Than Hsiang Temple was recently graced with the presence of Ven. Yifa, Abbess of the Fo Guang Shan, Boston, USA, who came to gave a dharma lecture on the ‘Humanistic Buddhist View on Living and Dying’. The dharma talk was held at about 8:00pm in the Multipurpose Hall located on the 5th floor of Than Hsiang, and was conducted in English.

More than a hundred people came to attend the talk, which was jointly organized by BLIA Malaysia (Penang Branch), Than Hsiang Temple, Kwong Wah Yit Poh, Society of the Disabled Persons Penang and Penang Xiao-En Education.

Venerable Yifa began her talk by explaining the three important factors regarding the concept behind the humanistic point of view on living and dying, which were: ‘this world, this time and this person’. The venerable then went on to give a detailed explanation on the difference between the traditional view and the current Chinese Buddhist view.

Another important issue tackled by the venerable was the ageless question; Where does one go after Death? The cycle of birth and death, a never-ending process where one dies, only to be reborn again, and face the process of death again. Ven. Yifa gave an explanation on the six realms existing in this world, which comprises of heaven, human, demi-gods, animas, ghost-spirits and hell.

The venerable also gave a thorough account on the process of dying, which comprises the gross dissolution and subtle dissolution of the body. She based her knowledge on a very famous book, titled ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying’, which gives a detailed explanation on the process of how we die, focusing on the dissolution of the four great elements relating to our bodily functions; earth; solidity, water; fluidity, fire; temperature and wind; breath.

An interesting term was also introduced; Bardo，which represents the intermediate existence. This ‘existence’ travels in search of a new body, which covers the cycle of 49 days.

Ven. Yifa also presented three important factors which decides our rebirth; the primary karma, habitual karma and last thought. The factors of cause and effect also play an important role in defining one’s karma.

The venerable concluded her talk by giving a very important advice; that we should not be afraid of death. She also reminded us that we should be careful with our daily thoughts and actions, as it will affect the condition of our present karma.

A Q&A session was then held where various questions were posted to the venerable; some which touches on Buddhism in general, life after death, the topic of enlightenment, remembering past lives and reaching out to the non-Buddhist through assisted chanting especially during the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, which falls on the month of August. The session lasted for more than half and hour, with Ven. Yifa patiently answering each question with a witty and lengthy explanation, much to the satisfaction of the audience.

Than Hsiang Temple would like to thank the various association who had helped to organize the event as it is indeed a blessing that Ven. Yifa was able to grace us with her presence, and more importantly, to give us a lecture on the humanistic view of living and dying.

(This dharma talk is also available online)

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About Ven. Yifa,
Abbess of the Fo Guang Shan, Boston, USA.
Ph.D. Yale University

Venerable Yifa holds a PhD in religious studies from Yale University (1996) and has been an ordained Buddhist nun since 1979. She grew up in the small Taiwanese town of Beigang and attended college as a law student at National Taiwan University in Taipei. At the age of 20, she was introduced to the philosophy and religious ideals of Buddhism and found inspiration to lead a life of service to humanity. During her second year at the university, Yifa received ordination at Fo Guang Shan at Kaohsiung—a seat of Buddhist learning and service.

In the monastic life, Venerable Yifa did find isolation from society but rather opportunities for education and service that far exceeded those available to most women of her generation in Taiwan. Recognizing her potential as a leader and an academic, Fo Guang Shan sponsored Yifa’s graduate studies, first at the University of Hawaii, where she received an MA in philosophy in 1990, and then at Yale.

Within Fo Guang Shan, Yifa has served as an administrator of Buddhist universities and centers for the education of monastics, most notably, as Provost of Hsi Lai University in Rosemead, California, the first university in the United States sponsored by a Chinese organization. Venerable Yifa taught Buddhism in the Institute of Philosophical Studies at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan from 1999 to 2001. Before going back to Taiwan, she was a visiting scholar at University of California at Berkeley and in the fall of 2001, she became a visiting scholar at Harvard University.

Venerable Yifa received awards as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Taiwan in 1997 and Outstanding Women in Buddhism Award in 2003. In recent years she has been an active participant in interfaith dialogues, some of which were supported by UNESCO. She was invited to be the contributor to “Safe Motherhood Project” by UNICEF’s South Asia Office.

Venerable Yifa is also an advocate for women’s equality within Buddhism. Her current research focuses on women’s roles in Buddhism and the biographies of Chinese Buddhist women. She is a frequent guest lecturer on diverse subjects, including Chinese Buddhist philosophy, thanatology and ethics. Presently, she serves as the abbess of Greater Boston Buddhist Cultural Center, Fo Guang Shan’s affiliation in Massachusetts and teaches at Boston University as an adjunct position. Venerable Yifa’s book on monastic rules and institutions, The Origin of Buddhist Monastic Codes in China, was published by University of Hawaii Press in August 2002. Being a nun, she also loves to write for the general audience and her book Safeguarding the Heart - a Buddhist Response to Suffering and September 11 was published in August 2002 by Lantern Books, and received favorable reviews from leading publications, including YBAM’s Eastern Horizon in its December 2002 issue. She is also the co-author for the Benedict’s Dharma , published by Riverhead Books, 2001.