VENERABLE MASTER JY DIN SHAKYA , A BIOGRAPHY

FORWARD BY REV . F A DAO SHAKYA , OHY The following story is the translation from the Chinese of a biography of VM Jy Din -- the Master responsible for the establishment of our Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun. The article is straight journalism, perhaps a bit "dry" in comparison to some of the other Zen essays we are accustomed to encountering.

The story of the story, however, is one of convergence, patience and luck -- if we consider “luck” to be the melding of opportunity and action.

I have long wished to know more information about the founding master of our order and history of the Hsu Yun in Honolulu. Like many of us, I have scoured books and websites galore for the merest mentions or tidbits of facts. Not being even a whit knowledgeable of Chinese language, any documentation in Master Jy Din's native language was beyond my grasp. I read what I could find -- and waited. I knew that some day I would stumble across that which I sought, if only I did not drive myself to distraction desiring it.

Late in July of 2005, that which I had sought was unexpectedly delivered to me.

By chance and good fortune, I received an e-mail from Barry Tse, in Singapore -- the continuance of a discussion we had originated on an internet "chat board." As the e-mail discussion continued, Barry mentioned an article he had found on a Chinese Buddhist website -- a biography of our direct Master Jy Din. He pointed out the website to me and I printed a copy of the article for my files.

Meanwhile, my children had discovered a new favorite eatery for our regular Wednesday night dinners -- the East Buffet. The East Buffet is a warm and friendly place with wonderful staff as well as a delicious range of succulent foods from many regions of -- including a full “sushi bar” and Mongolian-style grill. It was there that I met the second man who would be key to the preparation of the article you are about to read.

Ron Lim, the restaurant proprietor with whom I had struck an acquaintance as a "regular" in his establishment, agreed to look over the printed Chinese article that Barry had pointed out. Ron (born in but educated and living in the U.S. for several years) said he might not be able to translate word-for-word but was willing to give me a meticulous synopsis of the article.

Ven. Master Jy Din Shakya, A Biography Page 1 of 13

Barry, in the meantime, agreed that he would translate the article "in-depth" but questioned his own proficiency in grammar and sentence structure. Thus it was that this article came about. Barry Tse of Singapore supplied excellent translation, Ron Lim acted on occasion as an excellent cultural "bridge" in clarifying delicate character meanings, and I have supplied the "editorial functions" of English grammar and sentence structure.

Ron studied as a young man in his native Malaysia and prepared a college thesis on the symbolism of the Yin-Yan. He has kept an interest in the religion as he made his way into the ranks of restaurateurs and has kept his interest in the despite the demands of his rigorous occupation. Barry is a researcher and consultant who is also a student of VM Xin Jue in China. Barry is presently assisting this Master in funding preservation and renovation of the ancient Jiang Ju Si temple in Hubei Province (China).

Without these two men, all that I could have presented for you would have been a desire to know -- a desire already shared by many in our Order. Thus it s that any thanks that might be due for the appearance of this article should rightfully go to Barry and Ron. My deepest gratitude goes out to these humble, kind and intelligent. Both have apologized to me on occasion that their abilities at formal English grammar may not be “up to snuff.” My response to the gentlemen is and remains -- do not be ashamed if you can lift a bus but cannot throw it all the way to Hong Kong.

Barry and Ron have done the “heavy lifting” here -- all I have done is to tidy up rows of English words. And that is the story of the story. By the fortunate convergence of three minds and three hearts, we have the following Biography of Master Jy Din.

Namo Amitofo -Fa Dao Shakya-

Venerable Master Jy Din Translation of a 1997 article from Buddhism City website / China (http://www.buddhismcity.net/master/details/47) Originating Author: Yu Ling Bo

Original language translation by Barry Tse (Singapore) Additional language assistance by Ron Lim (USA) English adaptation and editing by Fa Dao Shakya, Order of Hsu Yun (U.S.A.) Translated derivation © 2005 Fa Dao Shakya

It has been some 2,000 years since Buddhism reached China.

Buddhism in India declined and virtually disappeared after a benchmark battle in 1203 when the Muslim army attacked Bangladesh. During long suppression in India, monasteries and canon were burned. Clergy and communities were dismissed. After the decline of Buddhism in India, China has become the second root country for Buddhism - the home of what is sometimes called “Northern Transmission / ” Buddhism.

