2007 DRBY Spring Conference Speakers and Info

DRBY 2007 Spring Conference: Wisdom in Action Some Talks are now online - MP3 files
	"Vegetarianism and Buddhism" Reverend Heng Sure was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1976. For the sake of world peace, he undertook an over six hundred mile pilgrimage from South Pasadena to Ukiah, repeatedly taking three steps and one bow to cover the entire journey. In the entire two years taken to make the pilgrimage, he observed a practice of total silence. Rev. Heng Sure has an M.A. in Oriental Languages from UC Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He serves as the Managing Director of the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery and teaches on the staff at the Institute for World Religions. He is actively involved in interfaith dialogue and in the ongoing conversation between spirituality and technology. Reverend Heng Sure
	"Out from the Shadows: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women in the Global Community" Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo's primary academic interests include women in Buddhism, Buddhism and bioethics, religion and cultural change, and Buddhism in the United States. In addition to her academic work, she is actively involved in interfaith dialogue and in grassroots initiatives for the empowerment of women. She is president of Sakyadhita: International Association of Buddhist Women (www.sakyadhita.org) and director of Jamyang Foundation (www.jamyang.org), an initiative to provide educational opportunities for women in the Indian Himalayas, Bangladesh and Laos. She holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of San Diego and teaches Buddhism and World Religions at the University of San Diego. Venerable Karma Lekshe Tsomo
	"Trials and Tribulations of Public Service / The Reluctant Bodhisattva" Reverend Kusala has been involved in service to community for over a decade. He has been/is a Buddhist volunteer at a State Prison, Juvenile Hall, Police Department, Medical Center and University Campus. His understanding of Buddhism is deeply rooted in the Theravada and the goal of the Arahant. After years of service however, the Bodhisattva ideal manifested as his path to compassion and wisdom. He will be speaking on how he learned the ropes of public service as a Buddhist volunteer, and the up’s and down’s of service to community. Kusala Bhikshu (www.Kusala.info) received his higher ordination in the Zen tradition of Vietnam in 1996. He is a member of the Los Angeles Buddhist/Catholic Dialogue, Wilshire Center Interfaith Council and vice-president of the Garden Grove, Stanton and Westminster Interfaith Council. He is currently Buddhist chaplain for the URC at UCLA, director of the University Buddhist Association at UCLA, member of the UCLA Medical Center Spiritual Care Committee and ride-along police chaplain for the Garden Grove Police Dept. His web site www.UrbanDharma.org has been up and running since 2001 and his podcast Urban Dharma has been available on iTunes since 2005. Reverend Kusala
	"Working with Inmates during thier Post-Release process back into the Community" Ven. Suhita Dharma, known familiarly as “Bhante,” carries forth the teaching of the Buddha in both the Sri Lankan Theravada lineage, Vajrayana, and the Mahayana Vietnamese Zen tradition of the Unified Buddhist Church in Vietnam and America. He is a pastoral social worker who emphasizes service to homeless people, prisoners, and others in need. Bhante has been a monk (Bhikshu) over 40 years and has acted as a bridge between many cultures in the world. He follows in what he calls the Triyana tradition, the way of compassion towards all beings.
	"Buddhist Prison Ministry" Dharma Master Heng Yun was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1983. A native Chinese speaker, she lectures frequently on the Shurangama Sutra in Taiwan and the United States at many of the DRBA Way Places. In Taiwan, she regularly visits the prisons to talk to the classmates about finding true happiness and a direction in life. She has had many inspiring stories seeing classmates change despite their difficult environment. In addition, Dharma Master Heng Yun holds a M.A. from Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU), and is an active member of the Buddhist Text Translation Society. Currently she serves as the managing director at Gold Sage Monastery. Dharma Master Heng Yun
	"Education and Social Change" Dharma Master Heng Yin received a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin and was subsequently accepted to the Ph.D. program. She first learned about the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) in 1990 when the Master and his disciples visited UT and taught meditation and Buddhism. She came to CTTB for a summer Chan session. A few months later, she enrolled at Dharma Realm Buddhist University and moved to CTTB where she soon committed herself to the monastic life. DM Heng Yin has been active in the Buddhist Text Translation Society and is currently the Principal of the Developing Virtue Girls' School at CTTB. Dharma Master Jin Jr became a monastic in 1998 and was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 2002. Her motivation for studying the Dharma comes from seeking the truth and to find answers for her life. She is originally from Malaysia, but came to the United States to study Buddhism and continue her academic studies. She has a BA in English Literature from San Francisco State University. After receiving her teaching credential and MA in Education from Stanford University, she has been teaching in Developing Virtue Secondary School and Dharma Realm Buddhist University at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. This summer she will be leading a program to prepare new volunteer teachers to teach in the schools.
