The Founder of the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua:

I came to America to propagate the Buddhadharma and to rescue living beings from suffering and bring them happiness. "Ten thousand births and deaths and hundreds of difficult ordeals" is a perfect description of my life. I underwent countless hardships to establish the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Don't let it be destroyed. When I came to America, I made a great vow: I wanted to be a sculptor who would mould living Buddhas, living Bodhisattvas, and living Patriarchs...If I can't transform all the living beings of the world into living Buddhas, living Bodhisattvas, and living Patriarchs, I'll never become a Buddha myself.