From China, Buddhism spread to Japan and Korea. The Northern Transmission of Mahayana Buddhism has mainly spread to Asia in the past 2,000 years, but has not yet reached Europe and the Americas on a major scale.

In Europe, scholarly study of Buddhism started around the end of the 18th Century, but the target of investigation was mainly Southern Transmission () Buddhism. Americans started serious study Buddhism in the second half of the 19th Century, also focused on Theravada Buddhism.

In the early 20th Century, Mahayana Buddhism came to America through and the Pure land Zen of China. Chinese Ch'an and other schools of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism have only been accessible in America since the 1950s.

The first to spread Chinese Mahayana Buddhism from China into American territory was the person this article introduces, an elder master at the age of 80 (in 1997) – VM Dy Din. VM Jy Din landed in Hawaii to spread the dharma in January of 1956 and has been here for 40 years.

Background of Buddhism in “Sandalwood Mountain”

Before introducing VM Jy Din, let's learn a bit about the background of Hawaii.

In the vast Pacific Ocean, there is a place made up of more than 130 islands and islets. The largest is called Hawaii, from which the group of islands takes its collective name. Its total area is around 16,000 square kilometers. About 4,000 km to the East is San Francisco. To the West around 8,000 km away is Manila, capitol of the Philippines. Hawaii is often called the Crossroad of the Pacific Ocean.

The Hawaiian Islands are made up of 8 key islands. Its capital, the city of Honolulu, is located on the third largest island – Oahu. The Chinese call Honolulu “Sandalwood Mountain”.

As early as the 4th Century A.D., Polynesians migrated by small boat to what is now Honolulu. In 1795, Tribal chief Kamehameha the First conquered most of the island and established the Kingdom of Hawaii. Until 1840, King Kamehameha III established a national constitution for the chain of islands and Hawaii was recognized as an independent country by England, America, and France. Hawaii was then conquered by the United States in 1898 and became part of the US. In 1900, the US established the Territory of Hawaii and in 1959 Hawaii became the 50th State of the US.

As early as the late 19th Century, Cantonese from the Guangdong Province in China started migrating to Hawaii. The earliest arrivals were at Honolulu. These early Chinese settlers, seeing that the island was covered with Sandalwood trees, named it “Sandalwood Mountain.” This name is unique to the Chinese and is not known among other peoples. Westerners and the descendants of the indigenous people have always called the settlement "Honolulu."

There was no lack of Buddhists amongst the early Chinese settlers. But these early Buddhist settlers did little to spread their religion outside their own numbers. They felt that religion was a very personal thing. They also felt that their purpose for going overseas was to work and prosper -- to gather enough money to improve their lot and livelihood -- not to spread their religion. Furthermore, their level of Western education and language proficiency was not sufficient to allow them to spread their religion to outsiders.

Japanese arrived in Honolulu more than 10 years after the Chinese. Japanese Buddhist arrived after the initial Japanese population and started to spread the Dharma amongst the overseas Japanese. Thus Honolulu has had a Japanese Monastery since 1897, even though the Chinese arrived earlier than the Japanese. It was not until after 1950 that a Chinese and monastery appeared.

In this aspect, was slower to establish itself n Hawaii than was the Japanese by some 50 years. In about 1930 Chinese Buddhists in the "Sandalwood Mountain" area,

including one Deng Bian Rong, decided to establish a Buddhist Society. They invited several masters to come to Honolulu to spread the Dharma. World War II, however, interrupted that effort.

After the war, some of the overseas Chinese brought up the issue again. In 1953, they established their first Buddhist organization – the Chinese Buddhist Association of Hawaii. The key initiators of the organization included Deng Bian Rong, Hu Xing, Chen Zhao Hong, Huang Hua Huang Bei Hong and several others. The Association was officially established on July 1, 1953 with a key instructor and advisor in the effort being Master Dy Jin from Hong Kong.

VM Jy Din’s spreading the Dharma in the US

Jy Din was a native of Qu Jiang County in Guangdong Province of China, his original surname was “Feng”, he was born on 7th September 1917 (Western and Chinese Lunar Calendar / Year 6 according to the Kuomintang Chinese Calendar) . Due to his father’s business, the entire family then moved to Shao Guan when Jy Din was very young.

Jy Din started classical study at the age of 6. Due to the fact that his home was near Nan Hua Chan Monastery, he often visited Venerable Master Hsu Yun at the temple, He eventually became a lay disciple of VM. Hsu Yun.

