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Heng Sure

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Heng Sure
恆實
TitleVenerable
Personal
Born
Christopher Clowery

(1949-10-31) October 31, 1949 (age 75)
Toledo, Ohio, United States
ReligionBuddhism
SchoolGuiyang Chán school
Senior posting
TeacherHsuan Hua

Heng Sure (恆實法師, Pinyin: Héng Shí, birth name Christopher R. Clowery;[1] born October 31, 1949) is an American Chan Buddhist monk and a senior disciple of Venerable Hsuan Hua.[2][3] He serves as the managing director of Berkeley Buddhist monastery, the president of the board of directors of Dharma Realm Buddhist Association[4][5] and a member of the board of trustees at Dharma Realm Buddhist University.[3][6] He has previously taught at the Graduate Theological Union, Bond University, and Dharma Realm Buddhist University as a professor.[3][6] He has released several albums of Buddhist folk music including "Paramita: American Buddhist Folk Songs" (2008).[5][7] Heng Sure has also been active in interfaith organizations, serving as a long-time trustee for the Interfaith Center at the Presidio and United Religions Initiative and regularly presenting at Parliament of the World’s Religions.[4][8][9]

He is probably best known for a two-years and six-months three steps, one bow pilgrimage from 1977 to 1979. Heng Sure and his companion Heng Chau (Martin Verhoeven), bowed from South Pasadena to Ukiah, California, a distance of 800 miles, wishing for world peace.[2][3][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Born in Toledo, Ohio[9], Ven. Heng Sure grew up with an early exposure to Chinese language and culture, influenced by his high school studies and his sister's work with the U.S. Information Agency.[2] He attended DeVilbiss High School and pursued higher education at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, before attending the University of California at Berkeley, where he studied from 1971 to 1976.[2][13] During this time, he deepened his interest in Oriental languages and earned a master's degree in the field in 1976.[6][13]

That same year, Heng Sure met Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, who would later ordain him at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas and received the Dharma name "Heng Sure," meaning "Constantly Real." [3][12][13][14][15] In 2003, he furthered his academic journey by earning a PhD in Religion from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.[6][13][16]

In October 2024, Rev. Heng Sure participated in the Sixth World Buddhist Forum held in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China, where he emphasized gratitude and interconnectedness, reflecting on Buddhism's shared spiritual heritage.[17][18][19]

Three Step One Bow Pilgrimage

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In 1977, Reverend Heng Sure and his companion, Heng Chau (formerly Marty Verhoeven), began the Three Steps, One Bow pilgrimage from South Pasadena to Ukiah, California.[1][2][6][7][14][16] This journey, dedicated to world peace[12][13], involved taking three steps followed by a full prostration to the ground, covering approximately one mile per day and lasting two years and nine months​.[2][3][6][8][9][11][14][15][20] Heng Sure observed a vow of silence throughout the pilgrimage, relying on the kindness of strangers for sustenance and sleeping in their station wagon to remain outdoors.​[1][2][3][6][11][12][14][15][16]

The pilgrimage was inspired by their teacher, Hsuan Hua, who instructed them to transform their inner greed, anger, and delusions to bring peace to the world starting with their minds​.[3][11][12][14][15] Their experiences, challenges, and reflections were later compiled in the book Highway Dharma Letters: Two Buddhist Pilgrims Write to Their Teacher, documenting their spiritual journey and insights.[3][5][11][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Personality | Monk on a mission". www.buddhistchannel.tv. Retrieved 22 August 2015.[1]
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Reverend Heng Sure (1949 -)". www.shabkar.org. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Awakin.org. "Conversation with Rev. Heng Sure | Awakin Call". www.awakin.org. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b Lee et al (2015). Asian American Religious Cultures Volume 2, p. 210. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
  5. ^ a b c "Rev. Heng Sure Articles". Lion’s Roar. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Bhikshu Heng Sure". Dharma Realm Buddhist University. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Reverend Heng Sure | The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies". buddhiststudies.stanford.edu. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Mitchell, Scott A. (2016). Buddhism in America: Global Religion, Local Contexts, Bloomsbury Publishing.
  9. ^ a b c d "Rev. Heng Sure". The Interfaith Observer. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  10. ^ Truitt, Allison J. (2021). Pure Land in the Making: Vietnamese Buddhism in the US Gulf South, p. 141. University of Washington Press.
  11. ^ a b c d e Harrison, Anne-Marie (17 December 2014). "The Bowers That Be". Good Times. Santa Cruz, California. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d e "FINDING MY RELIGION / Buddhist pastor Heng Sure talks about his 2½-year pilgrimage up the California coast". 2 May 2005. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Q&A Venerable Dr Heng Sure". The Buddhist Union. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g "Three Steps, One Bow for Peace". www.urbandharma.org. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d "Conversations.org: A Conversation with Reverend Heng Sure, by Bela Shah, Audrey Lin". www.conversations.org. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  16. ^ a b c T324Admin (1 October 2009). "A-twitter with American Buddhist Monk Heng Sure". Graduate Theological Union. Retrieved 22 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Buddhists across world gather to promote civilization exchange-Xinhua". english.news.cn. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  18. ^ "Buddhists across world gather to promote civilization exchange - China.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Conversations.org: A Conversation with Reverend Heng Sure, by Bela Shah, Audrey Lin". www.conversations.org. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  20. ^ ServiceSpace.org. "The Pizza Precept & More From Rev Heng Sure". www.servicespace.org. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
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