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Transformation of a Bodhisattva,
Footsteps of an Ascetic Monk
No Words Hall, City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
The Master teaching a class on the Buddhist Patriarchs
The Master wrote eight-line verses for each of the Patriarchs.
His classes were conducted as part of the "Developing Inherent Wisdom" series, wherein disciples were required to explain the texts written on the board first in Chinese and English. Only after many disciples had practiced explaining the lesson would the Master finally give his explanation. Such classes often lasted four or five hours and were the arena for many kinds of learning, the Master's dedication to educating being one of the primary lessons.
The Master would teach very early in the morning (6:00 or 6:30 a.m.) for several reasons:
(1) so the cooks could attend before they had to go to the kitchen;
(2) so that teachers and students could attend before they had to go to school; and
(3) so that he could finish his lesson and make the drive back to San Francisco in time to cross the Golden Gate Bridge toll-free. Sometimes the Master would teach in the evenings as soon as he arrived on the grounds after the long drive from San Francisco, without allowing himself time to rest and refresh himself.
l979 City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
The Master presiding as Precept-Transmitting Acharya during the Third Threefold Ordination Ceremony at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
The Third Threefold Ordination Ceremony
Shown here are the Three Masters and Seven Certifiers who transmitted the precepts (seated in middle row) and the newly precepted monks and nuns (seated on the floor). This Full Ordination Ceremony was unique in that the Transmitting Masters included Bhikshus from China, Vietnam, America, and Sri Lanka, representing both the Mahayana and the Theravada traditions.
