ZEN MASTER THÍCH DIỆU THIỆN
– WAKE UP TO END REBIRTH
Abbess Phổ Môn Meditation Center (Texas)
|
Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện, 2020
|
Deep Questions – Lifelong Search for Awakening
Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện, originally named Diệu Thiện, surnamed Nguyễn, was originally from Hue, born in 1971 in Vietnam. Born into a devout Buddhist family, from a very young age Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện already had deep questions and doubt about the constant changes in life and the suffering of birth and death. At the same time, she also knew that there is a world where there is no suffering, no birth and death. However, she did not know how to return to that world. Her persistent questions about awakening were the powerful motivation to help her constantly seek answers.
Ordination in Search of Awakening
At the age of thirteen, she had a chance to read books about the Bodhisattva Gautama's journey to search for awakening (Crown Prince Siddhartha). The Zen Master was very happy to know that there was an awakened teacher who found the light of awakening and attained enlightenment to end the cycle of birth and death. This was strong evidence that gave her more trust, motivation and strength to ordain in search of awakening.
- In 1989, the Zen Master graduated from high school at the age of eighteen and ordained as a nun with Abbess Thích Như Châu at Hoa Nghiêm Meditation Center, Định Quán.
- In 1993, she received bhikkhuni ordination at Đại Tòng Lâm.
- In 1994, she graduated from the College of Buddhist Studies at Thiện Hòa Nunnery (Bà Rịa, Vũng Tàu) in Vietnam.
Even though in those five years she diligently studied the sutras, vinaya and shastras, the Buddha’s teachings, disciplinary codes and analytical doctrines with early morning and late evening devotion, diligently practicing, her deep and persistent questions grew stronger because she still could not find the answer.
- In 1994, at the age of twenty-three, the Zen Master immigrated to the United States with her family and settled in Houston, Texas.
- In 1995, the Zen Master was invited to Tâm Quang Temple, Michigan. She taught Buddhist practitioners and then attended Western Michigan University, studying Buddhism with the hope to find her answers.
|
Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện Master's Degree in 2000 |
- At the end of 2000, the Zen Master graduated with high honors, receiving a master's degree in Comparative Religion and Holistic Health. Holding the master's degree in her hands, looking ahead to the future, all became meaningless to her because she still had not found the answer to her deep questions about the awakening destination.
Traveling Around the World Searching
for an Awakened Teacher
Six years had passed with a vast amount of Buddhist practice and knowledge, but it did not lead her to enlightenment. In February 2001, at the age of thirty, the Zen master decided to let go and leave everything behind, with no regard for her life, traveling around the world, hoping to meet an awakened teacher. The Zen Master made a great vow, “On this trip, if I cannot find the awakening destination, I will not return to America.”
When learning that the Zen Master was beginning the journey to search for awakeing, the abbot of the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles, California, the Most Venerable Thích Mãn Giác, was persistent and convinced her to reconsider because of all the unforeseen dangers along the way. Whereas Venerable Thích Nguyên Hạnh, the abbot of the Vietnam Buddhist Center in Houston, Texas, wholeheartedly encouraged the Zen Master, “Be courageous to go on your way, don’t give up. Go until you find what you want to find, and return.” In the end, seeing that the Zen Master already had made a decision, the Most Venerable Thích Mãn Giác wished for her to soon achieve her goal.
Long ago, the Bodhisattva Gautama spent six years in ascetic practice, experienced many meditation practices, and attained the four stages of meditation and four stages of concentration with the gurus, but he also renounced it and finally took a vow to look within to face himself and became enlightened under the Bodhi tree. In these modern days, Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện, a woman who carried the will of a great, noble minded person, went alone with three robes and one alms bowl, one small suitcase, some clothes and a little money to go on a quest to find awakening. She did not plan in advance where to stay, sometimes slept in the forest, on the mountain, at the train station, eating only crackers and a few bananas every day. She also stopped at many prestigious meditation centers in countries such as France, Sri Lanka, Thailand, experienced many meditation practices, breaking through and fully realizing many layers of consciousness inside, but the Zen Master still had to depart, because she had not yet found the answer to the deep questions of her life.
