"Trials and Tribulations of Public Service / The Reluctant Bodhisattva" Reverend Kusala has been involved in service to community for over a decade. He has been/is a Buddhist volunteer at a State Prison, Juvenile Hall, Police Department, Medical Center and University Campus. His understanding of Buddhism is deeply rooted in the Theravada and the goal of the Arahant. After years of service however, the Bodhisattva ideal manifested as his path to compassion and wisdom. He will be speaking on how he learned the ropes of public service as a Buddhist volunteer, and the up’s and down’s of service to community.

Kusala Bhikshu (www.Kusala.info) received his higher ordination in the Zen tradition of Vietnam in 1996. He is a member of the Los Angeles Buddhist/Catholic Dialogue, Wilshire Center Interfaith Council and vice-president of the Garden Grove, Stanton and Westminster Interfaith Council. He is currently Buddhist chaplain for the URC at UCLA, director of the University Buddhist Association at UCLA, member of the UCLA Medical Center Spiritual Care Committee and ride-along police chaplain for the Garden Grove Police Dept. His web site www.UrbanDharma.org has been up and running since 2001 and his podcast Urban Dharma has been available on iTunes since 2005.

Reverend Kusala

"Working with Inmates during thier Post-Release process back into the Community" Ven. Suhita Dharma, known familiarly as “Bhante,” carries forth the teaching of the Buddha in both the Sri Lankan Theravada lineage, Vajrayana, and the Mahayana Vietnamese Zen tradition of the Unified Buddhist Church in Vietnam and America. He is a pastoral social worker who emphasizes service to homeless people, prisoners, and others in need. Bhante has been a monk (Bhikshu) over 40 years and has acted as a bridge between many cultures in the world. He follows in what he calls the Triyana tradition, the way of compassion towards all beings.

"Buddhist Prison Ministry" Dharma Master Heng Yun was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1983. A native Chinese speaker, she lectures frequently on the Shurangama Sutra in Taiwan and the United States at many of the DRBA Way Places. In Taiwan, she regularly visits the prisons to talk to the classmates about finding true happiness and a direction in life. She has had many inspiring stories seeing classmates change despite their difficult environment. In addition, Dharma Master Heng Yun holds a M.A. from Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU), and is an active member of the Buddhist Text Translation Society. Currently she serves as the managing director at Gold Sage Monastery.

Dharma Master Heng Yun

"Education and Social Change" Dharma Master Heng Yin received a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin and was subsequently accepted to the Ph.D. program. She first learned about the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) in 1990 when the Master and his disciples visited UT and taught meditation and Buddhism. She came to CTTB for a summer Chan session. A few months later, she enrolled at Dharma Realm Buddhist University and moved to CTTB where she soon committed herself to the monastic life. DM Heng Yin has been active in the Buddhist Text
Translation Society and is currently the Principal of the Developing Virtue Girls' School at CTTB.

Dharma Master Jin Jr became a monastic in 1998 and was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 2002. Her motivation for studying the Dharma comes from seeking the truth and to find answers for her life. She is originally from Malaysia, but came to the United States to study Buddhism and continue her academic studies. She has a BA in English Literature from San Francisco State University. After receiving her teaching credential and MA in Education from Stanford University, she has been teaching in Developing Virtue Secondary School and Dharma Realm Buddhist University at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. This summer she will be leading a program to prepare new volunteer teachers to teach in the schools.

"Meditation Workshop" Chin He Shr is a Sramanera (novice monk). Born in Spain, after receiving a Ph.D. in Chemistry, he came to the United States in 1997 to pursue postdoctoral studies at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. One year later he came upon Buddhism and discovered that it offered a very profound view of life, and a methodology to live it meaningfully. After working in Japan for three years and traveling extensively in Asia, in 2004 he decided to adventure into the Buddhist monastic life at CTTB. He still considers himself a researcher, only that now he has gone deeper and broadened his field of interest.

"Engaged Buddhist Monasticism" Dr. Martin Verhoeven, when
training under Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, also undertook the bowing pilgrimage dedicated to world peace with Reverend Heng Sure. Marty graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His areas of interest are the historical teachings of Buddhism and the process of religious acculturation. Marty has studied and lectured extensively throughout Asia, Europe, the United States, and Canada. Currently, he is a professor at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) and Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU). He also teaches a weekly meditation series at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery.

Dr. Martin Verhoeven

"Socially Responsible Buddhist Laypeople" Mr. Doug Powers holds
an M.A. from GTU and a B.A. and an M.A.T. from the University of Redlands. He is Vice President of Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU) and currently teaches Western Philosophy and Psychology at DRBU. Doug has also been teaching at Berkeley High School for over 30 years. An advocate for introducing Buddhism to high school students, he has been known to hold impromptu meditation sessions at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. Doug is a regular facilitator at Berkeley Student Roundtable discussions and an advisor for Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth.

Doug Powers

"Time is Precious: Leave a Mark" Michael Tsai, President of the Cancer Support Group of Tzu Chi Free Clinic and Chief Information Officer of Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation USA. He has been active in Tzu Chi for 7 years. Diagnosed with terminal cancer 8 years ago, Michael outlived his doctor's initial prediction - 6 months. Michael has transformed his life through Buddhism and service. He is remarkably peaceful, and so busy working with cancer patients that you would not realize he is still battling cancer. More information about Buddhist Tzu Chi can be found at www.tzuchi.org.

"The Vegan Monologues" Brian Conroy first encountered Master Hsuan Hua in 1976 at the first Gold Mountain Monastery off Mission Street in San Francisco. He is an avid educator and has taught elementary and middle school for many years. Long involved in the theater arts and public speaking, Brian has a way of captivating audiences with his marvelous stories. Many of his stories are “Buddhist” featuring titles like, “Captain Enlightenment!,” “Nick Bodhi: Dharma Investigator,” and “Hunting the Wild Broccoli.” Click here to contact Brian.

© Copyright 2007 Brian Conroy. All Rights Reserved

"A Lay Buddhist's Responsibility to the Local Community" Ron Epstein holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist studies from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.A. in Chinese language and literature from the University of Washington. He taught Buddhist studies and world religions at San Francisco State University for many years and has recently retired. His research interests include the Mahayana sutras, Yogachara Buddhism and applied Buddhist ethics. Ron took refuge with Venerable Master Hsuan Hua in 1967 and was one of the original translators of the Surangama Sutra from Chinese to English. Together with a team of translators from the Buddhist Text Translation Society, Ron is currently working on the second translation of the
Surangama Sutra.

Please note that Prof. Epstein's website 'Resources for the Study of Buddhism ( http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/Buddhism.htm) contains some interesting materials on Buddhism and social activism. He also has posted some of his own writings on genetic engineering, the environment and animal rights at (http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/OnlinePublications.htm.)