VM Jy Din graduated from the No. 3 Normal College of Guangdong. His own realizations about the of life at that time planted the seed for him to walk the path of Dharma. In 1937, at the age of 20, Jy Din went to Nan Hua Chan Monastery to ask VM Hsu Yun to accept him as a monk. In the same year, VM Jy Din received ordination and waited on VM Hsu Yun, later becoming the master’s personal porter and treasurer.

In 1941, with the permission of VM Hsu Yun, Jy Din went to Jiangsu and continued study at Jiao Shan Buddhist College. He graduated from the College in1943 and started visiting monasteries on foot. He visited Ji An monastery in Jiangxi Province, where he learned Chan from Patriarch Chan Master Qing Yuan Xing Si. A few months later he returned to Nan Hua Monastery at the request of VM Hsu Yun.

When VM Jy Din first returned to Nan Hua, he became the Vice Chancellor of Nan Hua Tipikara College (VM. Hsu Yun being the Chancellor). Jy Din also served as the Principal of Nan Hua Primary School. In addition to tending to the operation of those schools, Jy Din assisted VM Hsu Yun with the running of Nan Hua Monastery.

In 1944, VM Hsu Yun moved to Yun Men Monastery and rebuilt Da Jue Monastery. He also administered Nan Hua Monastery. In the following year (1945), Jy Din became the Director of Nan Hua Temple and temporary Head of the Monastery. He later became a committee member of China Buddhist Association and the Chief Committee Member of its Shao Guan Branch, dividing his time tirelessly between the running of the Monastery and handling official government matters.

In 1947, VM. Hsu Yun conducted the Thousand Buddha Grand Ordination at Nan Hua Monastery with VM Jy Din opening the ceremony. At the completion of the Ordination several Hong Kong Buddhists invited VM Hsu Yun to conduct a ”Water Land Blessing Ceremony" in Hong Kong and Jy Din accompanied VM Hsu Yun. During that ceremony in Hong Kong, many of the Hawaiian Chinese returned to China to participate in the ceremony for their ancestors’ spirits. They asked VM Hsu Yun to go to Hawaii to organize the Buddhist Association there and establish a place to spread the Dharma. In answer, VM Hsu Yun pointed to VM Jy Din and said, “I am too old -- useless. He will complete this task for me, you must wait patiently.”

In 1949, the ruling Kuomintang / Chinese Nationalist People's Party (KMT) and Communist armies battled at Xu Pang. The KMT army lost and the Communist army pushed to Chang Jiang (Yangtze River). Nan Hua Monastery was severely damaged -- the monks and sangha were confronted with the fear and chaos of war. In the same year, however, VM Hsu Yun conducted ordination as usual. After the ordination, Jy Din accompanied VM Hsu Yun to Shao Guan and went on to Yun Men monastery by car.

During that journey, Jy Din said to VM. Hsu Yun, “the whole country is at war, there is no peace in any place. Local robbers often rob Nan Hua and the countryside has become very frightening. I hope your venerable can send someone to take over my duties at Nan Hua Monastery. I wish to accompany you to Yun Men -- to cure my gastric distresses and spend my time there.”

After a long silence, VM Hsu Yun replied, “I do not need you to handle the Nan Hua issue, and will not ask you to go to Yun Men. You are in deep trouble. You need to leave China and the farther you go the more reassured I will be. I am reluctant to see you go, but you have to go as far away as possible to stay safe. Go and do not hesitate. The protection of the dharma still needs people like you. Take care.”

When VM Hsu Yun pointed out that VM Jy Din was in “deep trouble”, he meant that Jy Din had worked with KMT government senior officials during his years in Nan Hua and (due to the needs of the Buddhist Association) he had to remain in touch with people from all walks of life and political philosophies. If the Communist came, Jy Din’s days would be unbearable, and Hsu Yun warned him to leave China as soon as he could.

After VM Jy Din heard that, he asked VM Hsu Yun “What about you if I left?”

VM Hsu Yun said, “I am old. No matter what, there is only a short time that I will remain in this world. I had been ‘eating the rice of the patriarchs’ (enjoying good and peaceful years as a monk -fd-) -- so when there are problems now, how could I bear it if now I left?”

This conversation sealed the fate for the separation between the master and disciple. What VM Jy Din did not know was that he would never again see VM Hsu Yun after this parting.