	"Meditation Workshop" Chin He Shr is a Sramanera (novice monk). Born in Spain, after receiving a Ph.D. in Chemistry, he came to the United States in 1997 to pursue postdoctoral studies at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. One year later he came upon Buddhism and discovered that it offered a very profound view of life, and a methodology to live it meaningfully. After working in Japan for three years and traveling extensively in Asia, in 2004 he decided to adventure into the Buddhist monastic life at CTTB. He still considers himself a researcher, only that now he has gone deeper and broadened his field of interest.
	"Engaged Buddhist Monasticism" Dr. Martin Verhoeven, when training under Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, also undertook the bowing pilgrimage dedicated to world peace with Reverend Heng Sure. Marty graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His areas of interest are the historical teachings of Buddhism and the process of religious acculturation. Marty has studied and lectured extensively throughout Asia, Europe, the United States, and Canada. Currently, he is a professor at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) and Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU). He also teaches a weekly meditation series at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. Dr. Martin Verhoeven
	"Socially Responsible Buddhist Laypeople" Mr. Doug Powers holds an M.A. from GTU and a B.A. and an M.A.T. from the University of Redlands. He is Vice President of Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) and currently teaches Western Philosophy and Psychology at DRBU. Doug has also been teaching at Berkeley High School for over 30 years. An advocate for introducing Buddhism to high school students, he has been known to hold impromptu meditation sessions at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. Doug is a regular facilitator at Berkeley Student Roundtable discussions and an advisor for Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth. Doug Powers
	"Time is Precious: Leave a Mark" Michael Tsai, President of the Cancer Support Group of Tzu Chi Free Clinic and Chief Information Officer of Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation USA. He has been active in Tzu Chi for 7 years. Diagnosed with terminal cancer 8 years ago, Michael outlived his doctor's initial prediction - 6 months. Michael has transformed his life through Buddhism and service. He is remarkably peaceful, and so busy working with cancer patients that you would not realize he is still battling cancer. More information about Buddhist Tzu Chi can be found at www.tzuchi.org.
	"The Vegan Monologues" Brian Conroy first encountered Master Hsuan Hua in 1976 at the first Gold Mountain Monastery off Mission Street in San Francisco. He is an avid educator and has taught elementary and middle school for many years. Long involved in the theater arts and public speaking, Brian has a way of captivating audiences with his marvelous stories. Many of his stories are “Buddhist” featuring titles like, “Captain Enlightenment!,” “Nick Bodhi: Dharma Investigator,” and “Hunting the Wild Broccoli.” Click here to contact Brian. © Copyright 2007 Brian Conroy. All Rights Reserved
	"A Lay Buddhist's Responsibility to the Local Community" Ron Epstein holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist studies from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.A. in Chinese language and literature from the University of Washington. He taught Buddhist studies and world religions at San Francisco State University for many years and has recently retired. His research interests include the Mahayana sutras, Yogachara Buddhism and applied Buddhist ethics. Ron took refuge with Venerable Master Hsuan Hua in 1967 and was one of the original translators of the Surangama Sutra from Chinese to English. Together with a team of translators from the Buddhist Text Translation Society, Ron is currently working on the second translation of the Surangama Sutra. Please note that Prof. Epstein's website 'Resources for the Study of Buddhism ( http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/Buddhism.htm) contains some interesting materials on Buddhism and social activism. He also has posted some of his own writings on genetic engineering, the environment and animal rights at (http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/OnlinePublications.htm.)
Websites for Further Information Web sites offer an excellent way for the conference community to stay in touch after the conference is over. Here is a list of web sites related to the topics and speakers from this year’s conference: www.berkeleymonastery.org Schedule and events at BBM www.sakyadhita.org International Association of Buddhist Women www.jamyang.org Providing educational opportunities for women in the Indian Himalayas, Bangladesh and Laos www.UrbanDharma.org Reverend Kusala’s Website www.bpf.org The Buddhist Peace Fellowship www.tzuchi.org The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation www.drby.net Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth www.drba.org Home of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association www.drbachinese.org DRBA site in Chinese www.chuavanphat.org DRBA site in Vietnamese www.drbu.org Dharma Realm Buddhist University www.bttsonline.org Buddhist publications and multimedia www.dharmaradio.org Dharma talks and Buddhist music

Sad article about Shaolin...

