Martin Verhoeven | |
---|---|
Personal life | |
Born | Martin J. Verhoeven December 2, 1946 Appleton, Wisconsin, United States |
Nationality | American |
Education | |
Occupation | Professor |
Religious life | |
Religion | Buddhism |
Senior posting | |
Teacher | Hsuan Hua |
Martin J. Verhoeven (born December 2, 1946) is an American scholar, translator, and former Buddhist monk. [1] [2] He is a senior disciple of Hsuan Hua, and currently serves as dean of academics at Dharma Realm Buddhist University. He has previously served as adjunct professor at the Graduate Theological Union and as a lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley. [2] He is best known for completing a three steps one bow pilgrimage with companion Heng Sure. During this pilgrimage Verhoeven and Heng Sure bowed from South Pasadena to Ukiah, California, a distance of 800 miles, over the course of two years and six months. [3] [4]
Verhoeven completed his BA in 1969, his MA in 1971, and his PhD in 1997, all at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. [2]
In 1976, Verhoeven met and trained under the Buddhist teacher Hsuan Hua. He became a monk (under the name Heng Chau) that same year, and undertook a two-year bowing pilgrimage with fellow monk, Heng Sure. [4] [3] [5]
1998: "Americanizing the Buddha," in The Faces of Buddhism in America. University of California Press. [6]
2001: "Glistening Frost and Cooking Sand: Unalterable Aspects of Purity in Chan Buddhist Meditation," in Purity of Heart and Contemplation: A Monastic Dialogue Between Christian and Asian Traditions. Continuum.
2001. “Buddhism and Science: Probing the Boundaries of Faith and Reason,” Religion East and West, Issue 1.
2006: Buddhist Ideas about No-Self and the Person. Religion East & West.
2013: “Science Through Buddhist Eyes,” The New Atlantis, Number 39. [7]
2014: The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra. Editor, Translator. Buddhist Text Translation Society. [8]
2016: Highway Dharma Letters. Buddhist Text Translation Society. [9]
Lokapāla, Sanskrit, Pāli, and Tibetan for "guardian of the world", has different uses depending on whether it is found in a Hindu or Buddhist context. In Hinduism, lokapāla refers to the Guardians of the Directions associated with the eight, nine and ten cardinal directions. In Buddhism, lokapāla refers to the Four Heavenly Kings, and to other protector spirits, whereas the Guardians of the Directions are referred to as dikpāla.
The Huayan school of Buddhism is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty (618-907). The Huayan worldview is based primarily on the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra as well as on the works of Huayan patriarchs, like Zhiyan (602–668), Fazang (643–712), Chengguan (738–839), Zongmi (780–841) and Li Tongxuan (635–730).
Dajian Huineng or Hui-neng, also commonly known as the Sixth Patriarch or Sixth Ancestor of Chan, is a semi-legendary but central figure in the early history of Chinese Chan Buddhism. According to tradition he was an uneducated layman who suddenly attained awakening upon hearing the Diamond Sutra. Despite his lack of formal training, he demonstrated his understanding to the fifth patriarch, Daman Hongren, who then supposedly chose Huineng as his true successor instead of his publicly known selection of Yuquan Shenxiu.
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch is a Chan Buddhist scripture that was composed in China during the 8th to 13th century. The "platform" (施法壇) refers to the podium on which a Buddhist teacher speaks. Its key themes are the direct perception of one's original nature, and the unity in essence of śīla (conduct), dhyāna (meditation) and prajñā (wisdom).
Buddhist music is music created for or inspired by Buddhism and includes numerous ritual and non-ritual musical forms. As a Buddhist art form, music has been used by Buddhists since the time of early Buddhism, as attested by artistic depictions in Indian sites like Sanchi. While certain early Buddhist sources contain negative attitudes to music, Mahayana sources tend to be much more positive to music, seeing it as a suitable offering to the Buddhas and as a skillful means to bring sentient beings to Buddhism.
In Buddhism, refuge or taking refuge refers to a religious practice which often includes a prayer or recitation performed at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. Its object is typically the Three Jewels, which are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Taking refuge is a form of aspiration to lead a life with the Triple Gem at its core. In early Buddhist scriptures, taking refuge is an expression of determination to follow the Buddha's path, but not a relinquishing of responsibility. Refuge is common to all major schools of Buddhism.
Xuyun or Hsu Yun was a renowned Chinese Chan Buddhist master and an influential Buddhist teacher of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Hsuan Hua, also known as An Tzu, Tu Lun and Master Hua by his Western disciples, was a Chinese monk of Chan Buddhism and a contributing figure in bringing Chinese Buddhism to the United States in the late 20th century.
The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is an international Buddhist community and monastery founded by Hsuan Hua, an important figure in Western Buddhism. It is one of the first Chan Buddhist temples in the United States, and one of the largest Buddhist communities in the Western Hemisphere.
The Śūraṅgama Sūtra is a Mahayana Buddhist sutra that has been especially influential on Korean Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism. It is important for Zen/Chan Buddhism and Chinese Pure land Buddhism. The doctrinal outlook of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra is that of Buddha-nature, Yogacara thought, and esoteric Buddhism.
Dazu Huike is considered the Second Patriarch of Chan Buddhism and the twenty-ninth since Gautama Buddha. He was the successor to Bodhidharma.
The Dharma Realm Buddhist Association is an international, non-profit Buddhist organization founded by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua in 1959 to bring the orthodox teachings of the Buddha to the entire world. DRBA has branch monasteries in many countries and cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver, as well as in Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia.
Heng Sure is an American Chan Buddhist monk and a senior disciple of Venerable Hsuan Hua. He serves as the managing director of Berkeley Buddhist monastery, the president of the board of directors of Dharma Realm Buddhist Association and a member of the board of trustees at Dharma Realm Buddhist University. He has previously taught at the Graduate Theological Union, Bond University, and Dharma Realm Buddhist University as a professor. He has released several albums of Buddhist folk music including "Paramita: American Buddhist Folk Songs" (2008). Heng Sure has also been active in interfaith organizations, serving as a long-time trustee for the Interfaith Center at the Presidio and United Religions Initiative and regularly presenting at Parliament of the World’s Religions.
Vạn Hạnh Monastery is a Thiền Buddhist temple in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam. The temple is located at 716 Nguyễn Kiệm Street on the road between Go Vap and Phu Nhuan districts. It is the location of the main Buddhist training centre for sangha in Vietnam, and is also the office of the Vietnamese Buddhist Research Institute.
The Shurangama or Śūraṅgama mantra is a dhāraṇī or long mantra of Buddhist practice in East Asia. Although relatively unknown in modern Tibet, there are several Śūraṅgama Mantra texts in the Tibetan Buddhist canon. It has strong associations with the Chinese Chan Buddhist tradition.
Chan, from Sanskrit dhyāna, is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and Song dynasties.
According to the Buddhavaṃsa and Buddhist mythology, Sikhī (Pāli) is the twenty-third of twenty-eight Buddhas. The penultimate Buddha of the Alamkarakalpa, Sikhī was preceded by Vipassī Buddha and succeeded by Vessabhū Buddha.
Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) is an American private nonprofit university located in Ukiah, California, just over 100 miles north of San Francisco, in Mendocino County. It was established in 1976 by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. It is situated in the monastic setting of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a Mahayana Buddhist monastery. DRBU follows a unique variation of the Great Books model, incorporating texts from both East and West. The university has a longstanding partnership with the Pacific School of Religion and the Graduate Theological Union, as well as the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association.
Ronald B. Epstein is an American scholar and translator, specializing in Mahayana Buddhism. He is also a Buddhist practitioner and community activist.