Master Jian Hu,  Abbot

Educated in the forefront of western sciences and with a deep appreciation for Chinese culture, Venerable Jian Hu is uniquely suited to bridging the gap between the East and the West. He came to the United States as a teenager and went on to graduate from California Institute of Technology and University of California, San Diego with a doctorate in Computer Science.        In pursuit of a more meaningful existence, he renounced worldly attachments to study under the auspices of the Great Master Wei Chueh at the Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Taiwan. There, for many years, he immersed himself deeply in the study and practice of Buddhism and made great advances on the Dharma path of wisdom and compassion.       He served as the Dean of the Buddhist Institute at Chung Tai Chan Monastery. He conducted numerous Chan Meditation retreats and gave many lectures at meditation centers and universities in Taiwan, including Hsinchu Science Park, the "Silicon Valley of Taiwan".

           
       In October 2000, Grand Master Wei Chueh sent Ven. Jian Hu and four other monks to California to establish the very first U.S. branch of Chung Tai – the Buddha Gate Monastery in the town of Lafayette across the East Bay of San Francisco. There, Master Jian Hu, as the first Abbot of the Monastery, by the example of his own selfless life and by giving spiritual lectures and meditation sessions, brought the ancient yet timeless wisdom of Buddhism to the public in the San Francisco Bay Area.

      Ven. Jian Hu understands well the American culture and especially the high-tech environment. When the Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale opened its doors in March 2004, he came to the heart of Silicon Valley and served as the first Abbot of this new “urban Zen center.”
    
     In addition to teaching classes of different levels, conducting meditation retreats and Zen services, holding workshops, and translating Sutra (scriptures) to English, Ven. Jian Hu is frequently invited to give lectures and conduct retreats locally, in other states, and abroad. These range from Stanford University, Santa Clara University, University of Florida, and other local colleges and high schools, to high tech companies and organizations in America and Asia. He is regularly invited to participate in interfaith events, dialogues, and seminars as keynote or panel speakers.

      Known for his lucid and articulate delivery, fluency in both Chinese and English, and keen observation, Ven. Jian Hu is admired by his students for his wisdom, practical teachings, effective communication, and a sense of humor.

Dharma Master Jian Dyi joined Zen Center of Sunnyvale in March of 2008. He also brought with him his boundless energy and infectious enthusiasm.        Shifu was born into a close-knit family of five whose devotion to Buddhism has been a tradition for generations. His parents applied Buddhism principles in raising him and his siblings. From a very young age, Shifu had shown compassion towards sentient beings and great interest in the Dharma. When he was 13 years old, he attended The Little Star Children’s Camp at Chung Tai Monastery, and he volunteered as a camp counselor the very next year. These occasions proved to be pivotal in his life. While there, he heard first hand Grand Master Wei Chueh’s lectures on Zen Buddhism. The lectures on direct awakening and expedient means touched his heart, opened up his mind, and prompted him to explore more into the meaning of life.

        Shifu also started to set goals in life. He would like to have a good education, not only in the worldly knowledge, but also deeply into the Dharma. He wanted to have a family, but this family’s affair would be that of spreading the Dharma. He planned for an excellent career, and the objective of his career would be transforming sentient beings’ mind. These goals are not just for this lifetime but for eons to come.

       Shifu decided, of his own volition and with his family’s blessing, to join the Sangha of Chung Tai Chan Monetary. The reasoning was simple: this is the place where he could realize all his goals. In the year of 1995, at the age of 15, he was ordained by the Grand Master Wei Chueh.

       Heeding his will, the Monastery prepared Shifu to achieve his goals. He was enrolled in the Chung Tai Buddhist Institute, for monks from middle school division, high school division, and all the way through the college and graduate divisions. He interned at Chung Tai Office of Engineering and Pu Tong Zen Center in Taiwan after graduation. Later he was assigned to the Great Buddha Monastery in Bangkok where he served as Executive Officer of Dharma Affairs. Shifu learned Thai language quickly and was able to converse about Dharma with locals within a year’s time. At the Zen Center of Sunnyvale, he determines to study English and the variety of cultures in this land.

      The word ‘Dyi’ in the Shifu’s name literally means “a drop of water” in Chinese. Only with a ‘drop of water’, there can be springs, streams, seas and oceans. ‘A drop of pure water’, as the name intends, holds the promise and possibilities of all will be cleansed. It is the ultimate goal in Master Jian Dyi’s life.