There are about thirty-odd monks who carry out spiritual practice or Zen meditation in the Monastery. While focusing in the Zen and Pure Land practice on the one hand, efforts are also devoted to carry out missionary work in the community with a view to disseminating the spirit of Buddhism. Schools and homes for the aged have been established in remote areas. As at to date, Tuen Mun Castle Peak School and Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial School and two homes for the aged in Ngong Ping are in operation.

Dharma talks are often held by the monks of the Monastery with a view to educating people to eradicate their defilements and perform meritorious deeds; to convert the shrewd temperament to mild ones and to promote harmony in society. The Dharma is also spread overseas in response to requests from Buddhist Associations, local and overseas alike, with a view to promoting peace and stability. Hence the Po Lin Monastery has won respect from people from all walks of life. In December, 1990, Her Majesty the Queen commended the merits of the monks by awarding them medals. Ven. Chi Wai, the Director of the monastery, is the first Bhikkhu who received such medal in Hong Kong. He was also appointed the District Consultant of the Xin Hua News Agency Sub-Office in Hong Kong. The monks are committed to exert their utmost in contributing to the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong.

Since 1996, the Po Lin Monastery has been committed to building fundamental schools in the poverty-stricken hill areas in China. The first of these schools, that is the Sixth Patriarch School in Xin Xing County in Quangdong Province, has aroused a strong response among the believers and benefactors who hence contribute generously in support of the school building project. In early 2004, some 200 schools have been built with the subsidies of the Monastery.