nathaniel Rounds (1985-1995), Jeffrey Lin ’01, and Qin Zhi Lau ’07. They expressed gratitude for the valuable teachings and mentorship they received from monastics, faculty, and peers in the CTTB community, which stayed with them throughout their adult life. Lastly, Joseph Zhu ’10, Sunny Chye ’09, Alejandro Gracia-Zhang ’16, Abhishek ’15 and Uday Datta ’13, and many others collaboratively tidied up Jyun Kang to prepare the space for breakfast the next morning.

On Saturday, alumni began the day at Jyun Kang mingling over a generous variety of bagels, yogurt, fruit, coffee, and tea. With everyone high in spirits after a filling meal, alumni embarked on a hike around the lesser-known paths of the CTTB grounds. Michael Lu ’15 and Hong Fei Bai ’12 led the group from Jyun Kang to the Mountain Gate. Then continued their trek around the solar farm and Bodhi House, and back up to the water tanks where they took group photos reminiscing their youthful days as students. The group ended the hike on a memorable note at Mill Creek where Hong Fei led alumni to take a moment to reflect on the many faculty and mentors that have guided students over the years.

After a brief rest and freshening up, alumni joined CTTB staff/residents, current IGDVS faculty and students, and Ukiah elders and guests at the Five Contemplations Hall to celebrate Honoring Elders Day and eat lunch. For many alumni it was a fresh experience being treated as the guests instead of being performers and servers. The program was emceed by DVGS and featured Ukiah seniors’ and IGDVS students’ music, singing, and Chinese cultural and artistic performances. Each performance brought its own uniqueness to the stage and filled the space with lively positivity that highlighted the theme of unity. Hats (straw hats or hiking hats) and Chan books were passed out as gifts towards the end of the event.

After the celebration came to a close, DVBS performed another exciting Dragon Dance performance exclusively for the alumni. During the intermission before the afternoon activities, alumni continued chatting in small groups, assisted current students with cleanup, or reunited with the CTTB staff. Under the guidance of the DVBS alumni, several DVGS alumnae had a blast trying their hand at learning a few Dragon Dance moves.

The afternoon featured an experience and interests-sharing social networking event held at the Earth Treasury Hall. It started off with a couple of icebreakers led by alumnus Jeffrey Lin at the Middle Hall area. Alumni silently organized themselves by their graduating year then separated into random groups to do a teambuilding activity called the human knot. Afterwards, alumni migrated into the North Hall to listen to a panel led by Daron Fong ’12 and Alisha Pegan ’12. Alumni Daron Fong, Franklyn Wu ’95, Joseph Zhu, Radhika Misri ’10, Tracy Chen ’14, and Alisha Pegan took the stage with an open-ended conversation about how past CTTB experiences influenced their lives after graduation, as well as a glimpse into their recent personal and professional endeavors. Daron also asked the panelists lightning questions highlighting classic IGDVS experiences such as, food combinations and favorite or least favorite activities to do. Subsequently, the alumni formed a large chain sharing what they were experts in and what they wanted to learn more about as a bridge to help alumni network with each other.

The end of the room displayed several tables of free IGDVS 50th Anniversary Alumni merchandise including hats, clothing for all seasons, mini notebooks, and 50 Voices, 50 Years books, as well as Core Virtue pins, Virtue Nightlight, and Virtue Pals. Some of the alumni merchandise artwork were drawn by Cintya and IGDVS Staff, and the popular Virtue Pals were donations from a gracious supporter of IGDVS. Alumni made their mark of reunion attendance writing messages and signatures on a long banner. There was also a table featuring yearbooks ranging from 1980s to 2026 available for flip-throughs, allowing alumni to reminisce about their school memories. Flyers with QR codes were posted to encourage alumni to keep connected with and give back to their alma mater and the DRBA community.

Many graduates of DVBS then headed to the Community Center in Great Compassion House to join DM Heng Shun for a boys school reunion and group tea. People sipped on an artistic selection of teas chosen by Xiao Hui along with refreshments as the former students caught up with their teachers who had played such an enormous role in their educational journey.

Alumni and current students feasted on a sattvic-friendly Mexican taco dinner at Jyun Kang. It was cooked by Andrew Laughton (1991-1994) with preparation and table setup assistance from Kim Carter ’10, David Carter (Kim’s husband), Billy Nguyen ’12, and Maggie Xiong (Billy’s wife). Seating was mixed between alumni and girls school students, allowing for casual interactions between different generations. After dinner, some DVBS alumni and students shot hoops on the basketball courts while spectators and their partners cheered them on.

Evening activities at the Earth Treasury Hall included options between Restorative Art Circle, Werewolf, and board/card games. The Restorative Art Circle was held at the North side led by Thao Phi Laughton (2003-2004). It began with a circle reflection of the reunion and opened up a safe place for personal expression. Then each individual made a personal collage highlighting their student experience and its interconnection to the present and future. Participants unleashed their creative side combining snippets of old magazines, stickers, and other scrapbooking materials. After a focused art-making session, the group reconvened for optional sharing time. Some participants opened up about some personal challenges and journeys and how that influenced their perspective throughout adult life and shaped their hopes for the future.

The other alumni congregated in the Middle Hall of the Earth Treasury Hall to play Werewolf, a social deduction game, led by Qin Zhi. People gathered into a circle as Qin Zhi explained the rules and distributed cards with individual roles. Several rounds were played as alumni took turns nominating others to track down the werewolves. It was a night filled with mystery and suspicion for one another. It ended in the villagers’ victory in voting the last werewolf out, thus concluding the game. Despite the event-packed day, many still stayed longer in the Earth Treasury Hall and hung out at residence halls to chat.

As official events came to a close on Saturday night, many alumni attended extended activities well into Sunday. In the morning, some alumni participated in Guanyin Dharma events (Universal Door Chapter or Three Steps One Bow) and enjoyed breakfast at Black Oak Coffee Roasters. Many gathered at Todd Grove Park with their lunches for a picnic. Some stayed longer after lunch, taking leisurely strolls around the CTTB campus, including visiting school and dorm facilities to see how things had changed since their student days. They also caught up with monastic mentors and teachers over tea and snacks.

Over these three days, alumni bonded over shared educational experiences and timeless memories. These activities served as a reminder for many to reconnect with the place and people at their former second home, reinforcing this year’s Honoring Elders Day theme of “unity.” IGDVS alumni and current students can reflect on this weekend as a time when past and present met to forge a new path for the future of IGDVS.