The Dark Side of Shaolin Temple

By Haitien Ludi, The Epoch Times, Apr 24, 2007

Dengfeng, China -- As I made my way up Mt. Songshan, the rain stopped and the sun broke through the clouds. I took this as a good omen on my way to visit a "Pure Land of Buddhism"—the famous Shaolin Buddhist Temple, Dengfeng City, in China.

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But after a 4-hour stay at the temple, I realized that the "Buddhist" title it holds has become nothing more than a façade.

As a Buddhist, it's been my custom to burn a stick of incense when passing a temple. Burning incense requires a sense of etiquette and reverence. Good quality incense is preferred, but one should not go to extremes.

I was shocked to see the decadent state of incense burning in the main hall of Shaolin Temple. The thinnest stick was thicker than an arm; the thickest stick wider than a bowl. Each was nearly 4 feet long.

In the past, who could afford to burn such a luxurious stick of incense so casually? It was not difficult to tell that the incense was for making money rather than for showing reverence to Buddha. However, being a Buddhist, I still believed I could see beyond this and burn a stick with a pure heart.

As I stood in line to purchase incense, I observed how the Shaolin monks lured tourists into the main hall to get their money. Three monks sat in front of the hall asking every visitor to sign their name in a "prayer" book.

The monks then told them that Abbot Shi Yongxin would chant scriptures for them to eliminate misfortune, and that they might want to burn a stick of incense in return to show their reverence.

If it wasn't for the person being duped in front of me, I might have been duped as well. When a monk told him that the price of the stick he picked was 6,000 yuan (approximately US$770), he turned pale. Imagine, 6,000 yuan for a stick of incense!

His wife looked as if she were going to faint as she tugged at his sleeve to leave. But the monk standing beside them told him, "But sir, you've already signed your name." And thus, with the Buddha statue before him and others watching, the man reluctantly paid.

After witnessing this, I was disheartened and turned away. Even if I could afford the incense, I would not pay such a price. Taking advantage of people like this in front of the Buddha is disgraceful!

As I made my way through the temple, I saw the door to the last hall was open and people were kowtowing and burning incense there. I thought that perhaps it wouldn't be so expensive there and I could place money in the donation box at my discretion. But I was wrong.

I burned a stick of incense and kowtowed three times. I hadn't even stood up before a monk was already at my side. He said this hall was for visitors to make wishes and I should pick an incense wish bag. Each bag had six lines of poetry on it, with each line beginning with a number. He asked me to pick a number from the bag I chose.

I picked the smallest number, six. The monk told me that each number represented 100 days, so the monks would chant scriptures for 600 days for me to enable my wishes to come true. He said that each day would cost 1 yuan, and thus I had to pay 600 yuan (approximately US$78). I was both shocked and embarrassed. I put the money on the desk and left in a hurry.

Before I left the temple, I overheard a tour guide leading a group of tourists. She said, "Abbot Shi Yongxin has good business skills. If he had not entered into religion, he would have become an entrepreneur or perhaps a high-level Communist Party leader ... "

I was speechless. How could the abbot of a Buddhist temple be so savvy with money and political power?

This experience has led me to believe that the once holy Shaolin Temple has become a faithless place of money worship. Where is the "Pure Land of Buddhism" to be found today?

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This is very sad both for Buddhism and the tradition that Shaolin represents... Greed for Money and power have no place in Monasticism or the traditional martial arts. Money CAN NOT buy penance! ...and people with power take advantage of those without it, namely, all the common people. Very sad... But at least through seeing what i believe to be wrong, i can know how not to follow them down that path...

DRBY Conference 2007

About 3 weeks ago i attended the 9th Annual Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth Conference in Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. We had over 100 people attend throughout the weekend. I had a wonderful time volunteering during the retreat so i got to mix some good study with some good practice.