After seeing off VM Hsu Yun, Jy Din went back to Nan Hua and settled his affairs at the monastery before he went South to Guangzhou. Meanwhile, VM Jy Din’s gastric problems did not seem to get well after a period of rest, and at the end of that time both he and VM Hsu Yun

went to Hong Kong. At first Jy Din stayed at the Hong Kong Buddhist Association but later moved to the home of Wu Li Xi in Kowloon. (Wu Li Xi was also a disciple of VM Xu Yun.)

After two months had passed, VM Ming Chang sent M. Wu Yi and M. Da Dao to help Jy Din to move to Lu Ye Yuan at Tsuan Wan (North Territory). Later M. Mao Feng asked M. Jy Din to move to East Pu Tuo Monastery. By this time, the Hawaii Buddhists knew that M. Jy Din had moved to Hong Kong and some 300 of them wrote a letter to ask Jy Din to come to Honolulu and establish the (Honolulu) Buddhist Association to spread the Dharma.

M. Jy Din, in fulfilling the wish of VM Hsu Yun, agreed in principle and started to instruct them in the establishment of the Buddhist Association.

In 1953, Deng Bian Rong, Hu Xing, and Chen Zhao Hong established the Overseas Chinese Buddhist Association in Honolulu and asked VM Jy Din to come to Honolulu. M. Jy Din started arranging the necessary travel document and waited for the KMT government of to issue him a passport. Unfortunately there was argument amongst the directors of the Buddhist Association and one of the Directors wrote a letter to the Taiwanese KMT government accusing VM Jy Din being a Communist Party member. The travel document was not issued, which delayed the passport issuance for two years.

Eventually, Xu Heng from Hong Kong learned about the situation and informed KMT’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ye Gong Chao of the situation. Minister Ye then wrote a letter to M Jy Din, apologized for the delay and ordered the Official Representative in Macau to issue the passport. M. Jy Din finally received his passport in the winter of 1955. After the Chinese New Year period, M. Jy Din boarded a JAL flight on his way to Honolulu on 12th January 12, 1956 (Lunar Calendar -- other scholars place the date of Jy Din's arrival in Honolulu as January 29, 1956 according to western calendar - fd-).

Building Hsu Yun Temple VM Jy Din brought a pioneering spirit to Hawaii. He arrived in Honolulu empty-handed but for a statue of the Buddha and a collection of . Two weeks after his arrival, more than 1,000 Buddhists and overseas Chinese gathered at the Main Hall of Honolulu’s Zhong Shan School (Yatsen School) to host a welcome ceremony. From that day onwards, Honolulu has had its own resident Dharma Master. At last, the Triple Gems of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha existed in their own place in Hawaii. Buddhism in Honolulu had finally come of age.

At that time, The Buddhist Association had no permanent address -- it used the upstairs of Chen Kuan Market temporarily. The Chairman of the Association, Chen Zhao Hong, called for a meeting amongst the Directors to discuss how the Association should expand its scope given VM Jy Din’s arrival.

VM Jy Din called for discussion during the meeting regarding whether the Association needed a permanent address. If so, he told them that should be their priority. All of the Directors approved of the decision to have a permanent home unanimously. Subsequent meetings were then held to discuss the issues such as fund raising (for building or rent) and selection of a location. Chen Zhao Hong was amongst the most dedicated, but due to his business matters he was not able to

devote sufficient time to the progress of establishing the home location. Fortunately Mr. Cao Tian Qiu helped with the matters, contacted real estate agents and spent much effort looking for suitable sites.

#42 Kawananakoa Place

Three realty agents were supplying real estate information to the Association, but most of the possibilities did not materialize due to high cost or poor location of the properties. Later, a Chinese American named Yang Xian Xi introduced the possibility of a former pastor’s residence located at 42 Kawananakoa Place. The Catholic Church owned the property. When the Church discovered that a Buddhist Master was proposing the purchase, they approved sale and sold the property at the low price of US $45,000. They well understood what religious organization faced when it came to the purchase of property.

But even at that price, it was beyond what the Association could afford. Cao Tian Qiu suggested that the money be borrowed from a Savings Bank and estimated that the Association would be able to pay the debt back over 3 years. Due to the support and donations by Directors and kindhearted followers, the debt was repaid by the end of the first year. That was how the Honolulu Buddhist Association got its permanent address. This would become the land on which the Main Hall of Shakyamuni was later built and subsequently named Hsu Yun Temple.