Merging into the Awakened Mind,
Ending the Suffering of Birth and Death
Finally, in Thailand, hitting rock bottom in her search and deadlocked in her quest for awakening, the Zen Master decided to stop and took a vow to turn within to face herself.
On April 8, 2001, at the Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage, the eighth day of the ten-day meditation retreat, the Ultimate Truth of Awakening burst forth, the deep questions were answered. The Zen Master had “shattered the source of ignorance, infinite wisdom appeared, seeing the truth, breaking the system of greed and hatred, completely merging into and living with the pure, immense, immaculate essence of the Buddhas. Right there, all questions had answers: What is Awakening? Where? What is suffering? Why is suffering present? Who am I? How to wake up to end the cycle of birth and death? The Zen Master returned to and has been living in the Awakened Mind every moment.”
The Great Vow to Help Sentient Beings
In the very moment of waking up, the great vow to help all sentient beings awaken appeared. Awakened Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện vowed to continue spreading her living awakening teachings to countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan until the end of 2001, when she returned to the United States.
I just want people to be truly happy,
Soon find the source of Awakened light,
Which has been illuminated for so long
But covered by ignorance for many lifetimes,
Soon return to fully realize the source of Awakened light within.
Even knowing it is difficult to wake people up,
Nothing stops me
Because of life, I vow to fully devote
Guiding the Awakening seeds to blossom in people
And from now, I commit myself fully to wake people up from the source of suffering
So the forever smile is always blooming on their lips
On everyone's lips . . .
(“Forever Blooming Smile on the Lips” – Awakened Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện)
Establishing Universal Door Meditation Center
& Suoi Tu Meditation Center
In 2003, Awakened Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện established Universal Door Meditation Center on a one-acre property in Houston, Texas, and in 2017 moved to a new nine-acre site.
Universal Door Meditation Center is wide-open and welcomes all people, regardless of religion, race, culture or background. The center rests on her boundless great vow to help others open the wisdom mind and understand, trust, clearly realize, and merge into the awakened world, ending the suffering of birth and death.
With utmost reverence, Universal Door Meditation Center displays the Awakened Mind symbol, instead of the Buddha statue, to wake people up to understand the core teaching of Buddhism, which is awakening. That practice is returning to live in the Buddha wisdom.
In 2004, the timing was right for Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện and Zen Master Thích Thông Hội to meet. Instantaneously knowing that both were awake and had taken the great vow, Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện invited Zen Master Thích Thông Hội to come to Universal Door Meditation Center to join in her vow to wake up the world. In 2013, they co-founded Suối Từ Meditation Center on a six-acre site in Dallas, Texas.
- UNIVERSAL DOOR MEDITATION CENTER
Abbess: Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện
15202 Dora Lane, Sugar Land, Texas 77498
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (281) 565-9718
Website: www.thienvienphomon.org
Youtube: Thien Vien Pho Mon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thichdieuthien
- SUỐI TỪ MEDITATION CENTER
Abbot: Zen Master Thích Thông Hội
3903 W. Pipeline Road, Euless, TX 76040
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (972) 861-9728
Website: www.thienviensuoitu.org
Youtube: Thien Vien Suoi Tu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuoiTuMeditationCenter
Establishment and Development of the International Awake Sangha
The Light of Awakening radiates in all directions, generating a living force, trust and inspiration for many people in the world to come for awakening practice. To this day, through nineteen years of living awakened and helping people, the seeds of awakening have been sprouting on American soil. The Zen Master has fifteen monks and nuns who ordained with the goal to wake up, many of whom were born and raised in the American society, coming from all ages and different cultures and religions.
Sư cô Phổ Nguyện and Sư cô Tuệ Thanh are Americans who grew up in Christian traditions. Sư cô Phổ Niệm is Indian, from a Brahmin family that follows Hinduism. After the Zen Master helped them to realize the awakening destination, they renounced everything – social status, prestige and overcame the barriers of religion and culture requesting to follow the Zen Master to ordain and join the Awake Sangha.
