[Buddha-l] Re: First ever foreigner to become monk in China?

[Benito Carral]

On  Saturday,  November  17,  2007,  Alberto Todeschini
wrote:

> Is  this  correct?  No  other  foreigner  has  become
> Buddhist in China?

   I think that we should distinguish between Buddhists
and  Buddhist  monks.  There are many Western Buddhists
who  have  links with the mainland. For instance, there
is  a  summer  retreat  at  Bailin  si  (Hebei) with an
important  Western  attendance.  I  myself was visiting
Chinese monasteries and meeting abbots in 2002.

   I  received  many  important  Dharma  gifts. The old
abbot  of Yummen si, who was sick in the mountaisn with
one   assistant,  phoned  the  monastery  to  send  his
greetings  and I have a lovely time with the new abbot,
the director of studies, and the teacher of music.

   Ven.  Jing-hui,  then  Vice-chairman  of the Chinese
Buddhist  Association,  accepted  to  be  the spiritual
advisor  of  my ministry to the Spanish-speaking world,
he  also  invited me to become a monk and work with him
in  China,  which  I had to refuse due to some personal
circumstances.

   Then  I  met  John Crook (an English Chan teacher in
Sheng-yen's  lineage)  in  the Summer Palace (Beijing),
who  was also visiting monasteries and abbots with some
of  his  students.  We  had  a  wonderful time together
sharing about teaching Chan in the West.

   I  hope  this  helps.  I  think  that  there were no
Western monks in China at that time. Maybe someone else
knows better.

   Best wishes,

-- 
   Benito Carral
     Asturias, Spain