Also, there is something about only 3 people getting up before the sun rises to chant the morning ceremony...it continues to be one of my favorite practices (morning ceremony)... It reminded me so much of home. And of the first time i ever did the morning ceremony with just one old monk on my 18th birthday back in the Niagara Falls Temple. Anyway....enough reminiscing. Onto the conference---

The TOPIC WAS WISDOM IN ACTION: SPIRITUAL CULTIVATION and SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT--HERE IS THE SCHEDULE--

Time Block	Activities	Venue 1	Venue 2
		Buddha Hall	Dining Hall
Saturday
08:00 – 08:40 am	Registration & Tea		Registration
08:40 – 09:00 am	Orientation		registration (cont'd)
09:00 – 10:30 am	Workshop 1	Bhante Suhita: Working with Inmates During Release Process...	Martin Verhoeven: Engaged Buddhist Monasticism
10:30 – 11:00 am	Meal Offering Ceremony
11:00 – 12:30 pm	Lunch
12:30 – 02:00 pm	Workshop 2	Karma Lekshe Tsomo: Socially Engaged Buddhist Women	Michael Tsai: Life is Precious
02:00 – 02:30 pm	Break/BufferTime
02:30 – 04:00 pm	Workshop 3	DM Yun: Buddhist Prison Ministry	Ron Epstein: Lay Buddhists Responsibility to Local Community
04:00 – 05:15 pm	Tea Time (additional informal Question & Answer Time)	beginning at ~4:30 DM Chin He giving meditation instructions	Tea and chat
05:15 – 06:15 pm	Meditation	Meditation	Tea and chat ongoing
06:15 – 06:45 pm	Small group discussion/check in		Checkin
06:45 – 07:45 pm	Dinner		Dinner
07:45 – 09:00 pm	Evening performance		Performance
Sunday
08:00 – 09:00 am	Registration & Tea
09:00 – 10:30 am	Panel Discussion: Getting involved	Panel Discussion: Getting Involved and presentation on CTTB Education
10:30 – 11:00 am	Meal Offering Ceremony
11:00 – 12:30 pm	Lunch
12:30 – 02:00 pm	Workshop 4	DM Heng Sure: Vegetarianism and Buddhism	DM Yin: Education and Social Change
02:00 – 02:30 pm	Break/BufferTime
02:30 – 04:00 pm	Workshop 5	Kusala Bhikshu: The Reluctant Bodhisattva	Doug Powers: Socially Responsible Buddhist Laypeople
04:00 – 05:15 pm	Tea Time (additional informal Question & Answer Time)	DM Chin He giving meditation lessons beginning approx 4:45	Tea Time
05:15 – 06:15 pm	Meditation	Meditation	Tea continued
06:15 – 07:00 pm	Ending ceremonies

Here is a brief synopsis of some things i learned from each talk--

Dr. Verhoeven

-there is nothing inefficient with the original Buddhism, our vision and understanding is insufficient.

-The Buddha was radically engaged

-The monastic life is paradoxically very reclusive yet involved in many aspects of society because of their virtue and wisdom. They embody it, and people feel it.

You cant be engaged or disengaged in Buddhism. We are already deeply engaged as a living being. Everything is interrelated (pratityasamudpada).

How can we most intelligently work the strings of that engagement towards kusala (wholesome/goodness), and away from a-kusala (things that are not wholesome).

Look at the nature of your engagement and see how it can be changed...

Deep Engagement= Avatamsaka Net of Indra... Go to the root source the heart, our thoughts, emotions, feelings, and look at those. Expands from there to entire Dharma Realm. The elightened being sees no difference between all living beings and all worlds with himself.

Has to be rooted in a monastic experience, have to go to the heart and core of your being to start. Know yourself... Do what needs to be done. Figure out how is this, why am I here? What am I supposed to do? Whats this all about?

-You can do it at home, but has to be the same as the practice of the monastics.

-The role of a monk or nun is the most deeply engaged role you can have.

-Selfishness is taking away from others what they really need.

DR. Epstein

When you help people, you have to have the wisdom to see the effects and take responsibility for your helping them.---(wow this is so important...)

well thats all i wrote about...It was a very helpful conference for me. Specifically the statements made by Dr. Verhoeven... We are never DIS-ENGAGED! Our actions, our speech, and our thoughts really matter, if we want to really change the world it starts with changing yourself.