Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

hesitatingly I wrote. It seems the Venerable teacher liked
my letter and in his reply he gave me a Buddhist
name—Fa Jian (Dharma-hero, Sovereign of the Dharma).
He did me a great honor by presenting two scrolls in his
calligraphy of Buddhist teaching and said that I should
become his disciple. I was really converted to Buddhism
by him when he came to our town a month or two later. I
was privileged to work under him in the new Buddhist
College of which he was the founder.
Mr. Chen has very kindly amplified a portion of his life
at this stage by sending a letter in which he says:
During the period of my conversion, I began by studying
the Avatamsaka Sutra. I was especially interested in the
chapter of that Sutra on pure conduct. This chapter sets
forth how daily life should be well accompanied by the
Bodhicitta (Wisdom & Mercy heart). To give two
illustrations: when we walk we should think of the
sentient beings all walking on the great path of Buddhism;
when we sit we should wish that all sentient beings are
sitting on the Vajrasana (Diamond Seat) as well as Lord
Buddha and so all attaining final enlightenment. In this
way almost every action of our daily life is well
accompanied by the Bodhicitta for the sentient beings.
Once I had to print a certain book, and with a
concentrated mind I wrote out the whole of this chapter
in good and vigorous style so that many copies might be
made for presentation to others. Since then I myself have
always used and followed these same gathas in my own
life, well preserving the precepts of the Bodhicitta and
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