Bhiksuni Wei Chun

Taiwan

Bhiksuni Wei Chun, under the tutelage of Vinaya Master Venerable Guang Hua, first took the Samaneri and Siksamana ordinations at Dakinava Temple in 1981. She then went to Lin Chi Monastery to obtain her Dual Sangha Bhiksuni ordination in 1983. Thereafter, she studied and practiced diligently the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya for six years under the guidance of Vinaya Master Guang-hua and Master Dao-hai. To broaden her understanding of the Dharma and practice of the different traditions of Buddhism (Mahayana, Theravada, and Vajrayana), she traveled to many countries such as: India, China, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Singapore. From her travels, she realized the importance of the Vinaya as a foundation for the whole of Buddhism. With this in mind, Bhiksuni Wei Chun founded the Daksinavana Bhiksuni Sangha Ashram (Yuchih), Dakinava Temple (Kuoshing), and Dakinava Buddhist Cultural Society (Canada) and the Daksinavana Institute of Buddhist Studies (1993), to provide places for nuns and upasikas to learn and practice the vinaya, as well as samadhi and wisdom. To further disseminate the Vinaya and Dharma, she also established the Daksinavana Publication Press which publishes many Vinaya works and Sutra commentaries.

In her efforts to preserve the Bhiksuni Sangha lineage, Bhiksuni Wei Chun has been actively propagating the importance of taking each stage progressively --Samaneri, Siksamana, and then the Dual Sangha Bhiksuni ordination. With the establishment of the Daksinavana Center of Vinaya Studies at Daksinavana Bhiksuni Sangha Ashram, where Bhiksunis are trained to become Vinaya masters, regular transmissions of Samaneri, Siksamana, and Dual Sangha ordinations are held, with Bhiksuni Wei Chun as the preceptress. Furthermore, to help the re-establishment of the Bhiksuni Sangha lineage in other countries, in 2006, 150 life-size statues of Sanghamitta Theri were distributed throughout the nunneries in Sri Lanka as a movement to bring awareness of the rightful ordination procedures for Bhiksuni ordination to the Dasa Silmatas.

Bhiksuni Wei Chun has also done a lot of work in the promotion of laity education and social welfare. Regular transmission of the lay precepts and Bodhisattva precepts and Dharma classes are held for the laity to induce right morals in the society. Locally, Bhiksuni Wei Chun provides scholarships for school students, funds for the Nutritional Lunch Programs, and food, clothing and other necessities to care homes for the mentally handicapped and the elderly.

Her compassion for those in need has no boundaries. She was one of the first to rush to Sri Lanka during the Tsunami Disaster (2004) to provide food and build temporary shelters immediately for the families affected, with funds to build 150 new houses to follow. Buddha statues, posters and Dharma books were printed and distributed throughout Sri Lanka to replace those washed away by the Big Water.

Bhiksuni Wei Chun has devoted her life to service and prolonging the existence of the Triple Gems in this world, as well as for the betterment of humankind. She will continue to work on her projects to propagate the Dharma, to support the reestablishment of Bhiksuni Sanghas, and to educate and help the laity so as to make this a better world.