After acquiring the site, the wooden bungalow that had been the Pastor’s residence was refurbished and turned into a Hall of Buddha for services. The Hall also displayed statues of to receive offerings from faithful. Later on, VM Jy Din suggested having a Hall of Good Deeds to allow those who donated US $100 or more to have a place of lasting recognition. The Hall of Good Deeds would also be a place of remembrance for the ancestors and deceased of the sangha as well as a funeral chapel and Remembrance Hall. Strong support was received from the overseas Chinese community and the Hall of Good Deeds was built shortly thereafter.

In 1958, the owners of the neighboring land told the Association that they would like to sell their house to the Association at a price of US $54,000 if no agent was involved (thus reducing the cost of the sale). The deal was closed quickly, bringing the total area of the Kawananakoa Place site some 50,000 square meters. That much space proved sufficient for the future development and expansion of the temple and facilities. Due to the fact that both buildings were wooden structures which had eroded over years, VM Jy Din began thinking of demolishing the old structures and building the Main Hall of Shakyamuni.

But the huge investment needed for such an endeavor did not materialize and the dream was not fulfilled for quite a while.

In 1959, VM Jy Din brought forward the proposal to build the Main Hall of Shakyamuni and the Board of Directors passed it unanimously. It also happened that a nearby, 100-year-old Temple to Guan Yin (Avalokiteshvara) was being demolished to make way for a road expansion project and fund raise activities for rebuilding the Guan Yin Temple was also going on. If building of the Main Hall of Shakyamuni started at that time, it would need support from the overseas Chinese as would the Guan Yin sangha’s project and competition would be inevitable. Jy Din

decided that the plan for the Main Hall of Shakyamuni would be temporarily set aside so that both projects could be accomplished.

Five years later ( in 1964) an economic downturn was sweeping the world, but it was decided that if construction of the Main Hall did not start then it might never get done. The construction started. First, the project needed an architect to draft the design -- but it was a traditional Chinese palace-style Hall that they were building and no ready architectural talent of that style could be found in Honolulu. It was also stipulated in the Honolulu building codes and regulations that unless an architect was assigned, no construction application or permits could be lodged. In the end, a Chinese American with the surname Au was appointed, but he had studied Western approach and had insufficient knowledge of Oriental Palace construction. VM Jy Din had to “get his hands dirty” at that point in the project -- he drew a draft of the building and explained the style, size and traditional construction methods in detail to Mr. Au.

After long and repeated discussions and explanations, Mr. Au captured the idea of the building’s intention and design and began his own his own drawings.

When the official blueprint had been drawn, the Main Hall of Shakyamuni was estimated to cost US $270,000 to build in the style and design desired. The cash reserve of the Honolulu Buddhist Association was not even half of that amount, but in order to start the project construction began anyway. In 1965, the news agency of the US Territorial Government of Hawaii reported on the building of Hsu Yun Temple in a news release. The entire article was more than 2,000 words long.

Some excerpts follow:

An Hawaiian Buddhist Hall in the Making An article by the News Authority of US (Oahu);

re: the participation of architect William P.Au “On the windward side of Oahu Island, between the hills that define Honolulu, gigantic land movers are working, digging deep into the fertile land to make Architect William P. Au’s project come true -- this is Hawaii’s very first Chinese Buddhist Hall.”

re: participation of James W. S. Leong “The Buddhist Hall is expected to be completed by the end of this year. According to the the Chinese Buddhist Association in Hawaii, the fund raising target totals US $279,000. Under the leadership of James W.S. Leong, the construction committee Chairman, US$ 130,000 have already been raised. As to the financial status of the Association, Leong stated that, ‘the land on which the Buddhist Hall is built was bought in 1956, which was excluded in the construction cost. An initial US $150,000 had already been committed for Hsu Yun Temple, land cost and what was originally on the land.’

The Buddhist Association was formed in 1953 by more than 400 Chinese American Buddhists. The purchase of the land had long been decided. The plan to invite a Chinese Dharma master to run the Buddhist Hall was also achieved, and another part of the plan was to build this Buddha Hall.”

re: participation of Henry H. Wong

“The Chairman of the (Honolulu Buddhist) Association Henry H. Wong says, ‘As early as 1953, members had started arranging to have a monk to run the place. It was realized when VM Jy Din arrived in Hawaii from Hong Kong in 1956 – he is the first Chinese monk to set foot on the land of US.’