Besides monks and nuns, the Awake Sangha Phổ Môn - Suối Từ has a team of core students who are sincere, devoted and earnestly vow to wake up first for themselves and then to connect many people with the awakened teachers.
Every week, at these two meditation centers, more than 100 students come for wisdom-opening teachings, meditation practice and volunteer opportunities. The number of students of all ages (youth, teens and adults) from all parts of the world (India, Bolivia, United States, Canada, Africa, Mexico, Spain, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Vietnam) coming to practice to be clear about the awake destination is increasing through the meaningful, mind-opening meditation programs, such as the five-day Awake Summer Camp for youth and teens and the ten-day Awake retreat for adults.
Book release, The Power of Awake
With the Great Vow to bring the essence of Awakening to everyone, Awakened Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện released the book, The Power of Awake, English and Vietnamese versions, published in October 2016. It was ranked first for Amazon new releases and ranked third for Amazon bestsellers. The book is small, but each word flows from infinite wisdom, boundless compassion and unlimited awake tools of the Zen Master and thus can awaken the potential to wake up in each person.
Dynamic Awake Tools spreading across many countries
Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện is fresh, young and fluent in English. Her wisdom-opening teachings and interactive guidance are very spontaneous, innovative and dynamic, and she can use any means to Wake Up each person. Her liveliness easily engages and inspires listeners, no matter their situation, level of practice or religion. Therefore, the reputation of the Zen Master is widespread and known to many centers in the world. The Zen Master often travels to Australia, Canada, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam to open wisdom, pinpoint and guide people to Wake them up to soon realize and merge into the Awake mind.
To build up the Awake destination and awaken the deep questions in each person, Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện wrote this poem:
The Miracle of the Mirror
The Mirror is originally sparkling clear
always bright and luminescent
infinitely transparent in every direction
dissolving all darkness.
Open, endless space
unscratched, undefiled
unchanging
crystal clear in essence.
Even more amazing
is the capacity to use it in miraculous ways
infinitely flexible and always spontaneous
appearing instantly, knowing exactly what to do.
Crystalline mirror is our origin
why not return and live
which nothing can taint
the nature of the mirror is always pure.
Fighting and resisting
having and not having, winning and losing
in the end, for what?
Only to deepen the system of ignorance.
An entire life, lived in a dream world
but did not know and thought to be real
suffering our whole lifetime
How to ever get out?
So, truly what am I ?
Or: Who am I truly?
Right here, right now, need to see the truth!
The Mirror will appear.
Awake Retreat for Vietnamese Students at Universal Door Meditation Center
Awake retreats and wisdom-opening teachings for international students
at the Universal Door Meditation Center and other community centers
*At Universal Door Meditation Center:
Awake Retreats for Vietnamese and American Adults, Youth and Teens
*Five-day Awake Retreat for parents and Awake Camp for Youth & Teens – Spring 2020
*INDIA – Home country of Sư cô Phổ Niệm: In August 2017, Sư cô Phổ Niệm invited Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện, Zen Master Thích Thông Hội and the Sangha to Chennai, India to help her family members and the people in her hometown. The Awake teaching trip and the visit to the Buddha's land marked a big inner revolution for many nuns and lay students in the group being able to touch the Awake essence through the wisdom-opening teachings of the Zen Masters. Most surprising were the Indians with a strong sense of seeking Awakening, like Dr. Abhai, with a doctoral degree in Buddhist Studies. After receiving wisdom-opening teachings from the Zen Masters, he bowed at the Sarnath Deer Park to take refuge as a disciple following the Awakened Zen Masters to Wake Up.
*Michigan – Home of Sư cô Phổ Nguyện: In 2018, after seventeen years, Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện returned to many cities in Michigan, and brought the English Sangha. Here, Sư cô Phổ Nguyện earnestly pleaded with the Zen Master to open wisdom for her former meditation instructors and others. In just a short amount of time, their minds were opened and problems pinpointed. These people had breakthroughs in their minds and realized that Awake is the ultimate destination that we must return to in order to end the source of suffering completely.
