With Every Move, Breakthroughs Sift Through (My Buddhist) Practices PDF
Talk given on February 1, 2026 at GBM
I’ve been coming to Gold Buddha Monastery (GBM) for 6+ years now, thanks to all the conditions have ripened for my arrival to be here with you all. I’d aim to share a few personal experiences on my connections with Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and the dharma masters, and really appreciate your patience and presence.
Since I grew up moving across houses, cities, and several countries, I’ve titled my presentation as such, at least that’s how I see it thus far.
I. A child’s incredible encounter with Buddha’s protection
When we were moving around, my parents, my younger sister, and myself were in countries with political instabilities, and those were the moments I came to experience what the protection of Buddha looked like. While my parents may have been praying, we didn’t have temples to go to, and certainly my sister and I were unfamiliar with much to do with Buddhist communities, so this became an insightful experience of Buddha’s protection.
My sister and I were in kindergarten and elementary school at the time, and because of my father’s work, we moved from Taiwan to a country in South America. In a matter of few weeks, there was coup e’tat, a completely unexpected situation for us all, especially my mom, who was 40 and on her first trip abroad. While I imagine they must have been extremely concerned, my parents did not made us feel they were fearful; they would privately discuss it, but they’d reassure us without adding fear. My mom was very calm, and she didn’t say that something has happened; she just said, “Let’s just come to that thick set of walls by the closet, so we’ll stay safe.” That’s it. Then she said, “Let’s keep up reciting Guanyin Bodhisattva, or Amitofo”, and that’s all that I knew at the time (in regards to anything to do Buddhist wise). We have since survived that fateful night, and subsequent difficulties in other countries, always remembering, and actively tapping into Buddha’s compassionate power.
For the longest time, I have retained memory of this particular incident, but I never recalled feeling afraid. It was decades ago that I came to know the full picture of what took place, and was stunned to learn, with what has happened, my father might have lost his life right then and there, and so it was a first hand experience of the incredible protection Buddha rendered to him, to us, in what would have been a very different reality in our (current) lifetime.*
II. How daughter & partner brought me closer with sangha(s) in North America
My partner is a non-Asian who knows but a few words in Chinese. He also hasn’t been very keen with Buddhist practices, but it is because of him that I’ve walked into Buddhist temples, and it was also through my daughter that I became active with the temples in North America.
First we were in Tucson, Arizona (1 hour away from Mexico border), where my partner was born, and we didn’t know Master Hua or met anyone from the temple yet.
When my daughter was born, I thought we could just find a temple with Mahayana practices that’s accessible, and this is when we found a temple whose abbot, an American who lived in China & Japan, led a group of Vietnamese nuns at the time. It was during this time that I started to help out the mini Sunday school with one other mother**. When a family crisis emerged – a few years of rocky marriage situation that borderlines divorce possibilities often – I took refuge in the 3 jewels plus vows with the 5 precepts. My then 5-year daughter also partook in all these, as I simply sensed young children are more spiritual than adults, and I noticed my daughter has that propensity.
Now with my partner, he only knew a few words in Chinese: cookies, ice cream, no / can’t, pretty, and Amitofo. Most of these were used to counter my daughter’s asks, but Amitofo was mostly towards me. I’m someone who not only has a loud voice, but also quick tempered, which contributed to the crisis in our relationship back then. Since I’ve taken refuge, I’d remind them to say “Amitofo” often. After a while, and irrespective of his Chinese ability, he’d automatically say Amitofo to me, especially if he sees I’m angry at him, or sensed I was about to raise my voice.
III. Loving “Holding onto Buddha’s legs at the last minute”
Thanks to my partner’s diligence, a work opportunity presented itself in Canada. With his great geographical insights and active “advertising” of particular residential areas, we moved into a neighborhood that’s not only accessible to public transit, but a mere 10 minutes bike ride to Avatamsaka Monastery (AM) in Calgary, AB, when we first moved there in 2012.
At the time, I didn’t know a thing, and I still don’t know much. But I knew I simply trusted the 3 jewels, I wanted to be close to the 3 jewels – Buddha, Dharma, Sangha -, wanted my daughter (and if possible, my partner) to continue with its exposure, so I just walked into AM, my daughter in tow, and see what’s that I can learn and help with as I step into this environment. And this is again how I began to be active with the Sunday school activities, but really, it went so much more beyond, thanks to Dharma Masters’ and larger sangha’s compassionately masterful guidance. It was at AM that I had the auspicious chance of re-receiving refuge & 5 precepts vows.
Given what I know today, perhaps I might have chosen a different way of going about introducing Buddhism to my daughter, but back then I essentially dragged her to Sunday school (she’s in 4th grade at the time). It was during this time that she met a good friend of similar age, and when we found out there’s summer camp happening at the City of Ten Thousand Buddha (CTTB), as mothers to our girls, we looked at the companionship factor, and encouraged them to sign up for the camp together. (What parents wouldn’t do to help their kids, eh?) But again, thanks to my daughter and the family friend, this propelled my first visit to CTTB, even it only for a night (so far).
Speaking of her, she’s what I’d call “A queen who holds on to Buddha’s legs at the last minute.” She studies archaeology, which means she often comes in contact with the soil and the remains underground. So I’ve reminded her to recite the Great Compassion Mantra often, since she’s got it more or less memorized. Whether she’s actually recited that, I’m afraid that’s out of my control, but she’s heard enough of my reminders that, she came to me with different requests.
One time she said to me, “Ma, I’ve got this exam in 2 days that’s quite difficult, could you please pray for me?”
As today’s Medicine Buddha Repentance Ceremony, it reminded me of a time my partner and I had to make a trip home to see my parents, and my daughter was by herself for a few weeks (she started college by then). She became quite ill when we were away, and after doing all that was possible for her care at the time, she was open to reading the Medicine Buddha Sutra, out loud in English with me over the long distance call. This was yet another story of how she did hold on to Buddha’s legs when not much else helped.
IV. With every move, breakthroughs sift through
As Buddha would have it (again), once we moved from Calgary to Vancouver, I was again blessed with the chance to be at 10-minutes bike ride distance from the GBM. Even now I’ve been living further from GBM, I’m not concerned as I figured, as long as my mind is in it, I’ll bring myself to the temple and the 3 jewels.
I’m once again on the eve of yet another house move (staying local), and a most recent breakthrough is, since 2012’s encounter with Master Hua’s sangha, I’m finally going to put in more effort to reciting Shurangama Mantra, a most powerful mantra there is. This would not have been possible had it not been for my parents, partner, and daughter’s help, and surely the Dharma Masters’ kind and savvy guidance. I imagine all of you have your wonderful stories of breakthroughs, and I trust we shall be learning from each other when conditions ripen.
Namaste,
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*Years later, my father shared that the night when the coup happened, he was walking home and heard several gun shots from nearby streets, plus bombing with fire explosions in the sky. He had to walk through bodies of dead soldiers lying on the street, and in the midst of the chaos, he all of a sudden found himself face to face with a soldier who was wounded but still had a gun and was about to shoot him, though thanks to his quick moves and recitation of Amitofo, he narrowly escaped the shot.
**this mom later became quite well known in Buddhist academic & meditation circles, especially in U.S. east coast, she actually married a former Korean monk, when they both were studying in Harvard.