Dharma Realm Buddhist Association

Category: Organizations

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

• Chinese: 法界佛教總會 fajiefojiaozonghui

The Dharma Realm Buddhist Association (DRBA), formerly known as the Sino-American Buddhist Association, is an international, non-profit organization founded by the Ven. 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.

Credo

The DRBA logo

Freezing to death, we do not scheme.

Starving to death, we do not beg.

Dying of poverty, we ask for nothing.

According with conditions, we do not change.

Not changing, we accord with conditions.

We adhere firmly to our three great principles.

We renounce our lives to do the Buddha's work.

We take the responsibility to mold our own destinies.

We rectify our lives as the Sangha's work.

Encountering specific matters, we understand the principles.

Understanding the principles, we apply them in specific matters.

We carry on the single pulse of the patriarchs' mind-transmission.

Ideals

Members of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association feel that it is extremely important for followers of the Dharma to maintain the high standards of ethics and practice originally taught by the Buddha. Although we may fall short of these standards, it is a mistake to dilute the teachings and bring them down to the level of our own personal inability and limited views. Rather we should recognize our faults and limitations and "try our best" to really change and go towards the ideal good as exemplified by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

A Bodhisattva reflects to himself :

From beginningless kalpas in the past, because of greed, hatred and stupidity, in body, speech, and thought, I have created measureless, limitless bad karma. If this bad karma had a substance and appearance, exhausting the reaches of space it could not be contained within. I now completely purify my three karmas, and sincerely repent of all this before all the Buddhas and assemblies of Bodhisattvas throughout the Dharma Realm in world systems as numerous as the particles of dust in a world. I will never do any of it again, rather I will always abide in the merit and virtue of the pure moral precepts.

The more we study the Sutras and actually practice the teachings, the more we become aware of how great our ignorance and faults are. Indeed, the key to genuine wisdom is the ability to see our ignorance and faults. For how can we solve the problem of our ignorance, the root of suffering, if we do not even realize to what extent it exists?

If we really have faith and some understanding of the Buddha's teachings, then, when we realize our faults, or when others point them out to us, we are truly happy, because we have the opportunity to change and go towards Enlightenment.

The Sage has few errors.

The superior man changes his errors.

The petty man covers his errors.

A foolish man never sees his errors.

No matter how great our faults are, or how obstructed we are by our greed, hatred, and delusion, we always have the potential to recognize this and change. One of the most remarkable things about the Dharma is that, although the criteria of the Buddha's ultimate purity and wisdom make our own state seem so coarse and impure by comparison, yet all of us still have the potential to become just like the Buddha.

The kindness of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is difficult to repay. If it were not for their great compassion we would not have the opportunity even to know about our true, enlightened nature, let alone the way to practice in order to realize it.

I am a good doctor for those who are suffering from sickness. I show the proper road to those who have lost their way. I am a bright light for those within the dark night. And I enable those who are poor to discover hidden treasures. A Bodhisattva in this way equally benefits all living beings.

Why? Because all Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones, take a heart of great compassion as their substance. Because of living beings, they give rise to great compassion. From great compassion, the Bodhi-mind is born. Because of the Bodhi-mind they realize the Equal and Right Enlightenment.

If we maintain the high standards of the Buddha's teachings, then we are giving ourselves and others the opportunity to realize the ultimate happiness and wisdom which come from studying and practicing them. The precious treasure of the Dharma must be carefully protected.

History

In 1959, the Sino-American Buddhist Association was founded in San Francisco, California in 1959. A small temple, the Buddhist Lecture Hall was started. The Venerable Master Hsuan Hua came over from Hong Kong in 1962 by plane, stopping over at Japan and Hawaii before arriving at San Francisco.

From 1962 to 1968, the Venerable Master lectured on the Lotus Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and the Amitabha Sutra among many other Buddhist sutras and texts.