Thailand:
|
In 2018, Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện, Venerable Abbot Ajahn Poh, Venerable teacher Ajahn Maetiko, and Zen Master Thích Thông Hội (left to right) |
|
In 2001, Awakened Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện and Abbot Ajahn Poh |
At the end of 2018, the Phổ Môn – Suối Từ Awake Sangha visited Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage in Thailand, where nearly twenty years ago Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện awakened and merged into the Awake Mind. By good chance, the Zen Master reconnected with the former abbot, Most Venerable Ajahn Poh, and met Venerable Ajahn Maetiko.
Vietnam: At the end of 2018, during the Awake teachings trip in Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện returned to visit her beloved teacher, head of the Thiện Hòa Nunnery, Abbess Thích Như Như and was encouraged by the abbess to share mind-opening teachings and the essence of awakening to all nuns.
|
Venerable Tắc Viên (left), the Abbot of Liên Hoa Pagoda, Long An, earnestly pleaded with Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện to help him merge into the essence of Awake |
Because of the sincere pleading of Venerable Tắc Viên, abbot of Liên Hoa Pagoda, Long An, Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện opened his wisdom and pinpointed his longtime restless questions and helped Venerable Tắc Viên break through the inner mind and merge into the pure, empty, immaculate Awake essence. Immediately all illusions fell apart, and the venerable said he often read that the Buddhas and the patriarchs said, “Transmitting from mind to mind,” and now he experienced what it is like.
Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện’s Awake Living
And Capacity To Help Sentient Beings
After waking up, the Awake tools in Zen Master became very dynamic, spontaneous and unpredictable. The Zen Master can help sentient beings anytime, anywhere, regardless of whether they are near or far. Seeing the exact moment to step in, she can say or do anything to awaken students to immediately realize what is illusion and what is Awake.
With her Infinite Wisdom, the Zen Master clearly sees the different levels of each disciple’s practice and the depth of their inner question. From there she opens their wisdom and guides them accordingly, so the tools given to each person are also different. Depending on each disciple’s level of Awake experience, she helps them develop their inner question about the suffering of birth and death, without using any fixed method.
(1) For those who don’t have deep questions, Zen Master helps them realize that suffering is caused by the source of ignorance, and step by step opens their mind to clearly know:
“What is Awake? How do I end suffering? Who am I? Where did I come from? Where do I go after death?”
(2) For those who already have deep questions, the Zen Master will help them to experience the karmic force that is always running and surrounds their mind, then suddenly they realize the suffering of drifting, and make a vow to Wake Up to end the suffering of birth and death.
(3) When the disciples have developed the goal to Wake Up, realizing what is real and what is not real, from there they have trust in the Awake world. Their practice will become more clear, deep and consistent. When the right conditions line up, as the sun rises, the snow melts, Awakened Zen Master just needs to use one sentence, a laugh, a shout, a punch … will burst the final stuck point in each disciple to merge into Awake world – to see through and collapse the source of ignorance – become one with the Buddhas, and instinctively continue to move, dissolve the habit energy and karma, until they fully merge with the Buddhas, Awake Zen Masters, and Awakened disciples.
To learn more about the means and Awake tools of Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện, please visit: www.thienvienphomon.org and visit the section “Journey to the Awake Mind.”
The Practice Method & the Fruit of Awakening
Zen Master’s energy and the means for helping sentient beings come from her Awake living, and show that her teachings are not based on any fixed practice methods. She does not let disciples attach to any practice methods that settle down the mind like “a stagnant pond.” She uses a myriad of ways to help her disciples go “directly to the true mind, merge with the Buddha essence, liberate from the suffering of birth and death” just like in the time of the Buddhas and the patriarchs.
Sư cô Tuệ Thanh, whose birth name is Christa, is an American with a strong desire to achieve the Awake goal. She has a strong attachment to the concept of success-failure, although she has been restlessly looking for Awakening for more than twenty years. Seeing clearly her stuck point, Zen Master Thích Diệu Thiện pinointed it out for her. Being pinpointed, seeing the mistake, her ego immediately said, “I fail, cannot do it, I don’t have the capacity to be Awake.”