This Dharma Master, 47 years old, served VM Hsu Yun in Guangzhou’s Nan Hua Temple some 20 years ago. In 1961, he became a US citizen.”

?

Serious considerations were involved for the construction of the Buddha Hall. Architect Wu Jun was eventually appointed to be its architect in final construction. Wu Jun had graduated from Hawaii University, Hawaii Zhong Shan Language School and California State Center of Arts’ School. Several complications came up during construction due to the fact that they would be using modern approaches and material that had to blend nicely with the centuries-old traditions of temple construction, and make use of the warm weather and lush landscape of Hawaii.

Between 1965 and 1967, Buddhist publications from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia often reported that Hawaii was building this Main Hall of Shakyamuni. It was generously called “the Biggest Chinese Temple in the US.”

To call it the largest Chinese Temple in the history of the Americas would have been no exaggeration as Buddhism in the US was just budding and there had been no Chinese in the past. But the Main Hall of Shakyamuni is really grand, the Main Hall occupies some 6,300 square feet. It is two stories with a ceiling height of 34 feet. The building is fortified (against earthquake), the wooden planks were imported from Hong Kong and the ceilings used imported Chinese ceramics and glass. A copper doorframe and ceiling-to-floor glass windows surround the entryway.

Occupying some 6,000 square feet, the first-floor is used for normal ceremony and social gathering. Upstairs is the Hall of Shakyamuni. The Main Hall is 3,500 square feet with wide corridors around for people to stroll, rest, and look out at the scenery around the temple. At the time when it was built, it was truly a grand and beautiful Buddha Hall. Completion of the Hall in 1967 and it’s initiation ceremony was a big news item.

Upasaka Wu Pei Lin, Chairman of the Zheng Shan Dharma Study Association came from San Francisco specifically for the event and wrote a stanza for VM Jy Din:

?

“Knowing the essence helps us to enlightenment and to give up the bustle of life. Knowing for sure, going beyond the dust and loving being a monk, his power is boundary-less to help all sentient beings. The Master comes with an earthen bowl and a robe.

The wind through the coconuts and rain on banana trees of Hawaii -- strange flowers blossom on the tree branches. The sign of dragon runs wildly in the water. A learned monk trains himself here.

A place of dharma opens next to the Sandalwood Mountain. The faithful and religious come out for the auspicious event. Right Beliefs disseminates just like rides on a reed and comes from the West.

The sights in Honolulu with their dance of grass skirts -- the islanders are honest and adorable. Let the light of Buddha shine on everyone, to teach and to forget all racial difference.”

Dharma Activities and Development of Hsu Yun Temple

When VM Jy Din first came to Honolulu, he came alone. After a few months, he called Master Fa Hui (Fat Wai) to come to Honolulu from Hong Kong to help with the renovation of the old houses and building of the Buddha Hall after acquiring a permanent address. M. Fa Hui arrived in October (1956).

Master Fa Hui was originally from Pan Yu in Guangdong Province. He was born in November 1928 to a family with 8 siblings. His father ran his own business and mother was a housewife. M. Fa Hui started schooling at the age of 6, but when the Japanese invaded (Canton area invasions were 1937/1938 -fd-) the whole family fled to Shao Guan.

While taking from the war at Nan Hua Temple in Shao Guan, M. Fa Hui had the opportunity to get close to VM Hsu Yun. He saw all the chantings and ceremonies conducted in the Temple and asked VM Hsu Yun to allow him to become a monk. In 1944, while following VM Hsu Yun to Yun Men Temple, the time was ripe and VM Hsu Yun ordained the young man and gave him his dharma name Fa Hui. M. Fa Hui was 17 years old.

In the Spring of 1945, Shao Guan and Nan Hua Temple conducted ordination in the Spring. Fa Hui received his Full Ordination and entered the Nan Hua Yinaya College to study. During that time, VM Jy Din was the Vice-Chancellor of the College. In the eyes of VM Jy Din, M. Fa Hui was an honest and good student.

In 1950, when the ruling party in China changed, VM Jy Din sent a letter to M. Fa Hui to ask him to go Hong Kong by any possible means. M. Fa Hui arrived in Hong Kong from Guangzhou and stayed at the Deer Park with VM Jy Din. In 1953, M Fa Hui was accepted into Hong Fa Jing She’s Hua Nan Buddhist College and studied under VM Dan Hsu.

