Western Dharma Master
to Lecture in Orient

by Lo Wei Te
 

Years of diligent training at The Sino-American Buddhist Association have prepared more than ten Dharma Masters to lecture Sutras and speak the Dharma. Hoping to preserve the true nature of the Buddha's instructions, they have included strict cultivation as part of their daily schedule of study and translation. Hours of dhyana meditation, and recitation of Sutras, mantras, and the Buddhas' names every day, together with the individual ascetic practices of eating only once a day and never lying down to sleep, have created men who are extraordinarily familiar with the theory of Buddhism through actually having practiced it. Daily classes in Sanskrit and classical Chinese, and continual practice speaking the Dharma before gatherings of Buddhists have prepared these Dharma Masters to undertake travel to many countries of the world on every continent to nourish Buddhism.

Laymen and Bhiksus from many countries have visited the Sino-American Buddhist Association at Gold Mountain Temple, and have offered their praise and support in the task of establishing the genuine tradition of Buddhism in the West. And, in turn, The Sino-American Buddhist Association welcomes them to the first home of Buddhism in America, and invites all those who have left home to come and live and cultivate at Gold Mountain Temple. Anyone who wishes to join in the work of cultivation here will receive food and lodging for as long as they are able to stay. This invitation is an inconceivable opportunity to obtain vast merit by helping Buddhism to flourish in the West, for in this way a proper model can be forged, and Westerners will see that they would study with those who know the proper Way. They will come to study and to follow those who have already practiced and readied themselves, and the proper Dharma will flourish.

Hong Kong Buddhist scholars have already recognized the unique existence of The Sino-American Buddhist Association, and have respectfully invited an American Dharma Master to the Orient to explain Sutras and speak the Dharma.

In the winter months of this year. The Sino-American Buddhist Association will sponsor the first lecture tour for an American Bhiksu to the Far East. Dharma Master Heng Ching, who is presently serving as Managing Director of Gold Mountain Temple, Director of Translations, Vajra Bodhi Sea, and Chairman of the Precept Platform of the Thousand Buddhas, will take time off from his duties to visit Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other Southeast Asian countries to give Dharma talks and present commentaries on the Sutras.

Dharma Master Heng China's qualifications are exceptional. A graduate of the University of Washington where he studied with the eminent Buddhist scholar Professor Edward Conze, Dharma Master Heng Ching has made Buddhist studies his central concern for over eight years. He is fluent in both Classical and Modern Chinese (Mandarin), and has also studied French, German and Sanskrit. Most important, for several years he has been the outstanding disciple to sit below the platform of the Elder Dharma Master, Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua, and has investigated many important Sutras there.

Dharma Master Heng Ching's practice has developed at an equal pace with his knowledge of the Sutras and literary ability. He cultivates dhyana meditation and recitation of the Buddha's name in addition to his careful and close study of the Tripitaka and the languages necessary to translate it for the West. He maintains the ascetic practices of eating only once a day and not handling money. Last year he completed a one hundred and eight-day meditation session during which participants meditated from 3:00 A.M. until 12:00 midnight every day, and only slept three hours in a sitting position. As a consequence, his skill and understanding are deep, deeper than one can possibly imagine, and his wisdom has reached a very high state.

He is a popular speaker, appreciated for his ability to bring forth the true flavor of the Dharma. He is able to elucidate the essentials of some of the most important Sutras in the Buddhist canon, and causes those who hear him to understand through a skillful use of stories, parables, and other expedient devices.

He is prepared to deliver talks on a wide variety of subjects; however, he has especially close connections with many Sutras which are key to understanding the Buddhadharma: The Lotus Sutra: The Surangama Sutra: The Amitabha Sutra: The Diamond and Heart Sutras: The Sixth Patriarch Sutra; The Ti Tsang Sutra; and others. He has made translations of many of these works.

Any organization wishing to hear this American Bhiksu speak Dharma should quickly write to:

The Sino-American Buddhist Association, Inc.
Gold Mountain Temple
1731 15th Street
San Francisco, Ca. USA 94103

Dharma Master Heng Ching will arrive in the Orient on December 12th, 1971. After that date any organization may contact him by writing or wiring:

The Buddhist Lecture Hall
31 Wong Nei Chung Road
12th Floor
Happy Valley, Hong Kong

      This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the first American Bhiksus spread and nourish the Buddhadharma, doubly so because it is the first time in history that a Western Dharma Master has journeyed to the Far East to do so. The Sino-American Buddhist Association hopes that Buddhists in many countries will produce the mind to vigorously study the Dharma. To this end it is preparing Dharma Masters and will encourage and support their travels to many lands to propagate Buddhism.