The Zen Master gave her a specific medicine by asking her to leave the center if she trusts and clings tightly to that thought. The Zen Master said, “Before you leave the Center, return your yellow robe here.” Sư cô Tuệ Thanh was ready to leave because of the ego's attachment to the success-failure thoughts in her being satisfied. She immediately put her robes on the table and looked up at the Zen Master to say farewell. Right at that moment, the seed of Awake, which Zen Master had been cultivating in Su co for months, brightened when she was able to connect to the Zen Master’s Awake energy.
Right there, Zen Master asked a few questions, step by step, to awaken the wisdom mind inside her.
“How is your mind now?”
She answered, "Suffering a lot!"
The Zen Master asked, "How is the suffering?"
Sư cô Tuệ Thanh gradually felt and described the state of suffering that was inside her.
The Zen Master asked, "Do you want to live with that suffering?"
Sư cô Tuệ Thanh replied, "No."
The Zen Master saw that Sư cô had clearly felt the suffering that was running in her mind, so she asked, "So who makes you suffer?"
Sư cô replied, "It is the thought of success-failure in me that makes me suffer."
Seeing that Sư cô had realized suffering, and the cause of suffering, the Zen Master continued to open her mind, "Right now do you feel the pure and immaculate essence in Thay (Zen Master)?"
Sư cô Tuệ Thanh, "Yes!"
The Zen Master asked, "How is it?"
Sư cô felt and clearly described the empty, serene, immaculate essence of the Zen Master.
Zen Master asked, "Do you want to live in that pure, immaculate and empty essence to liberate from the suffering that is controlling your body and mind?"
Sư cô Tuệ Thanh said, "Yes, I do."
Immediately, the Zen Master asked, "Where's your suffering?"
Upon hearing this, Sư cô looked back inside herself, and immediately said, “I don’t see it.” Right at that moment, her essence brightened, merged with the empty, clear, all-knowing essence of the Zen Master. Right there, the stuck points in her automatically burst and all the questions were answered. Now Sư cô looked at everything inside and outside herself and saw it clearly as it is, seeing things clearly like the people, the table, the vase, the wall . . . but this seeing was completely different from the previous seeing. The seeing was empty, clear, all-knowing, penetrating the nature of everything. She saw that everything inside and outside is just the combination of conditions, not real. The seeing is miraculous, serene, open, infinite, beyond space and time. It is right there without any hindrance. Zen Master smiled as verification, the serene smile forever blooming on her lips, space and time ceased. Sư cô Tuệ Thanh burst out laughing, knowing she is Home, completely liberated from the illusive attachment that had bound her for millions of lifetimes, and sincerely bowed to Zen Master to show her gratitude.
Sư cô Tuệ Thanh is just one of more than twenty disciples who were opened to merge into the Awake mind by the Zen Master. Although each student has a different level of practice and questioning, the wisdom and miraculous tools of the Zen Master can help students cultivate the wanting to be Awake, liberating from the suffering of ignorance.
For her whole life, as a result of achieving the Awake goal and helping sentient beings, Zen Master Diệu Thiện, a young Vietnamese American, after many years of deep questioning, finally returned and lives completely with the original, serene mind in herself. From there, she has been unceasingly, wholeheartedly involved in Awake teaching everywhere, bringing the Awake spirit to countless people.
After nineteen years of helping people, the fruits of Awake are blossoming, her Great Vow has helped many people understand, trust, realize and merge into the Awake mind. That is why the force of living Awake is spreading more powerfully every day. More and more people trust in Awake and trust in the fact that Zen Master has the capacity to help people merge completely into the Awake world, ending the suffering of birth and death.
Please visit the website to find out more about Awake, the Awakened Zen Masters, the development of the Awake Sangha at the two meditation centers, and the Awake Sangha all over the world.
Resources:
www.thienvienphomon.org
www.facebook.com/thichdieuthien
Youtube: Thiền Viện Phổ Môn
Hương Sen Temple, May 21, 2020
Bow and Smile,
Bhikkhunī Thích Nữ Giới Hương
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Please kindly read this article and view all photos: 2.34._Zen_Master_Dieu_Thien_-_Pho_Mon_Temple.pdf