When he received the calling from VM Jy Din in 1956, Fa Hui had not completed his study at the college. But he decided to give up his studies and went to Honolulu in October. Thus he became the second Chinese monk residing in Honolulu only 9 months after VM Jy Din had arrived.

After arriving in Honolulu and under VM Jy Din’s directorship, M. Fa Hui was responsible for the renovation of the early Buddha Hall. Later on, when Hsu Yun Temple started construction of the new Hall of Shakyamuni, M Fa Hui started taking care of various aspects of the construction projects. After years of caring for every single blade of grass and plank of wood, the buildings have became what we see as a beautiful temple today. When M. Fa Hui came to Honolulu, he was a strong man not yet 30 years old. With 40 yeas of subsequent hard work, he is near 70 by now. (1997)

In the past 40 years, besides taking care of the temple matters for VM Jy Din, M Fa Hui often hosts dharma talks. He has given speeches on such as the Vimalakirti Nirdesa , Buddhavatamsaka Mahavaipulya (Heart) sutra and Flower Garland sutra). VM Jy Din has taught the dharma throughout the US and Canada.

Currently (1997), there are 8 residing monks in the Hsu Yun Temple. Besides founder VM Jy Din and Abbot M. Fa Hui, there are also Masters Fa Liang, Ling Wu, Yi Zhao, Yin Lang, Dun Sheng and Dun Yang.

Master Yin Lang is from Fu An in Fujian Province. Born in 1962 it was by the influence of his parents that he became a monk in 1982 at Hua Yan Temple in Ning De. His ordination master was the Abbot of Guang Xiao Temple in Guangzhou – VM Ben Huan. He went to Shuzhou’s Ling Yan Mountain Buddhist College to study and graduated in 1986. He then went to Guangdong Province’s Dan Xia Mountain and became the temple supervisor where VM Ben Huan is the Abbot. Shortly after that he was elevated to the position of Vice Chairman of Shao Guan City Buddhist Association. In 1991 he was the supervisor of Hong Fa Temple in Shen Zhen. In June of the same year, he was invited by VM Jy Din to go to Honolulu to help with the temple matters in Honolulu.

Spreading the Dharma overseas for 40 years

When he first arrived in Hawaii in 1956, VM Jy Din was only 40 years old. Now, with the passing of the years, he is 80, old and fragile. His 40 years of effort spreading the dharma overseas had not been wasted. In June 1995, I visited Hsu Yun Temple for a week and followed VM Jy Din around. I saw that many people treated VM Jy Din as a dear master -- a kind father, respected for his kindness. is Cantonese by descent which happened to be the same as more than 80% of the Chinese population on the island. Combining the same root and the faith led to VM Jy Din’s popularity amongst the Overseas Chinese there.

The Venerable is kind and high-spirited. He would not skip a prayer session in the morning or the evening. He is well learned and understands all dharma in detail. Over the years, he has written many books such as “Brief Explanations on Surangama Sutra”, “Remarks On Amitabha Sutra ”, “Talks On -pitaka sutra”, “Remarks On Prajbaparamitahrdaya sutra”, “Remarks On Universal Doors”, “Brief History of VM Hsu Yun” etc.

Hawaii is at the central axis of the Pacific Ocean transportation routes and the Venerable was the first monk from China to arrive here. In the early days all flights to the US from Hong Kong and Taiwan stopped over and refueled there. Later on, monks transiting to the US stopped over and stayed in Hsu Yun Temple. VM Jy Din receives them from and sends them to the airport as a host as part of his his daily work.

This has provided convenience to masters going to US to spread the Dharma and is another large part of what the Venerable has contributed to the spreading of Dharma overseas.

Post Script

This article was researched and written in June of 1995 and published in 1997. By November of 1997, VM Jy Din had established an order of American Priests to facilitate spreading the Dharma via the Internet into the Anglo-European population of the United States and Europe. This order of priests (organized in the semi-monastic tradition of Zen Teachers euphemistically referred to in Chinese Monastic lore as "vegetable sellers") became our own Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun . In May of 1998, VM Jy Din escorted Chuan Zhi Shakya to China for training and formal ordination as Abbot of the Order of Hsu Yun (OHY). Rev. Chuan Zhi remains Abbot of the Order to this day.

Rev. Fa Dao Shakya, OHY September, 2005 http://www.hsuyun.org/