In June of 1968, he began a 96-day intensive Study and Practic Summer Session for students and faculty from the University of Washington in Seattle. After the session had concluded, many of the participants remained in San Francisco to continue their studies with the Venerable Master. In that year, five Americans (three Bhikshus, two Bhikshunis) were ordained, marking the beginning of the Sangha in the United States.

In 1970, Gold Mountain Monastery, one of the first Chinese Buddhist temples in the United States was founded in San Francisco, and Hundred Day Chan Session was begun. Vajra Bodhi Sea, a monthly journal of DRBA about Buddhist topics and teachings, was also founded in 1970.

In 1972, the first Threefold Ordination Ceremony for the transmission of the complete precrpts was held at Gold Mountain Monastery.

In 1973, the Institute for the Translation of Buddhist Texts Instilling Goodness Elementary School were founded in San Francisco. In the same year, Bhikshus Heng Ju and Heng Yo began a Three Steps One Bow pilgrimage from San Francisco to Seattle to pray for world peace - a hard journey over 1,000 miles. This was the first such pilgrimage in the history of American Buddhism.

The site of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas was purchased in 1974, and in November of that year, the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua led a delegation to propagate the Dharma in Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, and other places. The delegation lasted for three months, ending on January 12, 1975.

Gold Wheel Monastery was founded in Los Angeles in 1975.

In 1976, the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas completed the second Threefold Ordination Ceremony. Developing Virtue Secondary Schools and Dharma Realm Buddhist University were also founded. The next year, Dharma Masters Heng Sure and Heng Chau began a second Three Steps, One Bow pilgrimage from Gold Wheel Monastery to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

Administrative Headquarters

Address :

• 1825, Murchison Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010-4504, California, U.S.A.

Telephone :

• +1 415 4216117
• +1 415 6925912

Website :

• http://www.drba.org

Affiliated Organizations

Branch Monasteries

Note that this is only a partial list of all branch monasteries of DRBA

United States

• The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas 萬佛聖城 - Talmage, CA
• The City of the Dharma Realm 法界聖城 - West Sacramento, CA
• Gold Mountain Monastery 金山聖寺 - San Francisco, CA
• Institute for World Religions & Berkeley Buddhist Monastery 法界宗教研究院 - Berkeley, CA
• The International Translation Institute 國際譯經學院 - Burlingame, CA
• Gold Wheel Monastery 金輪聖寺 - Los Angeles, CA
• Long Beach Monastery 長提聖寺 - Long Beach, CA
• Blessings, Prosperity & Longevity Monastery 福祿壽聖寺- Long Beach, CA
• Gold Sage Monastery 金聖寺 - San Jose, CA

• Gold Summit Monastery 金峰聖寺- Seattle, WA
• Avatamsaka Vihara 華嚴精舍- Bethesda, MD
• Gold Dharma Monastery 金法寺 - Kenner, LA

Canada

• Avatamsaka Monastery 華嚴聖寺- Calgary, Canada
• Gold Buddha Monastery 金佛聖寺 - Vancouver, Canada

Malaysia

• Dharma Realm Guan Yin Monastery 法界觀音聖寺 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Prajna Guan Yin Monastery 般若觀音聖寺 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Dharma Affinities Monastery 法緣聖寺 - Selangor, Malaysia
• Lotus Vihara 蓮華精舍- Selangor, Malaysia
• [[Malaysia Dharma Realm Buddhist Association - Penang Branch 馬來西亞法界佛教總會檳城分會- Penang, Malaysia

Hong Kong

• Cixing Monastery 慈興寺
• Buddhist Lecture Hall 佛教講堂

Taiwan

• Dharma Realm Buddhist Books Distribution Society 法界佛教印經會 - Taipei, Taiwan
• Amitabha Monastery 彌陀聖寺 - Hualien, Taiwan
• Dharma Realm Monastery 法界聖寺 - Liugui, Taiwan

Australia

• Gold Coast Dharma Realm 金岸法界 - Gold Coast, Australia