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Brief Autobiography of Shih Kuan Yit Ven Kuan Yit was born Born on the 1st of November, 1932 in Guandong, China. In 1977, she took her vow as an upasikā under Ven. Yong-Xing (永惺), the abbot of Xi Fang monastery (西方寺). In the same year, she joined the Buddhist discussion forum held by Bodhi Sikṣa Society, Hong Kong to further her Buddhist education. In October, 1982, she took her Srāmaṇerī ordination under the abbot, Ven. Yong-Xing. In December of the following year, she took her higher ordination in Lin-ji monastery (臨濟寺) under the preceptor Ven. Bai-shen (白聖). In 1984, she followed her teacher's instruction to become a director general to the memory hall of Xu-yun (虛雲) in Quanwan (荃灣) Furongshan (芙蓉山), Hong Kong. The next year, 1984, she returned to Xi Fang Monastery to take up her priesthood . During all those years of her Bodhi practices under her Pure Land master, she also visited many renowned monasteries in different countries, such as United States, Taiwan and China. Those visits provided her with many opportunity to study under several famous masters, such as Ven. Xian-ming (顯明), Min-zhi (敏智), to name only a few . After learning Tentai's tenets and credendum, she by chance visited Quincy, Massachusetts in 1988. Knowing that there was not even a Buddhist monastery for the spiritual needs of the Chinese people living in the neighborhood, as well as thinking to promote Buddhism in the region renowned for its scholastic environs, she avowed to provide people with a pure and good place to study Buddhism and its rituals and chants. In 1990 she and some pious devotees established the Budhi Sikṣa Society and named the temple Jing-kuang Temple (淨光). The unexpected success soon made the size of the temple unfit for the growing number of visiting devotees. To accommodate the increasing needs of the people, she spent a number of years finding a suitable place, which led her to the present location. Ten years of dhamma cultivation have yielded good fruit by now. After Thousand Buddha Temple's 10th anniversary, another construction is undergoing in the opposite of the temple. It is meant for the Bodhi Children Center as well as the Tripitaka library. It is expected to be finished by the end of 2006. Venerable Kuan Yit has reached the autumn of her age. Yet she still indefatigably upholds the Buddhist teachings with four immeasurable mind (loving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity ). The Venerable's sole hope is to help people leave the sufferings and attain the bodhi together with the immense sentient beings. |