THE MONK DA XING
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Da Xing Fa Shi is a Chan Buddhist monk of the Chinese Mahayana tradition. He was born and raised in Genoa, Italy, in a typical Catholic family. As an adult he became accomplished in Asian and Western martial arts, and for many years owned and directed a martial arts studio in Genoa.
While training in martial arts, he began to meditate. During his trips around the world to learn from different martial arts teachers, he had an opportunity to encounter the Dharma and came to feel the urge to investigate it in depth. A natural process unfolded that led him to relinquish conventional paths in life and become a monk. He first studied, took refuge with, and received the five precepts under a Finnish monk ordained in the Korean Seon (Chan) tradition, Venerable Master Tae Hye Sunim. Later while traveling throughout Asia and the United States, he attended several Chan intensive retreats under the guidance of Venerable Master Sheng Yen. He became a novice monk while staying in Taiwan under the guidance of Venerable Master Sen Guang. In April 2005 at Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Central Taiwan, he received the full Mahayana monastic ordination under the supervision of Venerable Master Wei Chueh. Following his ordination, he later became a disciple of Venerable Master Guo Ru, his current teacher. Under Venerable Guo Ru's guidance he has assisted in leading several intensive retreats and is continuing to work with him to propagate Patriarch Chan around the world. While Da Xing Fa Shi's teachings are deeply rooted in the traditional Chan Buddhism, they are delivered in a fresh, new and dynamic way to make this classical Chan approach more accessible to those born in the West. Meditation practice is offered in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings and goes beyond sitting meditation to include moderate to vigorous walking, hiking, and running for those who are interested. Notes about location, terrain, and intensity are specified in class descriptions. Classes vary from gentle and accessible to everyone to those involving vigorous physical activity. Da Xing Fa Shi has led several retreats over the past decade in Italy and Northern California. Most recently, he founded the Pure Chan Buddhist Institute in Berkeley, where several activities and meditation retreats will soon be organized in both the Northern California and Canada. |